"Claw"? Edward Baack flute (formerly "Interlo

[jemtheflute]

Another (American) maker to add to The Claw list - W. J. Davis of Boston, viz this eBay flute. Nice looking flute!





Very pretty crown! More pics on the eBay listing.

[kkrell]

Another (American) maker to add to The Claw list - W. J. Davis of Boston

From "Musical Instrument Makers of New York" 1991, with some snipping:

Primarily a flutist, Davis was periodically involved with the making and selling of musical instruments. He was first listed in New York as a partner of the multi-talented singer, composer, conductor, music publisher and dealer Charles Edward Horn. Their firm, Davis & Horn, lasted only a year.

In 1841 he entered five flutes in the Third Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association Exhibit, and was awarded a silver medal. According to Badger, the first Boehm-system flute was brought to this country “in the possession of a gentleman tourist [and] Mr. W.J. Davis, an eminent Flute professor of New York, examined the peculiarities of its construction, at once perceived its merits, and predicted that its ultimate destiny would be its general adoption. He immediately engaged in its manufacture, but the undertaking proved far from profitable. All proved too much…[Davis] has since relinquished both the profession and manufacture altogether.”

It is probable that Davis moved to the South sometime after his appearance in an 1846 concert. A music store owner and publisher of the same name was active in Richmond, Virginia, during the 1840s and 1850s. This probability is strengthened because Horn, Davis’ New York partner, had worked in Richmond before coming to the city.

Leads me to believe that perhaps he was more likely a dealer than a maker.

Kevin Krell

[jemtheflute]

Currently on eBay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0302732534 a truly stunning early C19th boxwood 6-keyer to low C with "claw" interlocked C/C# keys - and it's a leftie flute!!!!



There are some seeming discrepancies in the listing (which I am querying) - a sounding length of 592mm does NOT make sense with a playing pitch of A=450Hz! Nor does the date - a flute of the period (and length) they ascribe it to (1799-1814) would more likely be c A=430-435 - High Pitch was much later. Can a Langwill holder check up on it, pretty please? Visually I'd reckon this flute was more likely 1820-35 stylistically - salt-spoon rather than flat square keys, lined key-ways in the blocks......

Be that as it may, this is a truly gorgeous flute in excellent condition and I think the Buy It Now price (U$2.5k) is pretty reasonable, though it probably isn't well suited to ITM even if it will play at modern pitch (if it really is A=450 with the tuning slide closed, it should cope with 440, but not if it is lower pitched as the length would indicate.....). Still, a leftie player might find it worth while anyway, if s/he has the money to burn, and especially if s/he likes to play classical too. If the vendor's date range is right, it is a pretty early example of the "claw" key arrangement as well as a rare leftie flute. Interestingly, the lower body joint is the normal R-handed way around - of course a short F key is pretty much equally playable from either side, so maybe it was easier not to make a special one with the block on the other side when it wasn't strictly necessary.

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

"E Baack/N York," very red cocus which doesn't show up in this photo too well. Crappy solder repair on the long F is my work. Plays in A=440. Foot keys are too long - leave no room for the R ring finger, you have to rotate them out of the way. Nice sounder/player though, modest volume.

This flute by CG Christman was auctioned off last night - someone outbid me by $5. Very similar to the E Baack, same reddish cocus.

[Guinness]

This flute by CG Christman was auctioned off last night - someone outbid me by $5. Very similar to the E Baack, same reddish cocus.

Final bid $255? Are you still darning socks?

[jemtheflute]

Ahhh. Another Baack! But pillar mounted this time...... apart from crowding C/C# keys, how does it play? Any chance of a sound clip?

Is that a true "claw" through a hole in the C# touch or just a fancy-shaped overlap/ledge arrangement?

It's hard to tell on the pictures of the Christman whether or not that is a true "claw" as well (below).......



Looks like a nice flute - I daresay the buyer got a bargain.

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

This flute by CG Christman was auctioned off last night - someone outbid me by $5. Very similar to the E Baack, same reddish cocus.

Final bid $255? Are you still darning socks?

Yes, I'm a skinflit as Paul McCartney used to say. Paid $220 for the Baack, which I think was a record for my eBay antiquing. Next would be the block mounted piccolo by "Improved" at $155. Can't wrap my head around the concept of paying thousands of $ for a flute. Helps to have no standards I guess; also warbling and huffing a lot mask any off pitch notes, ala the accordion.

Will record a bit of Baack for you when I get a chance, jem.

[RudallRose]

oh my....that Baack of yours has a mouthpiece attachment!

they've been around for quite some time, of course....
but apparently got very popular here in the states in the post-civil war years when the veteran fifers of the Grand Army of the Republic no longer could play for their lack of teeth!

So we find many period fifes with these attachments.

no accounting for their lead content and the effect of putting this contraption into the mouth to blow! ha!

[jemtheflute]

Hello David - only just found this revived thread? Yep, that cheater is solid lead except for the clamp ring and screw. As noted, fortunately it hasn't damaged the head.

We seem to have quite a few more "claw" makers!

What do you think of the leftie Astor?

[RudallRose]

the leftie Astor is interesting, especially since it was quite "wrong" back then to play that way (though if you consider it, flute is the only instrument held to your right side while the others -- fiddle, guitar, etc -- are to the left).

Probably someone tired of bumping the ones next to him at the session.

There's also a leftie Clementi-Nicholson on the website for Tony Bingham.

[jemtheflute]

Warning - thread revival: Here's another "claw" flute from a American maker: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0423914342.

(I'll harvest and rehost actual pictures later when I get a chance.)

[Jon C.]

Warning - thread revival: Here's another "claw" flute from a American maker: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0423914342.

(I'll harvest and rehost actual pictures later when I get a chance.)

Klemm was a dealer,looks a lot like a Fluteville flute, by Asa Hopkins...

[Jon C.]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Here is the newly arrived and restored Klemm flute... Nice crows feet keys.
Jem doesn't the Eb key touch look like the Metzler you have?

[jemtheflute]

Another "claw" flute just went by (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0491859875) - this one a Clementi Nicholson's Improved - I think we already had Clementi listed as a "claw" maker.

[jemtheflute]

And another American "claw" maker, C.G. Christman, 404 Pearl St. New York, cf this thread: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=79382.