McGee Rudall perfected Vs. Rudall 5088

[Pfredd]

Has anybody tried either or both of these two models? I'm just curious about the differences/advantages.


much obliged,

Pfredd

[Lambchop]

I have a Rudall 5088, but can't compare it to the other, having never seen another McGee.

It's nice. Very nice. An utterly delicious flute.

[Doc Jones]

I have long had the same question.

Maybe Terry will chime in and illuminate.

Doc

[Kelpie]

Hmmm - if someone would be so kind as to send an example of both flutes, I'd be happy to write about my findings! Lol

[Lambchop]

Hmmm - if someone would be so kind as to send an example of both flutes, I'd be happy to write about my findings! Lol

This is an excellent idea! Perhaps a flute tour?

[Henke]

This is an excellent idea! Perhaps a flute tour?

Yes!

[Kelpie]

Huzzah - it was of course my idea so I think I should be first and I'll compare them to my eight keyed Dominic Allen Pratten beastie which I love with all of my heart - I shall of course be fair and honest so it might take me several weeks......

[Terry McGee]

I have long had the same question.

Maybe Terry will chime in and illuminate.

Doc

Urk, fingered! Suddenly I see the attraction of the "one size fits all" approach! Let's see if I can say anything useful.

Starting with the 5088, this is based on a fairly typical large hole Rudall and Rose (No 5088) owned by French player Thierry Mayes. I was struck by what a great player it was when I finally met Thierry at "The Bedford Bash", a fabulous event put on in my honour as part of my "2002 Self-Indulgent Flute-makers Tour". To give you an idea of who was there:



To see more images (including people) go to:
http://tunedb.woodenflute.com/Euroflute2002/index_html

My Rudall 5088 model is fairly closely based on Thierry's original, with a few tweaks to optimise its tuning at our pitch.

The Rudall Perfected was based on quite a different premise. I wanted to develop a big Rudall-style flute, so I searched out the largest hole, largest bore Rudalls I could find, and developed the Perfected from that. Because the originals were early Rudalls, they were better in tune at lower pitch and displayed considerable flat foot, requiring a good deal more rescaling and tweaking from me than in the case of the 5088.

So, that's the history, now what about the differences? The bore of the 5088 is narrower than that of the Perfected, giving the 5088 a "reedier" tone (more harmonics) and the Perfected a "rounder", "bigger" or "fuller" sound (more fundamental). If you like, the Perfected lies somewhere between the typical Rudall (as represented by the 5088) and the Pratten's Perfected. The 5088 fingerholes are slightly smaller, also contributing to the same effect, though the difference isn't much.

It's interesting to note that Rudall & Rose didn't bother going down the Perfected path themselves. Understandable I guess - they'd made about 6000 8-key flutes over the previous 30 years, but sales were dropping off dramatically - they only made 800 in the same period following. They could see the future lay in the more complex Boehm and Carte cylinder flutes. I suspect both their hearts were more in the 8-key area, both left soon after, and Carte became the head of the company to lead it through the next era.

If asked which I prefer, I'd have to rely on that old duckshove- "the one I'm playing at the moment". I've been playing a 5088 for the last two years, and I'm hankering to try the Perfected again. Perhaps in boxwood for a change? Rudall taught himself to play the Boehm but is reported as preferring his old boxwood 8-key.

Terry

[Hiro Ringo]

Too many souls on one table, its scary...