FS - Murray 8-Key Boxwood Flute

[JessieK]

Hi. I'm no longer pregnant (my third child was born in late January), and I have been spending some time with my flutes again (I never can play very well when I'm pregnant - darn hormones). You may remember that I posted about my experience in dealing with Sam Murray. You can find that thread here:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72647

Since the other thread, I sanded the holes gently. There are no bits sticking out. I'm not sure about the pads. I am playing better now that I'm not pregnant, and the pads seem to seal ok, but they are a strange material. I'd want the opinion of a maker/repairer on these. There is another issue that I didn't even know about at the time of the other thread: seasoning. There are no cracks, no dryness, even, but the flute has warped. It's common with boxwood. It's called the Banana effect. You can see it in one of the pictures below. The warp is mostly in the upper body section. There are no issues with fitting together or tuning. If you don't like the banana, I wonder if a repairer could fix the warp to some degree by humidifying it and applying pressure.

I could take the time to send it off to someone for a look-over and potential repadding, and I may do that, but I want to offer it for sale here first instead, in case someone else would love it. Sam's design is very special, and his flutes have an excellent reputation in spite of the inconsistency of his craftsmanship and customer service. This could turn into someone's favorite flute. With the two payments (deposit and balance) and the currency exchange, I paid $4050 for it. According to Sam, with the textured rings it should be worth amost $5000, but I think that's a stretch. Anyway, I am going to try something that others have done, but I never have. I am opening the floor to offers, so bring 'em on. PM or email (jessie AT madefromcoins.com).

In any case, I hope you enjoy the pictures. It is lovely. There's something magical about boxwood.

[lllebret]

I have a boxwood traverso that becomes banana shaped when dry/unplayed; when I reoil it it pretty much straightens out (at least it is only very slightly warped when rehydrated). I do not apply pressure - it just straightens out after being oiled, but it takes awhile. I would like to add that while it is warped it looks funny but still seems to play the same - evidently that bore doesn't mind being curved.

[Doug_Tipple]

Bananas like the climate of the very, very tropical equator,
so you should never put bananas in the refrigerator.

[ImNotIrish]

Jesse,
Lovely looking flute. Is it the photo that makes the warp look so extreme? Just curious if it is as curved as it appears to be?
Arbo

[m31]

Jesse,
Lovely looking flute. Is it the photo that makes the warp look so extreme? Just curious if it is as curved as it appears to be?
Arbo

Zoom lenses, especially when used at wide-angle focal lengths, almost invariably introduce significant barrel distortion, which is most apparent if straight objects are captured near the edges of the frame. I'm guessing the diagonal shot is probably representative of the flute's actual curvature.

[eilam]

"Banana effect" because it turned yellow?

[jim stone]

Nah, because it's apeeling.

(I like bananas, but they have such a big pit!)

[eilam]

as ling as the tone is crisp like bananachips

[Julia Delaney]

Ernie: "What?"
Bert: "I said, YOU'VE GOT A FLUTE IN YOUR EAR!"
Ernie: "What? I can't hear you; I've got a flute in my ear!"
Bert: What a banana sense of humor you have.
Ernie: The trouble with "banana" is, you don't know when to stop spelling it.

[Rob Sharer]

Flute appears orange to me.

(Orange you glad I didn't say banana?)


R

[Dominic Allan]

The pads look like synthetic clarinet pads to me, I think that they are made from neoprene. I personally don't like them because they can be difficult to seat and don't look so good. However, once seated they do work well and can last a long time.

[pipersgrip]

I am sorry, but I don't think those textured rings make much of a difference in appearence. I am pretty shocked that that situation happened.

[JessieK]

Oops...I missed the conversation.

Um, the warp is a bit less than in the warp picture (the picture magnifies the effect), but I didn't want to mislead anyone. The distance diagonal picture is accurate, but it's possible that there is a bit more warp from a different angle.

Banana because it's curved AND yellow, I always thought.

I agree about the rings.

Still accepting offers.

[JessieK]

By the way, I am open to trades.

[jemtheflute]

I see the embouchure is wonky, especially the back edge. I not long ago met and had a toot on another recent boxwood Murray and although I can't and would not wish to say other than it played very nicely indeed, I was very unimpressed by the general finishing, and in particular the near side of the embouchure chimney was very wonky - nothing like symmetrical or evenly cut..... seemed unfinished to my eye. Even the working side wasn't as tidy as I'd expect to see.... it didn't seem to upset sound production, mind, but did make me wonder how much better it might be if done less crudely. The lack of attention to detail was, to say the least, disappointing. I didn't have the heart/had more tact (for once!) than to point it out to the owner, who is rather in love with her new baby - justifiably so in many respects.