McCarty Low D Flute Review

[Hup]

You've got to buy yourself a proper flute. Make this one into a lamp.

[Doug_Tipple]

James writes: "The feel of this McCarty flute - is fantastic. Remember - as a newcomer to ITM, I have exceptionally low standards compared to players of Wilkes, McGee flutes etc. The hole sizes are indeed different between the notes: I suppose this will set up perturbations, and as a result, some of the notes will sound different in character or volume from the next note up or down."

I'm sorry, James, but this is rubbish, in my opinion. Why would you have such low standards for a flute that you so glowingly are praising? You obviously haven't a clue as to what you are talking about. The hole sizes on flutes vary in size for a very good reason, and it has to do with fingering comfort. For a well-made flute the differences in volume or sound character will be minimal. You can easily make a flute with six finger holes of the same size. These flutes can be made to play in tune, but the right hand fingering will be difficult for larger flutes (low D and others). By making the 5th finger hole larger and the 6th finger hole smaller you can compress the right hand finger hole layout thereby making it easier to cover the finger holes. As long as the 5th hole isn't too large and the 6th hole too small, you can get the best of both worlds: a flute that plays in tune with good sounding notes and a flute that is easy to play.

[Julia Delaney]

I find that I almost have to spit to make tonguing evident.
Most players of ITM seldom tongue, or "spit," to articulate the note. The articulation starts back in the throat as a chuff, or cough. I am not sure if you know this, or if by "spitting" you meant tonguing the note as you would on the whistle or the Boehm flute. If so, this confirms that you simply have not been at this long enough to offer an opinion on a flute that most of us feel was obviously made in Pakistan.

If you can send it back for a refund, by all means do so. Get rid of it even if you must take a loss. It won't help your playing to gather an arsenal of crappy flutes. You would have been far better off buying a $100 flute from Doug Tipple or spending a bit more for a flute from Ralph Sweet or Casey Burns. If there is any comfort in all this, bear in mind that you are not the first of us here who have made such a mistake.

As far as the "decorative" rings go, they are much more than just decoration. They protect the socket from cracking when an overzealous player forces the tenon into it. Makers who don't use rings on some lower-priced flutes will ensure that there is extra wood where the ring would normally be found. As Doug points out, not knowing that a simple system flute will have different hole sizes only reveals how much you do not know about flutes and fluting. But we are all learning and I confess to my own ignorance compared to some other people who are regular contributors here.

This having been said, I am sure that most people would agree with me in thanking you for showing us the flute, giving your evaluation for what it is worth, and for confirming what most of us suspected: it is a flute made in Pakistan. From what you said we can assume that the wood is pretty, the flute is nicely machined, and that it doesn't play very well. It's good to know that and for that we thank you.

[Gabriel]

Wonder why nobody mentioned the decorative lines turned into various parts of the FLO. Perhaps this is what qualifies the imported flute as being made in the States? I've never seen such decoration on genuine Sialkottish flutes.

[jemtheflute]

Wonder why nobody mentioned the decorative lines turned into various parts of the FLO. Perhaps this is what qualifies the imported flute as being made in the States? I've never seen such decoration on genuine Sialkottish flutes.

I did, Steffen, both back on your aborted thread when James first put his pictures up and, less clearly maybe, somewhere above. Interestingly, that feature isn't standard on McCarty flutes, judging by the pictures on his website. See also the amusing disclaimer!

[Gabriel]

Whoops, sorry. I must have missed that

[radcliff]

"Quality You Can See & Hear"
I see..., but I cannot hear.....
No audio mp3 from this website...
I wonder why

[Cathy Wilde]

Thank you for performing this invaluable public service for future flute shoppers.

[ImNotIrish]

Frankly, I don't know why you didn't just go for a Delrin flute for about the same cost?
Arbo

[Lars Larry Mór Mott]

Frankly, I don't know why you didn't just go for a Delrin flute for about the same cost?
Arbo

Word..
that would help you immensely in developing as a player. Take my word from someone who owned a old German dud for years, which all knowledgeable players deemed nigh on unplayable.

[oleorezinator]

Frankly, I don't know why you didn't just go for a Delrin flute for about the same cost?
Arbo

50 bucks more and you could have bought a Copley 3-piece in blackwood with an unlined head, without a tuning slide. Try and to your money back if you can.

[James_Alto]

Sorry, James, but I'm not terribly inclined to believe your assertions of McCarty's assertions are "proof" of anything. That's not casting aspersions on you. "Black Walnut" or not, why would any maker in the US copy duff Pakistani flutes? Tweak 'em to try to make them decent (maybe even succeed to a fair degree), yes, that is credible. FWIW, and I don't claim this is so, just suggest it as a possibility, that timber looks very like a stained version of the so-called "cocus" ones we see on eBay. or there's this "Beachwood" (sic) one - check out the enlarged version of the close-up of the corked tenon, BTW. Or "Ash wood". Or there's another (correctly spelled!) Beechwood. They come in assorted other timbers too - "rosewoods" and "blackwood". Also, have a look at the more detailed pictures by scrolling down on the eBay ad for
this one Timber aside, and scored rings on the timber of yours but no scored graduation marks on your tuning slide, they're brothers!

