keyed Olwell's and long waits

beowulf573 · Post by **beowulf573** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:37 pm

True, I didn't occur to me, but it's not like he's going to set aside the wood for a specific model and I won't be able to change my mind.

I think I need to just give the man a call and have a chat.

Eddie

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:44 pm

Get him talking about woods, pry open his craftsmanly side, and I daresay you'll find him very interesting and impassioned about his work. He's quite friendly.

feadog39 · Post by **feadog39** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:51 pm

beowulf573 wrote: I think I need to just give the man a call and have a chat.

Yes, i think that would be perfectly fine. But just keep a mental tab of whether for not you actually decided to order a flute.

For example. Let say you chat with him and at the end of the conversation you say "well, that's just dandy, please put me on the list good man." Okay. I would suggest simply suggest following up with a simple friendly business letter that summarizes what you discussed and that you would actually like him to make you a flute and undestand that it will at minumum take [whatever amount of time he says it will take] and that you'll be in the mean time "stay in touch." I suggest this not because i don't think Patrick can be trusted, but if done right is a tactful way to seal the deal and maintain your own sanity later for you can always refer to the letter later on whereas conversations become hazy over time. Just my two cents though. Others may and probably do have different views on this.

[edited for typos..]

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:56 pm

To really secure a spot, you need to give a deposit. He'll tell you how much.

feadog39 · Post by **feadog39** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:57 pm

oh, and i should add: thank him very very profusely....

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:00 pm

That's funny. I was practically insisting on sending him a deposit, and he declined. Said he's use up the money on other things before the time came to build it (I'm also on the waiting list for a keyed stick).

feadog39 · Post by **feadog39** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:01 pm

JessieK wrote:To really secure a spot, you need to give a deposit. He'll tell you how much.

Intesting. I have offered to put down a deposit on at least two occasions. But he has never accepted it. Any olwell recipients or contenders out there who actually put down a deposit?

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:25 pm

It may depend on how well he knows you.

beowulf573 · Post by **beowulf573** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:33 pm

BTW, thanks for all the comments in this thread, I've gotten a lot out of it.

Eddie

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 9:48 am

My understanding, and experience, has been that Patrick normally asks for a deposit on keyless instruments, but not for keyed. But perhaps this varies (or doesn't) depending on the situation, or how well he knows a person.

Loren

eilam · Post by **eilam** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 9:59 am

I send him a deposit when ordered my keyless.
With Noy, you send a none refundable 20%, by now I paid Peter for may keyed flute, which is due in 7 months, man, I can't wait.

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 11:03 am

Thanks for reminding me; I emailed him and no word on the deposit. Was actually thinking the snail-mail route meself; there seems something more correct about it and somehow more apropos when talking to a master craftsman. Yep. This is a job for the old fountain pen...

OT: Hey, who's going to Tionol? I just heard Mary Bergin's on the teacher list? Am I wacked? Went to the website, but only found the 2003 listings.

Anyway, if any of y'all do go, let me know; we should try to grab a few tunes together.

meemtp · Post by **meemtp** » Sat Jan 10, 2004 7:07 pm

At the risk of being inflammatory, might I mention a thought? I wonder why people are so willing to wait so long for an Olwell. I mean, not to take anything away from Patrick's work, but there are many great makers out there making wonderful instruments. I've played an Olwell myself. His son Aran had one with him at a house session we all had here this summer. It was a very nice flute, but not nice enough to wait 6-8 years for! I've played other flutes by makers such as Eamonn Cotter, Bryan Byrne, Terry McGee and Hammy Hamilton, and they all impressed me just as much as the Olwell. All have MUCH shorter waiting periods. Remember, waiting for an Olwell will not make us sound like Matt Molloy! So, I hope I didn't offend anyone. Just a thought I had, not to mention a plug for some of these other fine craftsmen.

Corin

sturob · Post by **sturob** » Sat Jan 10, 2004 7:39 pm

I agree that those other craftsmen, with a couple of exceptions, are excellent. There's just something about Olwells. I personally think it's the embouchure. Or, the tuning. Or something.

There are very few people who combine all the aspects that Pat does, also. His timber selection is excellent, his designs top-notch, and his craftsmanship excellent.

The other reason a lot are willing to wait is consistency. Pat's one of the most consistent makers out there. Few people have played bad Olwells, if anyone has. Heck, didn't Chris Norman record with the first flute he made?

Stuart

Gordon · Post by **Gordon** » Sat Jan 10, 2004 7:48 pm

meemtp wrote:At the risk of being inflammatory, might I mention a thought? I wonder why people are so willing to wait so long for an Olwell. I mean, not to take anything away from Patrick's work, but there are many great makers out there making wonderful instruments. I've played an Olwell myself. His son Aran had one with him at a house session we all had here this summer. It was a very nice flute, but not nice enough to wait 6-8 years for! I've played other flutes by makers such as Eamonn Cotter, Bryan Byrne, Terry McGee and Hammy Hamilton, and they all impressed me just as much as the Olwell. All have MUCH shorter waiting periods. Remember, waiting for an Olwell will not make us sound like Matt Molloy! So, I hope I didn't offend anyone. Just a thought I had, not to mention a plug for some of these other fine craftsmen.

Corin

I agree with you whole-heartedly Corin. Olwell makes fine flutes, as do several other makers with equally long waits (Wilkes, for eg), but I would be hard-pressed to say that they have no equal among makers with far shorter wait times (and often lower prices); these include all the ones you've named, along with several others. Unless I was knee-deep in fine flutes anyway, I find it unlikely that I'd ever place a decade-long order for a flute, in lieu of another equally fine flute with a much shorter wait time. Keep in mind that even a two year wait is an excruciating experience!
This shouldn't offend anyone, BTW -- like you, I admire the work of Olwell (and Wilkes) immensely, but can't even begin to contemplate a 7 or 10 year wait for one, especially as I find other flutes comparable, and in some cases preferable. Instead, comments like these will either have no effect whatsoever or help the must-have-Olwell folks, as the wait lists may, incrementally, shorten with other like-minded flute purchasing decisions.
Gordon
Added after Stuart's post: Stuart; strangely, I've never taken to Olwell's embouchure, myself, although I agree with everything else you've said about his work. Still, while I'd love one of his flutes myself (perhaps that Rudall boxwood of yours!), I find it much more rewarding to play a flute than wait for one.