When in doubt, search the brand name and see what information you can find on the maker. They’re cheap, but these are not very good flutes for reasons I’ll detail a little later in this article. One thing to be aware of is that they also sell a few mass-produced flutes that are not made by expert flute makers. They have a decent selection of Irish flutes for sale, including ones made by Joseph Morneault, Casey Burns, and Tony Dixon. Lark in the Morning is one of the largest retailers of folk instruments in the US. As you’ll find, there are a lot of great makers out there, and lots of strong opinions from players as to which are the best!
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Looking through discussion forums like The Session and Chiff and Fipple is a great way to get a sense of which makers other flutes players really like.
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The Irish Flute Guide has a handy searchable list of flute makers that you can use to find makers near you. There are too many great flute makers to list them all here. In fact, for most makers this is the only way to buy a new flute! Very few makers offer their flutes through online retailers, but most have websites with prices, information on what they offer, and contact details. Communauté Francophone des Flûtes Irlandaisesīy far, the best way to buy a new Irish flute is directly from the maker.Where to Find Used Irish Flutes For Sale.The fact that I went back to Bryan for a keyed flute, after playing one of his keyless flutes for several years, is my statement of how highly I regard his flutes. Personally, I own a Bryan Byrne keyless flute, and will soon own a 6-key from Bryan, as well.
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You’ll see all of the same comments that I’ve just made, and many many more. Prolly the best advice anyone can give is to ferret thru the discussions here, because this question has been posted and responded to loads of times in the past. Simple rule to live life by: "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is." The obvious landmines to avoid are the really cheap flutes that you see on eBay. A reputable instrument maker can perform a repair that is just as good as new, but still something to watch out for. If buying used, watch out for cracks, repairs, etc. used - unless you get really lucky and stumble upon someone who is unloading a flute for some reason, I haven’t observed prices for used flutes being greatly reduced vs. Once you get into the couple-hundred-dollars range, you’re likely to get a fine instrument, no matter what you decide. It’s up to personal taste, ability, and goals whether or not it is worth it to pay the 3X to 5X more for flutes from these makers, vs. But you’ll pay upwards of US$1,500+ for a keyless flute from these makers. Patrick Olwell, Michael Grinter, Bryan Byrne, Sam Murray, Hammy Hamilton, Skip Healy, Terry McGee, and oodles and oodles more. Among the mid-priced flutes, a lot of folks here have recommended Casey Burns, and a bunch of folks also recommend delrin models for a couple hundred dollars U.S.Īmong the highest of the high end, there are many…. I guess price would be the first thing to consider. The Chiff and Fipple forums also seem to have quite a few flutes on offer for sale by members at the moment. Buy a second hand flute from a player, a maker or Doc Jones Irish Flute Store (google it…) Be wary of ebay - there are bargains to be had but it is dangerous. And there are a lot of more expensive flutes out there that are by no means better than the folk flute.ĭon’t buy anything made in Pakistan and be very wary of old German made flutes - some are good but you do need to know very carefully what you’re buying. By the time she really wants/needs something better she should have a good idea herself of what she wants. And buy a Casey Burn’s folk flute in the meantime.
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My personal recommendation is to send her to some flute-heavy festivals and try to get her to try out as many flutes as she can persuade people to let her try. Much more sensible advice can be found on a forum search, or a visit to Chiff and Fipple’s flute forums - where a search will also find a huge amount of advice on offer. They start to get expensive… And buying new may involve an uncomfortable wait. She might also need a tuning slide (keyed flutes almost always have one anyway where some keyless come without.). If she is planning on playing in a wider range of keys then she may need a six or 8 key flute. If your daughter is planning on playing in a session where most people are close to A=440Hz then this will be ok. Nothing else properly made in proper wood comes close to the price/performance on offer here. No keys, no tuning slide but otherwise what you need. A proper flute made of proper wood, though he has just switched from mopane to boxwood. Good entry point is Casey Burn’s folk flute.