Building the White Gold Flute - Part 8

In the final part of our series, we watch as the white gold flute goes through the play testing process (we have a detailed, previous post on play testing which you can read by following this link).  Our play tester does a thorough visual inspection and play tests the instrument, making note of anything that may need to be adjusted.  As you will see in the video, she will also double-check any findings with gauges and make notes on assessment/evaluation paperwork.  After she is done, the flute goes back to the finisher for the adjustments to be made.  When the finisher is done, the flute goes back to the tester for another play test. 

Once the flute has gone through the final testing and adjustment process, the blue protective tape is removed.  The flute is cleaned once more, placed in its case, and sent to the customer. In the photos below, you will see the white gold flute completed and ready to be sent to its new owner.

Music Credits:
Powell Artist Paul Edmund-Davies
Georg Friedrich Handel  - Sonata in E min, HWV 379: IV.Allegro

Building the White Gold Flute - Part 2

We're in week 2 of our white gold NFA Custom flute's journey to being completed.  When we last saw the flute, it was in raw material form -- body tubes and components in the body and stringing kits.  As the body and stringing kits were being assembled in the materials department, the body tubes (center and footjoint), were sent over to Powell production team member Jason Sherman.  Jason's role is to drill very small holes in the tubes.  Each hole is the center of what will actually be the full tone hole.  As with the entire process, accuracy is key.  In order to drill these holes precisely, Jason programs a CNC (Computer Numeric Control) to drill the holes into their exact locations on the tubes, as you will see in the video below.  He repositions the tubes a few times during the process to drill offset holes as well as holes on the side and back of the tubes.

Footjoint after initial holes were drilled.

After the holes are drilled, the body tubes go back to the materials department and are placed in the body kit.  The body kit is then picked up by the body maker, Alex Shtyrkov.  We spent a few days with Alex as he prepared each and every tone hole to be brazed to the body.  Before the tone holes are brazed on to the body, they must be prepared to fit the tubes exactly.  Alex goes through each tone hole, fitting them and shaping them by hand.  Once they are ready, he attaches them to the body to prepare for brazing.  The tone holes must be secured so that they do not move during the brazing process.  Securing the tone holes requires the use of small fixtures that go through the initial center holes that were drilled by Jason.  Alex secures each tone hole, and then prepares them for brazing, which we will see next week...

Powell's 70th Anniversary and the NFA

Powell Custom Wooden Flutes debuted at the 1997 NFA

As we were preparing for the this year's NFA Convention in Chicago, we happened to discover a few materials in our archive from a previous year when the Convention was held in the same location.  The 1997 NFA Convention took place in Chicago and marked two significant milestones for Verne Q. Powell Flutes -- an anniversary and a product debut.  Founded in 1927, Powell celebrated its 70th anniversary in 1997.  In celebration of its anniversary, Powell also introduced a new wooden flute.  We uncovered one of the original 1997 brochures for the NFA Convention, which described the new flute as follows:

THE POWELL WOODEN FLUTE:

A TRADITIONAL FLUTE IN A MODERN WORLD

Powell's new wooden flute hearkens back to a time when all flutes were made of wood, and also looks forward to a new century where all things are possible.

The abandonment of wooden flutes came about as musical tastes changed, and as metal-working techniques became more sophisticated.  Precious metal flutes had the further advantage of never cracking, and being relatively light and comfortable.

Our new wooden flute retains the warm sonority of traditional wooden instruments.  However, the surprise for today's flutist goes beyond the instrument's beautiful keywork and amazing comfort.  This Powell flute, made of grenadilla or red ironwood, provides wonderfully quick articulation.  Durability and response have been enhanced by unified mechanical construction, and by crafting separate grenadilla tone holes that are then attached to the wooden body.  This is an instrument that is equally at home playing baroque chamber works as it is performing modern music with a large orchestra.

Looking at the brochure, we can see that there are some differences between the wooden flutes from 1997 and the current ones.  In 1997, the flutes were made with tone holes that were attached to the body.  Today, the tones holes are carved from the body (see our previous post on wooden flute tone holes by clicking here).  Also, in 1997 there was an option of grenadilla or ironwood bodies and either an offset or "half offset" G.  Today's wooden Custom Powell flutes are all made from grenadilla and have an offset G -- although we did experiment and produce an inline G, which you can see by clicking here to go to the Facebook album.

We are looking forward to the 2014 NFA Convention and will have a few new things at the booth once again...  Stay tuned by following announcements on our Facebook page and website.

Front of brochure

Back of brochure

Description of wooden flute

Inside of brochure, unfolded

Debut of Cooper Scale

Photo from High Flutin'

The annual NFA Convention is a terrific environment for flute makers to present new products.  Convention attendees look forward to visiting booths and "checking out what's new."  At Powell, we premiered a winged headjoint this year,  Turning the clock all the way back to 1974, Powell Flutes attended the NFA Convention in Pittsburgh and premiered their model flute with the Cooper Scale.  In this excerpt from High Flutin', we read former president Ed Machon's account of the event:

Fenwick Smith returned from Germany where he had been studying and performing.  He brought us up to date on the "Cooper Scale," saying it was very well-received in Europe..He explained that Albert Cooper was very co-operative and would give us details and all notes pertaining to the new scale.

