Tube Thickness

Have you heard the term "heavy wall" in regard to flutes?  When we go to shows like the NFA, we do have people asking if we have "heavy wall" flutes.  So, what exactly is the "heavy wall" flute?

Well, "heavy wall" refers to the thickness of the body tubing.  For our silver Custom flutes, you have the choice of three different tube thicknesses: .014", .016", and .018."  In that series of measurements, the "heavy wall" is the .018" tubing, because is it the thickest tubing of the three.  Many of our flutes have the .016" thickness, including our Signature, Conservatory, and Aurumite models. Currently, most of our orders for silver Custom flutes request the .016" tubing as well.

The Custom silver flutes have thickness choices, but what about gold?  Platinum?  All of the Custom gold flutes (regardless of karat), have a body thickness of .012,"and the body tubing for platinum flutes is .010." 

It's good to keep these different body tubing thicknesses in mind when trying headjoints as well.  Silver headjoints are available in .014" and .016" tubing.  As you might recall from a previous post on silver headjoints (follow this link to read it), we found that the .018" tubing on silver headjoints didn't produce the desired sound qualities we were looking for with the .018" silver Custom body, so the .016" silver headjoint fits that particular flute.  Of course, if you have a .014" silver flute, the .016" headjoint would definitely not fit!  From yet another post (which you can read by following this link), we learned that sometimes the barrel thickness is different than the body thickness.  Lots to think about!  So, if you have the chance to try different thicknesses on silver flutes, see if you can feel and hear a difference.  Obviously, there's more than one size to fit all when it comes to silver!

Verne Q. Powell 1928 Brochure

Since 1928, flutists around the world have enjoyed playing Powell flutes.  Throughout the years, we've seen different models, and today there are so many choices for options and materials.  The three Powell models currently produced are the Signature, Handmade Conservatory, and Handmade Custom.  If you've ever wondered about the earliest Powell flute models, we've uncovered the very first Verne Q. Powell Flutes brochure from 1928.  During that time, two models were offered: the Hand Made and Commercially Made.  The major difference between the two was that the Hand Made had soldered tone holes, and the Commercially Made had drawn tone holes.

Prices today vary due to the changing costs of precious metals -- and they certainly are different from the 1920s!  So, just how much would a Powell go for in 1928?  It may be a bit difficult to tell from the scanned photo of the price listing in the 1928 catalog, but the prices were as follows:

Silver Flutes
No. 1 – Hand-made, French model (open keys),

either closed or open G#, A440…$250                       

No. 1A – Hand-made, American model (covered keys),

either closed or open G#, A440…$250         

No. 2 – Commercially made, French model,

either closed or open G#, A440…$200        

No. 2A – Commercially made, American model,

either closed or open G#, A440…$185         

Flutes made to low B (optional)…extra $25

C# trill………………………….......extra $18

Flutes made with 18 karat gold embouchure (optional)…extra $25

Gold Flutes
Hand-made, French model (open keys), either closed or open G#,
14 karat gold throughout……………...............$900

Hand-made, American model (covered keys), either closed or open G#, 14 karat gold throughout……………$900

Although the prices seem considerably lower than today, we realize that those amounts were of a much different value than they are in 2013, so it all pretty much balances out!  Of course, without question, they were (and still are) as the brochure says, "a work of art...as mechanically perfect as it is possible to produce."

Cover of the 1928 brochure

Listing of models on the right column

Photos and prices

Options

Handmade custom flutes are available with a number of different material choices for the body, headjoint, and mechanism.  Powell offers several options for silver, various karats of gold, and a fusion of gold and silver known as Aurumite.  Are you familiar with Aurumite? Our webiste describes Aurumite as follows:

Aurumite® 14k - Aurumite® flutes are produced using a patented process that electronically fuses two tubes of gold and silver. The Aurumite body is .016” thick with an interior layer of 14k rose gold and an outer layer of sterling silver. This unique material combines the projection of silver with the warmth of gold. Aurumite was introduced by Powell in 1986 and then patented. Because we have been making flutes out of Aurumite for over 20 years, our experience working with this material is unrivaled in the industry.

In the photo on the above, we can see a handmade custom Aurumite 14k.  Notice the silver on the outside and the gold inside in the bore.  Another Powell model with an Aurumite body is the Handmade Conservatory, which features 9k gold on the outside and silver on the inside.  Have you worked with other flutes made from a fusion of metals?