This
section gives a thumbnail picture of our range of instruments, both new and
second hand, in the higher ‘Professional’ ranges. Top Wind has one of the
finest selections of instruments for professionals and conservatoire level
students. Many of the instruments are available from stock, where not
then they are available to special order. The section is arranged by
manufacturer, with details of particular features offered by each maker.
These
instruments are designed by Mr Shuichi Tanaka and made at the custom built
factory at Azumino in
Also see ‘Mid-Range
Flutes’, ‘Alto Flutes’, ‘Bass Flutes’
This is
the first in the
Options:
Open or
closed holes
with offset G
keys
Open holes with in line
G keys
Open G# mechanism
Reversed thumb keys
C#/D# touch piece rollers
18K Gold plating (red
or yellow)
Platinum plating
Light, medium or
heavy wall thickness
These
have the same high quality design features of the previous
Options:
Open or
closed holes
with offset G
keys
Open holes with in line
G keys
Open G# mechanism
C#/D# touch piece rollers
18K Gold plating (red
or yellow)
Platinum plating
Light, medium or
heavy wall thickness
This has
a unique feature for a modern instrument – the seamed tube. The flutes
have a ‘Britannia’ quality tube, as in the 1507 Series, but made by a seaming
technique similar to that used by the Louis Lot Company in the last century.
Options:
Open or
closed holes
with offset
G keys
Open holes with in line
G keys
Open G# mechanism
C#/D# touch piece rollers
18K Gold plating (red
or yellow)
Platinum plating
Light, medium or
heavy wall thickness
Altus
also offer customised quality flutes, with drawn or soldered tone holes, in
many materials options.
Masashi
Miyazawa established Miyazawa Flutes in 1969 having previously worked in the Muramatsu
flute factory. While many players and makers have experimented throughout this
century with different materials, Miyazawa have developed the combination of
materials to create new alloys for flute making. Experiments during the
1970’s led to the PCM alloy, which is a combination of 65% silver, copper, gold
and palladium. In the hand made ranges Miyazawa offer a ‘Gold-Silver’
Alloy option (10% Gold, 85% Silver and 5% other semi-precious material).
One notable advantage of this alloy is the resistance to tarnish given by the
high gold content.
Miyazawa
are also noted for the range of head joint styles offered in every range.
Also see ‘Mid-Range
Flutes’ ‘Alto Flutes’
This
range is built with drawn and
rolled tone holes and pointed key arms. They are available in
several materials options.
Options:
Open or closed
holes
with offset
G keys
Open holes with in line G
keys
C#/D# touch piece rollers
23K Rose Gold plating
0.015” or 0.018” wall
thickness (Solid
models only)
This
range is identical to the Classic I but with soldered
tone holes.
Options:
Open or
closed holes
with offset G
keys
Open holes with in line
G keys
C#/D# touch piece rollers
23K Rose Gold plating
0.015” or 0.018” wall
thickness (Solid
models only)
Other material
options available
The
Pearl Company has been making flutes for over 50 years. They have two
factories, one specialising in ‘Student Flutes’, the other specialising in
‘Mid-Range’ and ‘Hand made’ instruments. The unique feature of the Pearl
Company is that they utilise a ‘Pinless’
mechanism in all models, including student flutes. This mechanism gives
greater strength and is less prone to corrosion by body acids and also allows
easier maintenance.
Features:
Also see ‘Mid-Range
Flutes’
This is solid throughout with drawn
tone holes.
Tube thickness is 0.40mm standard.
Options:
Open or
closed holes
with offset
G keys
Open holes with in line
G keys
E mechanism On/Off
clutch
Other wall thickness
to order
This is solid throughout with soldered
tone holes.
Tube thickness is 0.40mm standard.
Options:
Open or
closed
holes with offset
G keys
Open holes with in line
G keys
E mechanism On/Off
clutch
Other wall thickness
to order
The
soldered tone hole model is available in a variety of material options for tube
and key work. Head joints are also available with yellow/red
risers
and/or lip plate.
Kikuo
Hisakura established the Sankyo Flute Manufacturing Company in Sayama-city in
August 1968. The aim was to produce ‘Flutes of Ideal Sound’ by offering
high-class instruments that are built from high quality materials to an
exacting quality standard.
