My new Glenn Watson flute

[cocusflute]

After the recent post regarding the acquisition of a new Sam Murray I felt compelled to offer this appraisal of a flute I just bought from Glenn Watson.

I received my new Glenn Watson 6-key blackwood flute a week ago. It is very clear and powerful. The bottom is solid and the second octave is a dream-- very strong and accessible.
The flute is beautifully made and feels great in my hands. It is slim and elegant, with beautiful keys and blocks and finely cut metal plates under the key-springs. The bore is well-finished, although it does not have a perfect mirror finish. Nor does it have a screw-cap crown, which I would prefer if only because it facilitates removing the cork for cleaning the head joint. Too few makers do this as a matter of course.
The silver keys are simple and elegant. They are hand cut rather than cast- another bargain. Most flute-makers cast their keys rather than cut them. Forging/swaging takes longer but entails a better quality alloy with fewer imperfections. They are perfectly placed for my hands and in any case Glenn expressed a willingness to customize should I desire.
The Watson is perfectly in tune. Probably because of the French slide the flute has a woody, dark tone that I like very much. The flute projects very well. I recently played with a loud fiddler and a loud concertina player. I could hear myself and I was told that I could be heard clearly from across the room.
The flute continues to improve as I get used to the embouchure, and is becoming more responsive every day. The embouchure is not the most forgiving I have played, requiring precise focus, but it is capable of a cracking good sound.
So far I am delighted. This flute is a great bargain. Glenn is a single man living alone. His needs are modest and his expenses are minimal. He can afford to sell a keyed flute at €1,400 (about $1,800), including a lovely hand-made case. This is less than any other top maker charges. He is a good player himself, which helps towards the making of a good flute.
I would not hesitate to recommend that any player – experienced as well as beginner-- buy a flute from Glenn before the inevitable price rise and longer wait. Glenn’s web-site reflects the elegance of his flutes: www.watsonflutes.com. His phone and email are listed on the site.
He does not know I am writing this. I have no financial connection with Glenn. I wish him well and would like to see him succeed.

[Loren]

The link goes to a page that says "under construction"


Loren

[tin tin]

Try this: www.watsonflutes.com

[Loren]

Try this: www.watsonflutes.com

Yup, that works.



Loren

[vanessa]

Here's the link without the colon http://www.watsonflutes.com and it seems to work for me

(well, and just a thought... does anyone think that this is enough to qualify me for a commission from Mr Watson ? )

[vanessa]

oops.. crosspost... somebody got there before me... now goes my commission...

[Denny]

Glenn’s web-site reflects the elegance of his flutes: www.watsonflutes.com.

The old period at the end of the url trick.
http://www.watsonflutes.com.

[Cathy Wilde]

Ooooh! Aaaaah! They're beautiful. Lovely keywork. Would love to hear one sometime <hint, hint>. And hey, look, he's not too far from Sam's workshop, is he? Yet another reason to like Galway (as if there weren't enough already).

Thanks for sharing the info; I'm looking forward to hearing more.

[tin tin]

So what's the deal with cases that keep the bottom two sections of the flute joined while it's being stored? (I've seen a number of cases for two-midsection flutes like this.) I've always believed one shouldn't keep the flute assembled while it's being stored...

[smoro]

Tintin,
The case that Glenn provides is big enaugh to keep each piece separate from the others, he recomended me to do do this, I used to keep the 2 bottom pieced joined in my ither flutes.
I realised that you sent a PM to mje, I replied to you yerterday, sorry for the late response, but I don't use to login to check PM.
Don't hesitate to contact me for further information, ok?
Serafin.

[jim stone]

Lovely work, indeed.

[Jon C.]

You should order a Cocobolo flute from him, before he becomes allergic like the rest of us...
Wow, he does nice work!

[Sylvester]

Ooooh! Aaaaah! They're beautiful. Lovely keywork. Would love to hear one sometime <hint, hint>. And hey, look, he's not too far from Sam's workshop, is he? Yet another reason to like Galway (as if there weren't enough already).

Thanks for sharing the info; I'm looking forward to hearing more.

They are actually five minutes walk from each other. What's more Cathy, there's another maker in the neighbourhood. He's an Italian guy making Murray-like flutes at a very reasonable price. Can't remember his name though. Probably some chiffer will provide.

[smoro]

The italian guy is Vincenzo di Mauro.
S.

[Sylvester]

Nice to see you "live", Sera.