Deep into my Olwell vs. Hall topic, Stuart mentioned he had just received a Tallgrass winds bamboo flute by Steve Cox.
Stuart - Could you give a "mini" review?
Anyone else tried one of these flutes?
The clip from the Tallgrass webpage sounds really, really nice:
http://www.tallgrasswinds.com/major.html
I'm just wondering where they "rank" in the bamboo flute world???
Tallgrass Winds Performance bamboo flutes - Any opinions?
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Jayhawk
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If two equals every, then the answer would be yes 
.
Seriously though, I did a search for Tallgrass Winds, found no detailed reviews/comments on their quality (Stuart did say in one thread he was going to post a review), and my other thread on Olwells did not have Tallgrass Winds in the thread topic so I didn't think any Tallgrass flute owners would think of posting there.
What's wrong with posting a new topic since my other thread didn't mention Tallgrass in the topic? I always thought that was normal board protocol...
.Seriously though, I did a search for Tallgrass Winds, found no detailed reviews/comments on their quality (Stuart did say in one thread he was going to post a review), and my other thread on Olwells did not have Tallgrass Winds in the thread topic so I didn't think any Tallgrass flute owners would think of posting there.
What's wrong with posting a new topic since my other thread didn't mention Tallgrass in the topic? I always thought that was normal board protocol...
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WilliamC
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I am addicted to Chiff and Fipple. I access this site at least once a day. - Location: Frankfort, Ky
I've read this message board for several months now but this is the first time I had stumbled across a thread on Steve Cox's flutes. I had wondered if I was the only person who had ever bought one. I purchased a performance D major flute from Steve in February of this year. This was my 1st simple system flute, my previous experience was with Boehm flutes. I received an M&E R&R about 2 months ago so I don't play the bamboo as much now. After adjusting to the new fingering style, I found Steve's flute to be easy to get a good solid woody tone from low D all the way to 3rd octave A. In fact, I find it easier to get the 3rd octave from the bamboo flute than the M&E. I know these notes are seldom if ever used in tunes but they're there if you need them. To my ears, the volume of both flutes is about the same. The bamboo flute is not quite in tune with itself, the C# is flat, but maybe someone with more experience and expertise than me can compensate for this. The fingerholes of the bamboo flute are considerably larger than the M&E. The E fingerhole is 7/16" in diameter so this may be a problem for someone with smaller hands. In my correspondence with Steve, he seemed helpful and informative. I wish I could compare this flute to an Olwell bamboo but I haven't had that opportunity to play an Olwell yet.
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sturob
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OK, mini-review here.
Stevs's flutes (I have two, and have played two) are quite nice. I have a performance E-major and a performance Ab-minor. The E-major is incredibly well-in-tune with itself and very easy to play. The finger spacing is closer than on a D, of course, but still quite comfortable. The response is quick, and the instrument has a nice, reedy tone. Strong low D. Once you get to about 2nd-octave G (actually A, I guess, but G in terms of D) the instrument necessarily gets flat relative to itself but it's nothing that can't be overcome with embouchure. The Ab flute is in his "minor" mode tuning and it's quite interesting to play tunes on it . . . it throws things off a couple of modes, so things are really different. I got it mainly to play with, but it's fun.
Olwell makes an excellent and quite consistent bamboo flute, in my experience (which is just with low D and low C). Erik's stuff is a little less consistent, but he uses heavier bamboo than Olwell so in some ways I prefer the feel of the instruments. Plus, he's into doing funky carving/firework. Steve's thing, it seems to me, is that he's a conoisseur of bamboo varieties. My performance E is of a variegated strain of bamboo with really nice coloring, whereas the Ab is a more consistent light tan. He also does something the other two don't: he binds (at least the professional line) with hemp/flax at three points to control shifts. My Olwell low C developed a very slight crack in the foot area, and Steve was nice enough to bind the instrument for me when I bought the E.
All in all, I think Steve is a contender for bamboo flutes. It's what he does. Olwell makes a good bamboo flute, but it's not "what he does" insofar as I think Pat's specialty is conical flutes in cocus/blackwood/box. Steve's flutes are every bit as playable as Pat's, in my opinion.
So that's my mini-review. One of these days I think I need to submit clips of the same tune on all these different instruments so you can hear them. You'd be quite surprised at the sound of the bamboo instrument if you're not used to it. I think bamboo low instruments are much easier to intone correctly than low whistles, and in some ways I prefer them even though they have a less-chiffy-and-therefore-less-whistly tone.
My E flute looks like the Db pentatonic performance model on this page. I think it's a particularly beautiful type of bamboo, but if I remember correctly, Steve told me that he hasn't gotten a good crop of this kind of bamboo in a while.
Stuart
Stevs's flutes (I have two, and have played two) are quite nice. I have a performance E-major and a performance Ab-minor. The E-major is incredibly well-in-tune with itself and very easy to play. The finger spacing is closer than on a D, of course, but still quite comfortable. The response is quick, and the instrument has a nice, reedy tone. Strong low D. Once you get to about 2nd-octave G (actually A, I guess, but G in terms of D) the instrument necessarily gets flat relative to itself but it's nothing that can't be overcome with embouchure. The Ab flute is in his "minor" mode tuning and it's quite interesting to play tunes on it . . . it throws things off a couple of modes, so things are really different. I got it mainly to play with, but it's fun.
Olwell makes an excellent and quite consistent bamboo flute, in my experience (which is just with low D and low C). Erik's stuff is a little less consistent, but he uses heavier bamboo than Olwell so in some ways I prefer the feel of the instruments. Plus, he's into doing funky carving/firework. Steve's thing, it seems to me, is that he's a conoisseur of bamboo varieties. My performance E is of a variegated strain of bamboo with really nice coloring, whereas the Ab is a more consistent light tan. He also does something the other two don't: he binds (at least the professional line) with hemp/flax at three points to control shifts. My Olwell low C developed a very slight crack in the foot area, and Steve was nice enough to bind the instrument for me when I bought the E.
All in all, I think Steve is a contender for bamboo flutes. It's what he does. Olwell makes a good bamboo flute, but it's not "what he does" insofar as I think Pat's specialty is conical flutes in cocus/blackwood/box. Steve's flutes are every bit as playable as Pat's, in my opinion.
So that's my mini-review. One of these days I think I need to submit clips of the same tune on all these different instruments so you can hear them. You'd be quite surprised at the sound of the bamboo instrument if you're not used to it. I think bamboo low instruments are much easier to intone correctly than low whistles, and in some ways I prefer them even though they have a less-chiffy-and-therefore-less-whistly tone.
My E flute looks like the Db pentatonic performance model on this page. I think it's a particularly beautiful type of bamboo, but if I remember correctly, Steve told me that he hasn't gotten a good crop of this kind of bamboo in a while.
Stuart