Much
design work has been done on head joint design and Sankyo produce a range of
lip plate styles, including both the ‘Raised Shoulder’ series and ‘High Wave’
(i.e. reform lip
plate
or winged lip plate).
Sankyo
have also introduced the ‘NEL’ as a standard option on all models. This
is, in fact, an adaption of the ‘E Ring’ principle but incorporated in the tone
hole design i.e. by making the tone hole of the lower G smaller the venting for
third octave E is improved, giving an alternative to the traditional E
mechanism. Sankyo offer several versions of this with both ‘normal sized’
G key and ‘small’ G key.
Sankyo flutes
are particularly favoured in
See also ‘Mid-Range
Flutes’ ‘Alto Flutes’
This is
the top of the line Sankyo flute which is solid throughout with soldered
tone holes
and pointed ‘French’ key arms. White
metal
springs are used as standard and the standard tube thickness is 0.38mm.
Options:
Open or
closed holes
with offset
G keys
Open holes with in line
G keys
Range of head joint
styles
‘NEL’
C#/D# touch piece rollers
Gold plating
0.42mm or 0.46mm
tubing
These
flutes are also available in a variety of densities of ‘yellow’
or ‘red’ material.
The
Yamaha Company has been in business since 1887 and, without doubt, their
student flutes are the best selling in the world. Yamaha have invested in
the best technology and materials and, coupled with an excellent quality
control, produce consistently reliable and popular flutes. The following range is made by Yamaha
in their factory for hand made instruments, in a separate building to the
student instruments.
Features:
Also see ‘Mid-Range
Flutes’ ‘Piccolos’ ‘Alto Flutes’ ‘Bass Flutes’
Closed holes with E mechanism
Open holes
with offset
G keys and E mechanism
Open holes
with in-line
G keys and E mechanism
Options:
B foot joint
Range
of head joint styles
Mike
Allen trained officially as a jeweller and silversmith. He has made about
1,000 head joints and approximately 40 flutes. He is known for some of
his radical design ideas, including such diverse things as gold rings on top of
the tone holes, fully automatic split F# mechanism and a quarter tone alto
flute. He is currently working with 99.9% heat hardened silver.
Robert
Bigio is most noted for his work with wood and experiments with crown
assemblies. He is acknowledged as an expert on Rudall Carte.
Albert
Cooper, the foremost flute maker of the 20th century, trained at Rudall Carte
where he started by sweeping floors and making tea at the age of 14.
Albert left Rudall Carte in 1959 and set himself up as a repairer but soon
turned to flute making. In total he made 94 flutes, including 8 alto flutes, 2
C foot piccolos, 3 bass flute and one flute in B. Albert’s main
contribution has been to the ‘scale’ of the flute, through reviewing the general
position and size of the tone holes. With few exceptions, most makers
today, make flutes using The Cooper Scale.
FMG
was established when Boosey and Hawkes Ltd moved Rudall Carte’s workshop in the
early 1960’s. Mostly making metal flutes in the beginning (including one
1867 system, by special request), until recently they where swamped with orders
for wooden flutes – the experience gained early in their careers at Rudall
Carte being called upon again to satisfy the renewed interest in wooden
flutes. Many makers have been through the FMG workshop, including Ewen
McDougall and Howel Roberts. Harry
Seeley’s retirement a few years ago spelt the end of an era although
inexpensive imitations bearing the same name are advertised.
Andrew
Oxley trained as a flute player at the
Willy
Simmons is largely self-taught, coming to the profession later in life he is
acknowledged as one of the finest repairers of flute mechanisms. After
specialising for a while in the making of G treble flutes, he now has a
commanding reputation as a head joint maker and a growing reputation for his
concert flutes.
Stephen
Wessel was one half of the ‘Webb and Wessel’ team before 1990. Much of
his work today is based on the work that he and John Webb did together between
1983 – 89, the most significant feature being that of his stainless steel
mechanism, aimed at making the keywork as light and reliable as possible.
