who would you buy from.......?

Ben Shaffer · Post by **Ben Shaffer** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:26 pm

List,
If you could get a high quality Irish Flute from a major musical Instrument manufacter like Artley within 2 weeks, who would you buy your Flute from? wait about 1 year and get it from our current high end Flute makers or would you go ahead and buy from the manufacter?
The assumption being equal quality and price...
Ben AKA Mr. Fandango

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:28 pm

Il Friscaletto · Post by **Il Friscaletto** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:52 pm

I got a high quality Irish flute from a high end maker the very day I visited his shop and handed him the check. No lines, no waiting.

:)

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:56 pm

Il Friscaletto wrote:I got a high quality Irish flute from a high end maker the very day I visited his shop and handed him the check. No lines, no waiting.

Yes, I've heard stories of this happening.........

Loren

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 2:07 pm

Mr. F makes good points, and I understand exactly where he's coming from. In my opinion, you'd always end up with a percentage of buyers who favor the small makers, even if the quality of the mass-produced flutes was comparable. After all, we can all buy very high quality clothing at Sears and even Wal-Mart, but more expensive boutique stores still spring up and thrive everywhere. It's about differentiation as much as quality. By definition, a mass-producer reduces differentiation.

Which would I buy? Dunno.

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 2:17 pm

Personally, I would wait the extra time. Why? Because one person put in their effort to make a great instrument. I know the name of the person who made it and they may be a friend of mine. I have more respect for individuals producing instruments rather than instruments made by faceless workers on an assembly line. You make a decent point Ben, but there is not a big enough market and the cost for a company like Artley to buy the materials for the instruments and their making. Plus, how many of us already playing nice instruments would get rid of their Flute to have one of the new ones? I know I wouldn't.

Wormdiet · Post by **Wormdiet** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 2:33 pm

Depends on what I was looking for in a flute. But I had exactly the same choice in guitars. I could have bought a good, USA made Fender Strat for a grand in a matter of minutes, in nearly any music store in the country, when I was guitar shpping. But I waited several months and spent the same money on a Rickenbacker, through internet order, because the differentiated features of that guitar were more attractive. (Fenders are boooooring! ;P)

As an aside, anybody on the forum can talk to Doc Jones and get a high-end flute quite quickly. If yer lucky you can also call up Powell's in Galway and a get a Sam Murray keyless shipped that same week - he occasionally makes flutes for them to retail.

Henke · Post by **Henke** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:39 pm

Do you read your replies at all Mr. Fandango?

It cannot be done

JS · Post by JS » Fri Dec 01, 2006 4:31 pm

Maybe there's a model for thinking about this over in the mando ecosystem, where the prices for high-end models make what many of us spend on flutes look like beer & cigarette money? There are large companies producing reputable instruments, small makers producing prestige instruments, part-time makers (like my friend, Mike, who turns out a couple of gorgeous instruments a year), and a vigorous vintage market too--all are providing tools for serious musicians. As far as I could see, back when I was watching the madolincafe site and elsewhere, the intro of mass produced quality instruments didn't have a negative impact on the number or variety of independent makers, so clearly some musicians would rather get their instrument custom-built, or at least have that more individualized experience, even at the expense of the wait.

And look at the number of independent guitar makers, even though it seems quite possible to get a fine guitar, without a wait, either off the rack or on the used/vintage market.

But probably the most problematic assumption is "equal quality." I haven't been on any music forum yet where there was more agreement than otherwise about what that meant in any discussion of makers & models. I mean, just check out the recent whistle discussions here. And isn't that part of the fun of it, eh? So the chances of finding a consensus that a large maker's mass-produced simple system flute is as good as someone's treasured (insert maker's name here) seem not so good.

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 5:59 pm

Hey Ben,

I'll buy when Toyota starts making Irish Flutes. I like reliability.

Loren

AaronMalcomb · Post by **AaronMalcomb** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:16 pm

Loren wrote:Hey Ben,

I'll buy when Toyota starts making Irish Flutes. I like reliability.

Loren

And even then I'd wait until they make a hybrid.

Jon C. · Post by **Jon C.** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 5:02 am

AaronMalcomb wrote:
Loren wrote:Hey Ben,

I'll buy when Toyota starts making Irish Flutes. I like reliability.

Loren

And even then I'd wait until they make a hybrid.[/quote
I was going to measure a Edsel, and start making those flutes. The original was so successful...

Ben Shaffer · Post by **Ben Shaffer** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:15 am

List,
without a doubt most most everyone on this list has strong opinions! Loren I think can be the man to take the lead and become the Toyota of Flute makers.
I think it would be nice if Irish Flute making paralleled Metal Flute making.... that is there are a number of Mass produced Flute makers as well as a bunch of Custom Flute makers
Ben

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:20 am

Jon C. wrote:
AaronMalcomb wrote:
Loren wrote:Hey Ben,

I'll buy when Toyota starts making Irish Flutes. I like reliability.

Loren
And even then I'd wait until they make a hybrid.[/quote
I was going to measure a Edsel, and start making those flutes. The original was so successful...

The Edsel had a bizarre appearance, recall. It was described as a Chevrolet sucking a lemon.

Yes, i want a hybrid flute--runs partly on breath, partly on
Guinness.

Doug_Tipple · Post by **Doug_Tipple** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:40 am

jim stone wrote:
Jon C. wrote:
AaronMalcomb wrote: And even then I'd wait until they make a hybrid.[/quote
I was going to measure a Edsel, and start making those flutes. The original was so successful...
The Edsel had a bizarre appearance, recall. It was described as a Chevrolet sucking a lemon.

Yes, i want a hybrid flute--runs partly on breath, partly on
Guinness.

The idea of a hybrid flute is not such a bad idea. Electric-acoustic guitars are sort of hybrid in that you can play them with or without an amplifier. It would be nice to have an acoustic flute with a tiny onboard digital processor. If you wanted more volume, reverberation, or more bark (or whatever quality you desired), that could be chosen in the effects processor. However, if you wanted to play it at an acoustic session, that would be no problem, either.

As for the Edsel, I wonder what they were thinking. It had an ugly appearance and an ugly name (no matter that it was a family name), and people didn't buy it, no matter how nice of car it may have been otherwise. Let's face it, many people make a buying decision (or mate selection) based on appearance alone, which isn't such a smart maneuver, in my opinion.