Review: A visit with Ralph Sweet and a Dave Williams Flute

[KateG]

Well, folks here it is. My promised review of Ralph Sweet's keyed flutes and the Dave Williams flute I bought from him.

My husband & I visited Ralph Sweet's place three weekends ago on the eve of that elusive snowstorm which dropped 2 feet of the white stuff on Hartford and Boston, 8 inches in our village on the New Jersey/Pennsylvania border and only 0.2 inches in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where we were on our way to cross country ski. Needless to say, we did more hiking than skiing on our vacation.

Ralph has an interesting place. He and his wife live in an apartment above a big barn that is used for contradances and other events -- a local Sheltie club was meeting there when we visited, and the room was full of cute little furballs. His workshop is in a converted garage next to the barn, and the whole property is filled with neat archaeological remains from a 19th century gunpowder manufacturing facility. This explains his village name -- Hazard!

The first flute I tried was Ralph's 8 key. It was his own working flute, so presumably one of his earlier efforts. He had four more in production, but they were not ready to play. My first impression was that it was a BIG flute. Large exterior diameter, large bore, big holes -- ie Prattenesque. The sound was likewise big and fat, and it was a very easy flute to fill even though I'm a wimpy blower who tends to play flat if I'm not careful. The low D had a nice honk to it. My only real complaint was that I couldn't get a seal on the low C and C# keys without having a leak break out under one of my other right hand fingers. The notes sounded fine with Ralph holding the keys down for me (I wanted to make sure it was a key problem, not an embouchure one), but that was hardly a workable solution for me. They were also fine when he was playing the flute. I have largish hands for a woman, but this flute required either larger hands or a stronger right pinky than mine (my strong pinky is on my left hand from the guitar and dulcimer). If I hadn't had my heart set on eight keys, I would have considered going back when he had the next batch finished to test a six key.

His four keyed fluted were fascinating. They were all rosewood and they all sounded nice, though naturally not as powerful as the blackwood 8-key. However, no two of them sounded alike. Nor did any of them sound like my Sweet rosewood keyless, which is essentially the same flute. I brought it along so I could compare prospective flutes with my current one in the same acoustic environment. To my ear, the one with the darkest color had the richest tone -- but the tone wasn't quite as rich, nor the wood as dark as my keyless which is a very dark and highly figured piece of wood. I don't know how much of the variation was due to workmanship and how much to the accoustic properties of the individual pieces of wood, but I suspect the latter. Ralph did say that they were not all made from the same species of rosewood. These flutes are an affordable way to go chromatic -- but I'd be tempted to visit him or see if he would send a couple for you to experiment with before making a final decision. He does give a 30-day money back guarantee on his flutes.

I also played a couple of his old german flutes, including one with an integral low B foot. Interesting, but foot-heavy and not what I was looking for. He has a Meyer style 8-key on his website, but I did not play that one due to the metal embouchure plate which I knew would cause skin problems the way my old student Boehm flute did.

However, I fell in love with the Dave Williams flute. It fit my hands, all the keys worked sweetly for me, I could fill it easily and yet it felt like it had more to give as I got to know it and grew as a player. And it was worth it to me to be able to try before buying. I may eventually commission a flute, but at this point I needed a flute that would take me to the point where I could have a productive dialog with a flutemaker.

The Williams is definately a Rudall style flute. Narrowish bore, smaller tone holes, two part center section. The keys are block mounted and the linking of the low C and C# keys is particularly elegant. The head is fully lined. As I suspected, the tone is getting even better as I get to know it. It both requires and rewards a more focussed embouchure than my old Sweet, so it inspires me to be diligent in that regard. I've been playing it at my electronic tuner, and I have no problem staying on pitch with the slide pulled out about 1/3rd to 1/2 of an inch. I was sure I would have to keep it pushed in nearly all the way, but that's not the case. I have plenty of room to adjust for temperature and sharp sessions, which is very pleasing.

