McCarty Unofficial Tour-Flute Review Thread

[groxburgh]

It would be very interesting to see RTTA analyses of the tune clips I did of each of the five flutes - but I have neither the time nor the software set up to do such myself. If anyone out there is willing to do so, they'd be doing this thread a great service!

OK Since you asked I've done this. It's not interesting, it's not any service to this thread, and it's only telling you what Rob who has a decent ear has already stated. The tuning on the Tipple is good. The tuning on the rest are rubbish.

Cheers
Graeme

[jemtheflute]

Thanks for doing it and for commenting, Graeme. Any chance of posting the charts? I don't want to spare my blushes. I'm interested to see how similar the intonation vagaries shown in my scales-playing tuner clip are to the "in anger" tune-playing ones. I never doubted Rob's or Ben's ears - nor that my own discernment of fine detail of pitch is poor by comparison. If R&B say something sounds out of tune to them, I'm sure they're correct, even if it doesn't sound so bad to me as it obviously does to them.

Kudos to Doug that, even when I was struggling to switch blowing technique and fluffing badly on the Tipple, it comes out with the best intonation! If there's a moral to this thread at all, it's the already well known one: if you're a beginner (or anyone else) looking for a good simple flute at the c U$100 mark, don't bother looking at anything else, buy a Tipple, and however much you fancy the idea and look of something wooden, if it even vaguely resembles known PFLOs, avoid!

[Denny]

nine pages


an' we're back to DT's PVC


I just love science

[Julia Delaney]

Re: tweaking a PFLO -- I hate the thought of people supporting bad flute makers rather than the makers who contribute so much to what we do. No flute-maker that I know of makes a lot of money making flutes. They al live very modestly. They are dedicated to their work and spend time doing research and development that no Paksitani factory owner gives a sh*t about. I don't see how anybody could begrudge these great makers the right to charge a decent price for a flute, prefering instead to buy a flute make of junk wood by a man making $20 a month standing in front of a lathe for twelve hours a day.
I hated it when Rod Cameron would buy these junk flutes and work to make them better. He was undermining his own business. I'm glad he doesn't do that any more.
I am sympathetic to the situtation of underpaid lathe operators in Pakistan. I knew and spoke to several factory workers on trips over there. They have a right to make a living. They are decent and honorable people. But flute makers who we know and respect are some of the rare people who would rather make objects of beauty, and take pride in their skills, rather than make a quick buck.
Most of us live in a world of Walmarts filled with plastic crap. I hate to think that posters on this forum would consider a Pakistan or Chinese flute as an option for making beautiful music.

[voggy_dog]

Who's got the flute at the moment? Not in a rush to get it back, just curious.

[jemtheflute]

Who's got the flute at the moment? Not in a rush to get it back, just curious.

I was wondering when we'd hear from the next lucky recipient! I think Ben told me he'd shipped it to MTGuru pretty soon after he commented on it.

[Aanvil]

oh, I wonder. I haven't seen it yet.

I'd have expected it to be passed around out here like a drunken co-ed in a Marine barracks.

( I will qualify that statement by saying said co-ed is of age and fully consenting of the attention. )

[benhall.1]

Don't forget to take care of your fingers folks. That case is lethal.

[MTGuru]

Yes, the Guru has the floot. Or had, as it's now circulating among a few other flooters here to play with for a while. It will also make the trip to the Long Beach session next weekend, so Aanvil and others can have a toot.

I'll let Voggy Dog know when this round is done, so he can decide whether to call it home or send it packing again, to Nanohedron or elsewhere.

[plunk111]

It never got to me...

[MTGuru]

It never got to me...

It wasn't supposed to, Pat. That is, the plan (as far as I know) was to first let Ben and Jem have a look, then on to myself and Nanohedron to pass around. So far, all that is on track. Anything after that was yet to be determined.

[plunk111]

Ummm... Excuse me, but if you check the first message on this page, you'll see I was, indeed, "on the list" originally. Not a big deal - I was more curious than anything. I'm nowhere near as accomplished on the flute as some (or probably most) others here...

Pat

[MTGuru]

Ummm... Excuse me, but if you check the first message on this page, you'll see I was, indeed, "on the list" originally.

Ummm ... If the flute is still in my hands, as planned, and if you are after me on the "list", then it never got to you because it wasn't supposed to, not yet. Again, as I said, when this round is done if Voggy wants to direct it to you or anyone else, that's entirely up to him. Hope that explains things. Cheers.

[voggy_dog]

Ummm... Excuse me, but if you check the first message on this page, you'll see I was, indeed, "on the list" originally.

Ummm ... If the flute is still in my hands, as planned, and if you are after me on the "list", then it never got to you because it wasn't supposed to, not yet. Again, as I said, when this round is done if Voggy wants to direct it to you or anyone else, that's entirely up to him. Hope that explains things. Cheers.

Pat was one of the first to inquire about the flute. I thought I had passed that info along to Jem during one of our earlier communications, and I believe I had also confirmed this on the forum (as Pat pointed out).

So by all means, when the West Coast tour has wound to an end, please direct the flute to Pat.

Ever since I got my used Casey Burns flute, I ain't really been missing the McCarty that much. No hurry to get the McCarty back. Only downside of the Burns' flute is that it's so nice, I'm almost afraid to play it.

[jemtheflute]

Pat was one of the first to inquire about the flute. I thought I had passed that info along to Jem during one of our earlier communications, and I believe I had also confirmed this on the forum (as Pat pointed out).

So by all means, when the West Coast tour has wound to an end, please direct the flute to Pat.

Ever since I got my used Casey Burns flute, I ain't really been missing the McCarty that much. No hurry to get the McCarty back. Only downside of the Burns' flute is that it's so nice, I'm almost afraid to play it.

Enjoy your Burns! And get on and play it! (Not much use for owt else, Casey's incendiary tendiencies notwithstanding!)

Not sure what Pat's being on the list at whatever stage has to do with me, as he's Stateside.... but yes, I was little surprised by stuff above as (without checking) I thought he was in on it early...... But then, I thought there was at least one other GB/Euro volunteer besides Ben, apparently wrongly.