Hi Jem,

I don't disagree with what you're saying about what you find on the internet.

I don't actually (knowingly) own a Pakistani Irish flute - have you got one? If you have, it would be great to see actual photographs of it to copy.

As you know - many sellers clone and copy photographs, and then sell buyers something completely different. I don't disagree at all that McCarty's American Black Walnut flute looks very similar to others which you've pointed out. But it is black walnut...! It might not be American black walnut, but as far as I can tell (with my A level biology ...I didn't spend enough time treehugging though )

Its actual provenance ... it was posted from the USA - sure that doesn't prove anything, but Eric McCarty has supplied me with a flute, which to all intents and purposes, fits the sales description. Unless someone on the forum board, actually owns a Pakistani flute, maybe all of the preceding pages here, are pure speculation, and I've been of completely no help in clarifying the issue (more like fudging it!)....

As we've commented before in the Sticky thread about all this, some of the output from Pakistan shows very considerable skill in wood-turning and joinery in the basic manufacture of these flutes, but the design specs (detailed dimensions etc.) and finish of things like the embouchure cuts let them down. It wouldn't actually take all that much to get them half-decent. Which raises the thought that a Western retailer might well order in blanks, as it were - part-made flutes - all the dog-work done - turning and reaming and head lining/tuning slide making, but not finished off - and such a person could then just drill the embouchure and tone-holes and fine-ream the bore to good specs and thus come up with a very cheap but perhaps decently serviceable flute.

In this case...the rationale is completely different: the original premise in the McCarty flute threads, were (even more dismissive than in this thread) denigratory of the McCarty flutes, stating that they were complete junk, and unplayable. The McCarty flute which I have, is not manufactured like junk - it's quality is higher - and I think you can ascertain that it certain looks very well finished). There are other vaunted American made flutes (not by you of course - you know too much ) which have inferior build quality to the McCarty flute. What I'm curious about ... is this social phenomenon. Why do people commenting on the McCarty flutes, seem to be on a witchhunt? I'd contend ... that the flute is better than I am as a ITM flute player. It has way more potential than I have at the moment. That was my first effort at it, so I suppose, it can only get better. Ahem!

I'm really not a snob - I don't mind where my flutes are made. Similarly, I don't have an issue with owning a $50 and a $5k flute and spending time with either. This McCarty tunes accurately - my embouchure playing is not. I use a Boehm flute embouchure, as someone here has pointed out .... because I don't know better (well, not quite - I think they called me ignorant lol). It wouldn't offend me in the slightest if it was made in Pakistan (it is better crafted and tuned, than other American or a specific European flute, which I've already mentioned to you about). It would offend me if I have been misled by the seller, but with the flute in front of me... I'm inclined not to think so. Maybe I need more time with it, whilst I learn ITM and see if my perceptions change...

You're absolutely right about cocuswood. I have no idea what it is, and whereas I can recognise different species of bamboo; rosewoods; walnuts, particularly if they've just been stained to mask the wood, I've never had much experience with ebony wood and cocuswood.

Kind regards,

James

[LorenzoFlute]

So, is any experienced player in the USA going to ask mr. McCarty to send him a flute to try it?

[Gabriel]

Someone really should. I would do it, but the customs hassle takes so much time...so, as an interim conclusion, lets say that the McCarty flute looks like a Pakistani-made flute, has the exact rings, tuning slide and overall construction of a Pakistani flute, the hole layout of a Pakistani flute (down to the sizes; probably deriving from a german junk flute which explains the integral foot) but appears (!) to be made from american walnut wood (as a side note, european walnut is so frickin' porous that oil applied to the inside leaks to the outside within minutes, totally crappy for flutes - no idea if american walnut is anything like that though). If it's really any good has to be proven yet.

[Julia Delaney]

What I'm curious about ... is this social phenomenon. Why do people commenting on the McCarty flutes, seem to be on a witchhunt?

There is no social phenomenon and there is no witch hunt. We are a group of people who have had very unfortunate experiences with flutes made in Pakistan, one of which you just bought. We agree that these flutes are a terror to the world. We endeavor to keep them out of the hands of beginners who think they are getting a good flute at a bargain price. These flutes are generally so awful that they discourage people from playing music on them. They are often unplayable and so they end up as expensive ornaments.

I have played hundreds of flutes but never one that was made in Pakistan that I thought was suitable for playing Irish traditional music. You bought one of these flutes, rather than choosing to support one of the flute-makers whose work we love and admire. If McCarty cared he'd have posted here by now. His silence regarding our comments on his flutes affirms that he is rebranding flutes (and pipes) made in Pakistan and marketing them as if they were made by a responsible instrument maker.

Your ignorance has been dealt with very graciously. You have been treated kindly over-all. To say now that we are on a witch-hunt misses the point. It is dismissive and insulting. You still don't get it.