I received the Carbony flute from Rob on Friday and I'm returning it in the mail today.
I very much appreciated the acoustical qualities of the material! It doesn't sound as bright as I imagined, has a warmth to it. The flute is exceptionally slim (see first picture below) and responsive. Very Nice! The flute body and head only weighed 2.4 oz. (70 g.) and the solid aluminum stopper and gidge weighed another 0.7 oz. (20 g.). In strong light the carbon fiber exhibits an inner luster much like fiddleback in maple (see second picture below).
The design of this flute reminds me very much of Sweethearts Resonance flute (smaller bore with medium small holes) and as such it has a rather pure tone and isn't as powerful as English model flutes.
Rob did a fairly good job with the tuning and I didn't have any problems playing in tune (the F#'s and B's were a bit flat, but not excessively).
Unfortunately the headwall thickness was only ~1.5 mm. so playing the bottom of the first octave proved rather difficult. I've corresponded with Rob and he is currently refining the design of the head and embouchure!
All in all I think the material and method of construction show great promise! Rob has been very receptive and anxious to refine this flute. I look forward to Rob's future offerings!
I personally feel there is a great void in the available new Irish flutes. Doug Tipple has firmly established the entry point with his PVC cylinder profile flutes. But then it takes a fair financial commitment to jump to a conically bored flute ( >> $300 from Burns, Dixon, M&E...). I think there is a need for a good ~$200 conically bored Irish flute and I'm hoping that Rob's Carbony flute will fulfill that role.
Kudos to Rob!
All the Best!
