So there was a guy on my college campus today selling instruments. I noticed a beat up old flute that happened to have a split E (something I've been interested in). He was only asking for $60 for it, so I figured, "what the hell," and bought it. The foot joint's a little bit broken; the low C pad rests closer to the tube than the C# one, so it makes contact prematurely when the C roller is pressed. Thus the roller can't push the C# key all the way down, and the C# tone hole isn't completely covered. Other than that, however, the flute plays remarkably well.
Here's what's really interesting, though: it's totally unmarked. Neither the flute nor the case bear any identifying features. Even the barrel is completely blank - not even a serial number. Once the semester's over, I'm going to take it to a shop to get the foot joint fixed up and the whole thing polished, so I'll definitely ask if they have any ideas about its origin. I can't imagine that it came out of a factory this way, so it must have an interesting story. Do you guys have any theories? Here are a few pictures.
"There was never a bad peace or a good war" -Benjamin Franklin
"Those who dream by day are aware of much which escapes those who dream only by night." -Edgar Allen Poe
It's probably of Chinese origin. A number of Chinese instrument manufacturers make instruments and then later engrave a batch of them with the buyer's name of choice. This one may have been a sample sent to a prospective buyer in hopes of getting a big order. That could explain why there are no markings or serial number.
"Never give a flute player a screwdriver."
--anonymous--
ahh, that makes sense. It's obviously not the highest quality instrument, but for $60, it's definitely a steal. Plus it's got the unique quirk of being so mysterious. Thanks for the info.
"There was never a bad peace or a good war" -Benjamin Franklin
"Those who dream by day are aware of much which escapes those who dream only by night." -Edgar Allen Poe
I agree with pied piper too,it's obviously a chinese origin.I am a flute maker in china, and often send some flutes to overseas buyer ! Some famous handmade flutes like Haynes,yamaha,etc ,are made in china orgin,so some chinese goods can compare with these famous handmade flutes,they are higher quality and lower price .
If some one have some need about chinese flutes, contact me！
Sorry, but I have yet to see any "handmade" flutes from China. Yes, some well known companies are using this as an outlet for factory flute bodies, but as far as I know, no actual "handmade" quality flutes are coming out of China at the moment. There is a HUGE difference.
An as for higher quality, I beg to differ. Yes, some of the flutes I have seen that come out of China are decent instruments (I actually own one), but many of the student flutes (especially the no-name student models) are nothing more than flute-looking instruments that have a number of mechanical issues over a short period of time. Personally, I avoid many of them.
Sorry to be rude doudou, but I believe you are being a little misleading. If I was in the market for a "handmade" flute, it certainly would not be from china.
I understand that for some of the intermediate level flutes, the big US flute companies are having the bodies made in China and pairing that with a US handmade head. For example, the Haynes Amadeus falls into that category. Haynes gets the bodies made in China and then hand adjusts each in their factory before shipping. I'm not sure though if the Amadeus includes a Haynes headjoint or not...
If I'm not mistaken, Haynes has outsourced a LOT of their current production process (more than just the Amadeus line). The finishing steps are all performed in Boston, but I think that currently, only their top of the line custom models are completely made in Boston. This wasn't always true though. They used to be only made in Boston.
Haynes is trying to cover all the possible markets. They still offer true handmade Haynes flutes built in their Boston shop. I believe the Classic line is labeled as a Haynes Classic flute, but as described on their website: http://www.wmshaynes.com/catalog/catalog.html
Classic Model Flutes
The newest addition to the Haynes family, the Classic Model represents a collaboration between our workshops in Boston and Beijing. Made in Beijing, each flute is thoroughly tested in our Boston workshop before making its way to its new home. An excellent option for flutists on a budget.
Handcrafted Series
FluteWorld sells both lines and you will see that there is a big price difference between the "Handmade" Haynes made in Boston vs. the "Handcrafted" Classic made in Beijing. http://fluteworld.com/index.php?action= ... n&ppk=flut
"Never give a flute player a screwdriver."
--anonymous--
