Flute Maintenance- Wood Vs. Plastic

[cocusflute]

Recently some members have been advocating a flute made of plastic over wood. They have been advising new players to buy a plastic flute. It seems nuts that a person would chose (all thing$ being equal) a flute based on anything other than the sound - which includes ease of playing, intonation, volume, sweetness, etc.
Time of assembly: it takes me 6 seconds to assemble my wooden flute and 2.5 seconds to dissemble it.
Cleaning: about ten seconds. Max
Reliability: I've been playing wood flutes for nearly twenty years with no problem. Hot weather, cold, humid, dry.
True, wooden flutes aren't as strong as plastic flutes. I wouldn't whack the dog with my wooden flute but if you're using your plastic flute for that there are better choices.
For making music there is nothing better than a wooden flute. Period. For beginner or accomplished player. If you're not a serious player it doesn't matter what you buy. But if you're at all serious you should buy the best flute you can afford. If you can't afford much, a Casey Burns folk flute for $300 is the best bargain out there. Hands down. No plastic flute comes close.

[withak]

I like my plastic flute because I can leave it in my backpack and drag it around everywhere with me without having to worry about taking care of it or maintaining it.

[Jack Bradshaw]

A plastic flute is a great second...........

(Occasionally it's usful to whack someone else's dog as well..)

[manu.bande]

Hi cocusflute

I certainly love wooden instruments ,irish flutes , whistles , shakuhachi , etc. but I must admit that in certains situations a delrin flute/whistle could be the best solution !
For instance in summer my hands sweat a lot so play a delrin instrument is much more convenient for me !
Belive me I've already exsperimented the summer playing with a wooden whistle and the results were not good , all the surface of the body outside was rising up , even if after each playing I did clean the whistle in and out !!!
Summer around here get pretty hot , around 35 to 40 degrees Celsius , so you need switch on airconditioning , and that's not good at all for wooden instruments ! Inside your appartment you can go from 38 C to 20 C and the humidity can drop from 70% to 40% orless.
The flutes you're playing daily cannot be moving around all the time just because you're using the aircon... , so for me is better using a delrin flute and let it ther with or without aircon.. !

A delrin flute , as many people already said , is the best flute for traveling , you don't have to worry about it anywhere you go !

About assemble and dissemble the flute ,well...I use to dissemble my delrin flute every time after playing as the joints have cork inside so I don't think is a good idea to let it assembled for long periods of time , and as you said assemble or dissemble a flute it's not a problem !

About the sound and playability in between a delrin and wooden flute , well... I really don't think there is a big difference in between them , I'm not a serious player but I can understand when two flutes sound almost the same or at leat they have a ''woody'' sound !
In fact I just own two irish flutes , one in derlin made by Mr McGee and another in blackwood made by Mr Copley , and I can tell you that they both sound "woody'' and perhaps I would say that I prefer the sound of the delrin McGee over the blackwood Copley !

I firmly belive that a delrin flute well made by a top maker can sounds good as one made in blackwood !

Said that , I still like very much wooden flutes and whistles and of course a wooden flute looks much nicer of a delrin flute !

But I still belive that a delrin flute it's a perfect choice for beginners and also for more advanced players !

All the best

Manuel

[peeplj]

A plastic flute is just the thing to leave assembled on your desk for when you can only grab a quick tune or two.

Also great for taking on walks, playing in the rain (or in a hot tub ), or anywhere that you might not want to take a more fragile (and more expensive) wooden instrument.

Because of their durability, they are also quite handy for younger players who might not be ready for the responsibility of consistently caring for a wooden flute.

Extreme climate change won't hurt a plastic flute--very handy for flying across the country or even for driving, as hours spent in a hot car won't crack a plastic flute.

And so forth and so on. I'm sure you get the idea...

--James

[crookedtune]

I agree wholeheartedly with Cocusflute's opinion, but will stop short of stating the superiority of wood as fact.

I had two different delrin flutes, and didn't enjoy either the way I'm enjoying a wooden Burns flute. They just didn't feel as good (to me), didn't play as easily (for me), didn't sound as good (to me), etc... Some have had different experiences, but I'd continue to nudge a new shopper toward wood also.