Wessel flutes are made with a seamless tube (unlike those made in collaboration
with John Webb which had seamed tubes) and using
William Bennett scales at both A=440 and A=442 pitches. Like most
handmade instruments he offers each individual player options such as the half
closing G#, offset, half offset or in-line G keys, E mechanisms, B foot and
hand engraving. He does not make head joints.
Chris
Abell has an international reputation for his wooden flutes. He worked
for many years with Brannen-Cooper and at this time he was combining his love
of Irish music with his skill in wood turning to make superb ‘Penny
Whistles’. This led to setting up his on his own making modern wooden
flutes with solid mechanism. One of his greatest advocates is Patrick
Gallois, who has helped make Chris’s flutes extremely popular in
Edward
Almeida was a former owner of the flute company Powell and most respected as a
toolmaker. He left Powell in the 1970s and in his peak was making about
50 flutes a year. He felt that silver was a more consistent material than
gold. Since his death in the early 1990s his flutes have been much sought
after as used instruments.
The
company was established by Bickford and Bob Brannen who both had experience at
Powell. They have confirmed themselves as leaders in the hand made flute
industry today by helping to develop new ideas. In the late 1970s, Albert
Cooper’s scale and head joint designs were incorporated and since then the
Brogger™ mekanik, the Brogger™ acoustic and the Kingma system quarter tone
flute have become part of their designs.
Brannen-Cooper
flutes are available with an extensive range of options and specifications such
as:
BroggerTM Mekanik
BroggerTM Acoustic
B foot joint with or without gizmo
Convertible B/C foot
joint
Kingma System
mechanism
All
flutes are available in various pitch and material options.
Please
contact us if you require more information.
Emerson
Deford was a shoemaker where he formed his longstanding reputation as an
extremely hard worker. He joined the Armstrong Company working with Jack
Moore in producing the 'Heritage' line of instruments. He is responsible
for creating both Deford and Emerson student flutes, both of which companies he
sold. (The latter was sold to the Selmer Company, who also bought the
French flute makers Barbier). After losing a finger in a press, he is
very safety conscious in his workshops.
Emanuel
Arista comes from a Peruvian family of flute makers. He has trained at Powell.
Jonathan
Landell trained at Powell, now working independently; his latest flute is made
from Titanium! He also runs schools for people wanting to learn about and
gain experience in making flutes.
Leonard
Lopatin was principal piccolo player of the
John
Lunn started making flutes with the Canadian Jack Goosman, he later trained at
Powell leaving there about 10 years ago to establish himself
independently. His original idea of ‘cherry and stem’ designs have
developed into the Vanguard flute, an artist approach to flute making in which
no two flutes are identical.
Jack
Moore is most noted for collaborating with Alex Murray on the
David
Williams is another former employee of Brannen-Copper and is a well- respected
member of the flute making community and also one of the ‘up and coming’ young
makers. Already well known in
William
Sherman Haynes (1864-1939) was trained as a silversmith and was a self-taught
flute maker. He established his company independently in 1900, after
working with his brother George Winifield. It is reported that he was making silver
flutes in 1913, gold in 1914, aluminium in 1913-14 and platinum in 1935.
Many makers have also worked in the Haynes factory including Powell and
Gemeinhardt.
Louis
Lebret worked for L.Lot and established his own workshop in 1888.
L.Lot
established his independent workshop in 1855, coming from a large family of
instrument makers. He was trained by his father Thomas and later married
into the Godfroy family (also flute makers) whom he had worked for since the
early 1830s. During the 1860’s he was the official supplier of flutes to the
Verne
Q. Powell started as a jeweller, engraver and flute player, he made his first
flute in 1910 from silver teaspoons, watch case and silver dollars after
hearing Barrere performing during a tour of
Rudall Carte
The
Rudall Carte Company began as Rudall & Rose in 1821 by J.M Rose and George Rudall;
they acquired the manufacturing rights to Boehm’s 1832 and 1847 system
flutes. In 1852 Carte joined the partnership and in 1872 Rose’s name was
dropped from the title. Rudall Carte flourished as makers of flutes and
other military instruments; their flutes included systems by Boehm, Siccama,
Rockstro, Radcliffe and several others. Boosey and Hawkes Ltd bought the
company in 1944.
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