Wooden Boehm System flutes

[Cathy Wilde]

No, I'm going to the sensible side ; I've been asked to be on the lookout for one for a friend. Besides the awesome 1918 wooden Haynes I was loaned for several years in high school I have no experience with wooden Boehms (needless to say the Haynes set a pretty high bar, though). So far it sounds like older Bettoneys, Rittenhauser/Carl Fischers, and of course, Boehm Rudall-Cartes are all solid citizens and in the price range I'm after. Yamaha and Sankyo supposedly nice newer ones, though brand-new is too high in each case.

Anyone have any experience with other makes I should watch for? Please remember that Boehm system is a must (no proprietary alternatives like Siccama, Radcliffe or Rudall-Carte systems either, please) and it's not worth anyone's time to argue otherwise unless you just like to argue with yourself for fun.

Thanks!

[tin tin]

Eight of them are listed here:
http://www.flutes4sale.com/used.html
Scroll down about 3/4 page.
(The Flute Center of NY is a great place to do business, too.)

[Casey Burns]

Something you might watch out for is a conical bore Boehm. Most of the ones that come up for sale are cylindrical bored like the modern silver flute and sound similar. People add wooden headjoints to the modern flute thinking it will give more of the sound of the conical bored flutes but to my ear the difference is minor, and due more to the embouchure cut than the material.

But going to a conical bored flute is a major difference. There were nice ones made in France by Lot and others, using more or less the modern key system. I've seen some come up for sale on eBay and elsewhere occasionally.

Casey

[Clinton]

Claire Soubeyran makes conical bore Boem keywork flutes:

http://www.soubeyranflutes.com/fr/catalogue/buffet
http://www.soubeyranflutes.com/fr/catalogue/lot

Clinton

[Gordon]

Unless I'm misunderstanding Cathy, her friend is looking for a wooden, cylindrical bore Boehm system flute, not a wooden head for a conical or conical with Boehm fingerings. Still, I'm not clear if her friend wants an antique or a modern-made wooden Boehm. Modern makes include Abell and Robert Bigio - pricey flutes, but gorgeous - and there are a few more, including Yamaha, I think. Wouldn't mind one myself, if I had 10K kicking about to spend...

[springrobin]

Still waiting for Santa to bring me a wooden Powell....

[Denny]

[jemtheflute]

Quite a few go through on eBay, though most of the English ones are HP and most of the older American ones are presumable A=432. Worth also checking Tony Bingham's and Robert Bigio's own websites plus Arthur Haswell in GB. And contact the Shorey's Stateside - could ask them to look out for something for your friend, ditto The Wichita Band Instrument Company and Jerry Schurr.

[Cathy Wilde]

Hey, thanks, guys! I'll take all that advice and then some. And Casey, I'm not sure on the cylindrical vs. conical bore question, but good thought -- I tried to talk her into just buying a wooden headjoint a while back but she said it wasn't "wooden-sounding" enough. So maybe I should make this more about the bore (aw jeez, then things get even MORE complicated).

But thank you all so much. And I wouldn't mind if Santa mis-delivered springrobin's Powell to Kentucky ...

Peace,
cat.

[MikeS]

You didn't specify your price range but I'm guessing an Abell at $12,000 might be a bit over budget. I've heard Wendell Dobbs speak glowingly about his, and sound great playing it. The mechanism is eerily silent for a Boehm flute. Offer him a grand and see what he says.

Here's a link, supplied for drooling purposes:

http://www.abellflute.com/theabellflute.html

[radcliff]

will a conical bore make a difference in the 3' octave fingering ??

btw I guess that buying a Rudall Boehm on the bay will be far cheaper than a shop...

[Kirk B]

There's also the Guo flute. $2,500.00 and waterproof.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obWTaS7An_Y

Kirk

[bramble]

I've heard the Guo flutes have some tuning issues, anyone come across this?

[jemtheflute]

This, currently on eBay, appears to be a conoid bore Bohm - and nice quality too! The overall length of 675mm rather suggests it is likely to be at diapason normal (A=432), however.

Then there's this one.

And there's this one from one of the Bulgarian dealers who seem to regularly turn up interesting old flutes of all systems. This and its matched piccolo have metal heads with Reform type Ebonite lip-plates, but one could get a wooden head made to fit...... This one looks like a really good deal IMO for a mainstream classical player interested in such things.

Here for interest/example are a few that ended recently:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0270001331; http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0267217635; http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0608224898 (HP!); http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0683652072.

Hope those help!

[jemtheflute]

I've heard the Guo flutes have some tuning issues, anyone come across this?

I've no experience, Bramble - have just heard one clip played on one on YT. But I doubt they'd have any seriously way-out tuning problems given the investment in them - and the modern Bohm world seems incredibly finicky about micro-tuning that most folk can't hear and is well within lipability on any flute, especially given that whatever (whoever's - Cooper's, Wye's, the latest scale-tuning guru's) scale and pitch standard a flute is built to, in ensemble contexts some lipping in (away from 12TET) will always be necessary unless one is seriously trying to play consistently in 12TET!