The tone is hard to describe, especially as our relationship is still evolving. However, I would say that it has a sweet reediness, particularly in the lower register, which is rich without being heavy (This is hard to write without thinking of the "flute review template"). At any rate, I fell in love with it and the two other C&F members who visited Ralph and played it before I bought it were also favorably impressed. I haven't taken it to a session yet, so I can't talk to its volume in that environment but I think it will do just fine.

As of this morning (Feb 27, 2006) a picture of the Williams flute is still posted on Ralph's website at http://www.sweetheartflute.com/antique.html.

FWIW here's my flute/instrumental background: Boehm flute from 6th grade through freshman year college. Recorders on a much more serious level in college and throughout my 20's -- in fact, I met my husband in a recorder society in Chicago. Musical hiatus during my thirties and most of my forties. Got back into music in a big way in 2000 when visiting my fiddle-playing sister-in-law in Winfield, Kansas. She dragged my husband to a jam session. Next thing you know he's playing mandolin and harmonica and I'm back with the guitar (picking up where I left off at the end of the 60's) and have taken up the mountain dulcimer. Fooled with a penny whistle, but found it shrill. Spotted Doug Tipple's flutes on eBay in '02 and figured "why not" and bought one of his original one piece numbers. Had a blast with it, then fell in love with one of Ralph Sweet's rosewood flutes at Song of the Sea in Maine. Got into ITM about a year and a half ago when Linda Hickman started leading a session at the pub across the street from our house and the rest is history. So for the purposes of this review, I would consider myself a beginner at ITM, an intermediate flute player and fairly advanced when it comes to general music and music theory (ask me about modes!).

[Steampacket]

Nice review there of your Dave Williams flute. I have a four key, (block mounted) Williams which is a very nice flute to play with a strong bottom end and very in tune in both octaves. Like the Wilkes it requires a focused stream of air and people used to "more forgiving/beginners" embouchures have found it hard to sound properly, but as has been said before time spent on learning to play such flutes is well rewarded in terms of sound and possibilities.

[jim stone]

Thanks for the review. I thought it was a lovely flute and only
wish I had had more time with it. You may find interesting
things happen as you play it over the next few months.

Ralph has quite a collection of older flutes, some of them
really neat. There was a keyed F flute with I think a
green ebonite headjoint; sounded really good and the
keys all worked. But not for sale---yet!

[Wormdiet]

But is the Williams a Porsche or a Ferrari?

[Matt_Paris]

But is the Williams a Porsche or a Ferrari?

Large holed flute: it is not a sports car. Maybe an SUV

[Wormdiet]

But is the Williams a Porsche or a Ferrari?

Large holed flute: it is not a sports car. Maybe an SUV

Nah, that's a Bb!

[Jayhawk]

Kate - thanks for letting us know your thoughts on all of the flutes you tried at Ralph's place. Since I like my 4 key so much, I've contemplated one of his 6 or 8 keyed flutes.

Have fun with that Williams!

Eric

[KateG]

But is the Williams a Porsche or a Ferrari?

Large holed flute: it is not a sports car. Maybe an SUV

No, no - the Sweet 8-key was the SUV. Big, sturdy & imposing.

The Williams is more like a sports car, but given its provenance and modest size perhaps a classic MG or Triumph roadster would be more appropriate. Certainly more my style.

[AaronMalcomb]

Large holed flute: it is not a sports car. Maybe an SUV

It fit my hands, all the keys worked sweetly for me, I could fill it easily and yet it felt like it had more to give as I got to know it and grew as a player.

It doesn't sound like a gas guzzler so maybe not an SUV. Perhaps the car metaphor isn't accurate in this case.

How about motorcycles?

[jim stone]

Those are whistles.

[AaronMalcomb]

I thought whistles were bicycles... but a lot of flute makers race and/or repair bicycles...

[jim stone]

Whistles are bicyles, then.

Anyhow Ido hope we can cajol/persuade/bribe or whatever
Ralph to sell more of these older flutes he's got
about the place. Some really nice things he's got.