If you're REALLY uptight about cracking, maybe forego the lined head and tuning slide. An all-wood flute isn't going to crack unless it's defective, or you really abuse it.

[jim stone]

If I may restate what I think is the essence of cocus's argument:

1. As wooden flutes are durable and easy to care for, the added
strength and ease of care delrin provides isn't
needed by most of us.

2. Wooden flutes typically sound better than delrin flutes.

3. So delrin gets you something you don't need while
costing you something it's sensible to want--the best sounding
flute you can get for your money.

4. Therefore newbies who are serious about making music
ought to buy a wooden flute for starters--unless
they're under extraordinary circumstances.

5. So advising newbies generally to go for delrin is usually not
in their interest.

This may or may not be a good argument, but it's worth
considering, IMO.

[Doug_Tipple]

An all-wood flute isn't going to crack unless it's defective, or you really abuse it.

I doubt that all cracks on wooden instruments are the result of abuse, but I don't quite understand what the problem is with a wooden flute that happens to crack. You just need to have the crack repaired and go forward. The same can be said for most wooden instruments. Some of the best sounding violins in the world have repaired cracks, and I suspect the same is true for wooden flutes. I also would guess that a flute with a repaired crack, having had an adjustment in the internal stress of the instrument, is less likely to crack again in the future.

[sbhikes]

I think people should buy the flute that best fits their lifestyle. In many ways a plastic or derlin (which I guess is also plastic) fits my lifestyle very well. I may buy one some day. But it isn't my dream flute, and I love my folk flute and wouldn't rather have a plastic one!

Well, maybe sometimes I would rather have a plastic flute, like when my cockatoo starts making a bee-line towards it. I have to keep it hidden, and putting it in the cloth bag I made isn't hidden enough. She's well aware what is inside that bag. I have to hide the bag. Of course, she would destroy a plastic flute just as easily, but I might not be as sad.

[peeplj]

If you are saying that every learner should buy the best flute they can afford, I can agree with that.

If you are saying that wood has an authenticity, feel, and warmth that polymers don't have...I can agree with that. (Although Turlach Boylan may well disagree with you, considering what he plays.)

And if you are saying that every flutist's circumstances are different, and each should pick the best flute that fits his circumstances, then I'll agree to that, too.

But...

If you are saying that all polymer flutes are drek and that their makers do us all a disservice by making them and selling them...then I must respectfully disagree.

--James

[jim stone]

ONly this:

if I don't have a flute and seriously wish to learn,
and it's a choice between a tough, easy to care for flute
that sounds very good and a tougher, easier to care for flute
that sounds less good, the first flute is the prudent
choice--supposing other things like price are equal.
Wooden flutes are pretty tough flutes
and easy to care for. Tough is tough enough, usually.
Generally they sound better
than delrin flutes. So it's prudent to go for a
wooden flute as one's first--unless you live under
extraordinary circumstances.

Not that delrin flutes are drek or that there's no place for them.

[CranberryDog]

My wooden flutes have Soul. Cheers, Cyril.

[Doc Jones]

Brother Cocus, in the interest of full disclosure may we ask which Delrin flutes you've played? Ever played two of the same maker in both materials at the same time? No antagonistic intent here...just thought it would be good for readers of the thread to have that information.

I heard that Hammy Hamilton's personal flute has a delrin head because he liked it better. Anyone know if there's any truth to that?

Not that he liked Delrin better than wood per se, but that that head was particularly lovely. Which of course begs the old question of whether it's the material or the embouchure cut (which, of course, has infinite variables even by the same maker).

I am not a great player. I do have the advantage of having played many many flutes and have often done side by side, "wooden apples to Delrin apples" comparisons.

I can hear and can certainly feel a subtle difference between the two. However, most of my listeners cannot distinguish between the two at a distance of 10 feet. They aren't professional listeners and I'm not a professional player. Cocus have you played both for others or just for yourself? Just curious.

I prefer wood. That said, I love the freedom of a polymer tooter.

Doc

[Denny]

unless you live under
extraordinary circumstances.

extraordinary, eh?
Well, I never thought of it that way.

[sbhikes]

I have heard second-hand that our session's flute player does not believe in swabbing out a wooden flute. So far so good for him.

What are the consequences of not swabbing out a plastic flute? Will it grow microbes and begin to smell funny?