This was 1974...What to do?  We sat with the best flute in the world.  Should we risk the time and money necessary to entirely re-vamp the set-up or rest on our laurels?  The decision was quickly made to go all out and have the Cooper Scale flute ready for the NFA convention to be held in August that year.  Two men took over the tooling necessary to convert the scale, and the rest of the shop continued on with business as usual.  The decision to make the scale with drawn tone holes was a difficult one to make as, traditionally, the Powell was always done with the soldered holes.  The "pulling balls" to draw the tone holes out of the silver tubing would be much easier to make than face the uncertainties of gathering stock from our suppliers.  Very little of the tone hole stock used on Powells could be adapted to the new scale.  If I recall correctly, only one tone hole was in the same position as on the Powell.  Needless to say, the scene was bedlam, and from the loud continuous noises, mostly strange, carrying on all day and half the night, a visitor might think we were working on a new atomic weapon.  After what seemed to be an eternity, and a mess of ruined tubing, we had two bodies ready to be keyed up, polished, padded, and tested,  The moment of truth arrived finally, and with a strobe, which replaced our ever-loving "gong," the new baby was tested and found to be nigh on to perfect... All this came together about a week before the convention.

The convention was a "first" for all of us.  Dick Jerome and I, along with Albert Cooper went, as did Bick Brannen and his brother Bob with their wooden, conical bore Boehm flute.  They also helped us at the booth.  That was the first real convention; the one at Anaheim, California in 1973 was poorly attended.  The hours were unreal -- 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, break for lunch, back for another four-hour session, supper if you were lucky, then 8:00 PM to closing.  I recall packing up the flutes at about 10:30 PM, then searching madly for a place still serving meals.  The dining rooms in the hotel shut down about 9:00 PM,  Dick and I ended up having dinner about 11:00 or 11:30 after walking about 8-10 blocks in a not-too-nice area.

PS-750 Review from Madrid

PS-750 in Indian Onyx

The Powell Sonaré PS-750 piccolo was introduced almost one year ago at the 2012 NFA in Las Vegas.  Since that time, many have had the chance to test it and have shared their reviews with us.  One of our previous posts shared testimonials from technicians (you can find it at http://www.flutebuilder.com/2013/05/ps-750-testimonials-technicians.html).  But what do performers and educators think?  Well, we found a review written by a university professor in Madrid.  Luismi from Sanganxa (our Powell dealer in Spain) shared the review with us.  For those who are able to read the original (in Spanish), you can find it at  http://bricoflauta.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/piccolo-powell-sonare-750-un-nuevo-concepto/.  The English translation is below.  Enjoy!

On November 12, 2012, my life changed. I fell in love:, when I slid my mouth over the embouchure, the intellectual look took my breath and soul. As my hands caressed her soft, stylized body, time stopped ... SONARE POWELL-750 PICCOLO! Powell has introduced a bold new concept in making piccolos. If it had "the apple”, it could have been a perfect creature made by Steve Jobs. The design of the mechanism, "artdeco", is radical and innovative and is made is made of stainless steel, a lightweight, unchanging metal that is cheaper than silver and gold.

Although her keys are square, it works well because it still has round pads and toneholes. Manufactured in a special resin (in three finishes), the Powell patented wood mimics the look and tone of a professional piccolo. The PS-750 is manufactured in the factory of Powell in Massachusetts (USA). Anecdotally, the first Friday after the piccolo was finished, Steven Wasser (owner of Powell), dipped it into a bowl of water. On Monday morning, he brought it out after it dried properly saw that it worked perfectly. Incredible!, Don’t you think?

The tuning is very polished and the projection is easy and very flexible through all the registers. You'll have a "high end" piccolo for super-competitive price: 2,445 euros.

We come into the world alone and we leave the same way, but in choosing a good piccolo never be alone. You can always count on the professionalism, craftsmanship and personalized advice from a company that is committed to innovation and quality of their products SANGANXA. And of course, with the friendliness and helpfulness of the "captain of the ship", Luismi Mateu.

PS-750 in Tuscan Umber

PS-750 in American Amethyst

The New Powell Sonaré Piccolo

You've probably heard some buzz going on about a new piccolo from Powell.  Just what exactly is different about this, and when will it be available?  Well, there are several unique features, and we will be debuting this piccolo next month at the 2012 NFA Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.  If you are attending, make sure to stop by the Powell booth (#317) and see us! 

The new Powell Sonaré piccolo was designed with elegance and durability in mind.  The body is made from an American hardwood that is available in three different color choices: American Amethyst, Indian Onyx, Tuscan Umber.  The photos below show the piccolo in "Indian Onyx" and were taken during a builder's workshop sponsored by NABIRT last April in Pennsylvania.  The keys are square as you can see, and they are made of stainless steel.  This feature is especially nice since stainless steel will not tarnish.  Although the keys are square, you'll also see from the photos that the tone holes and pads are still (traditionally) round.  The stainless steel keys are also available in "golden steel."  Golden Steel is comprised of a high tech ceramic coating over stainless steel.  The finish is durable and a golden yellow color which provides the appearance of yellow gold without the cost.  Additional specs on the piccolo include: 

• A-442 pitch

• Modern Powell scale

• Pisoni Star Pads

• Stainless steel springs

• Classic style hand cut headjoint

You might be wondering, "Well, where exactly is this piccolo made?"  The answer is right here at the Powell shop in Maynard, MA!  Handmade just like all the Powell flutes and piccolos.  Hope you will have a chance to try it!  For more information, we have a terrific video on our website -- take a look at http://www.powellflutes.com/blog/brand-new-powell-sonar%C3%A9-piccolo.  A full article from MMR Magazine may be found at http://www.mmrmagazine.com/5748/current-issue/forging-new-paths-powell-flutes/.