FS: Michael Grinter 8keyed in cocuswood

[Henke]

Finally the tone was lovely and responsive, but I felt
I was playing a classical instrument. I couldn't get
a dirty sound.

Sounds like my experience with the McGee (rounded rectangle embouchure) exactly...

Anyway, BTT

[zampex]

This flute is sold.

[flutefry]

I bought the Jim's Grinter. One day I was playing at a large session, and my impression as a player was that the flute wasn't particularly loud, and certainly I had trouble hearing myself. A visiting flute player came in and joined the session. Afterwards he asked me what I was playing. I said it was the Grinter. He said that it was amazing, he could hear it right across the room, and it just cut through the fiddles, banjos and box, and that he'd never heard a wooden flute do that. It turned out that he played wooden flutes for fun, but was his day job was as first chair flute in good regional symphony. Anyhow, FWIW, an original model Grinter in my not particularly skilled hands did have projection. So I while I recognize that there could be variations among different flutes, I agree with Jim. That flute was a session cannon.

Cheers,
Hugh

[MarkP]

Apart from the track listing acknowledgements on various recordings, it was because of the projection that I noticed the Grinter R&Rs too, it was one day sitting a long way across the room from Rachel Howitt's Grinter at a session in Leeds. I remember being surprised how much I could hear of both the clarity and the complexity/warmth of tone coming through the mix of instruments right down to the low D and went over to ask what kind of flute it was. Not because of volume but definition/projection across the range.

I wonder why Kevin Crawford didn't want to keep such a beautiful flute like this for himself while he chose another Grinter

I'm guessing, as the original advert said, because he had both the matching ones to begin with? Why this one and not the other one of the pair? It's a fair question. I did ask him if he remembered it (and I hope he won't mind me quoting a bit out of that context).

I certainly do remember that flute and I thought it was a cracker. It was actually made around 97/98 and it is a twin of my own 1st cocus wood Grinter which I still play. I remember saying to the guy that bought it that if he were ever to sell it to give me 1st refusal on it as it was so close to my own... [edit for names etc.]... Can't recommend it highly enough if this is the flute I'm talking about. To be honest though any Grinter flute gets my vote.

As other people pointed out above, several Grinter players switched from the 'old' model to the 'new' model, although I believe Mike Grinter recently made another 'old' style one for Kevin similar to this flute (but in blackwood). I guess it depends what you're used to. Horses for courses. Catherine McEvoy also had a cocus Grinter for a while but (if I've understood her explanation correctly) sold it because she was having slight difficulty/stiffness adapting to a marginal difference in finger placement compared to her old R&R.

[MarkP]

yey! Flute arrived safe and sound
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4 ... =834692505

[chris_coreline]

congrats!

[brotherwind]

Nice one.

[Irish Marine]

Wow, I thought this one sold a long time ago Nice snatch there!

[MarkP]

indeed, no-one more surprised than me. All I can say is that it's worth trawling/searching those old C&F listings if you're looking for something particular. Obviously, it's worth it anyway for researching other people's experiences/opinions but there's a lot of listed items that don't sell (including some of mine, hint, hint!). If it doesn't say 'sold' then it's worth asking, however old the advert is.

...now, where did I see that 2005 advert for the $100 diamond-encrusted Wilkes...

[Denny]

after too much sake, wasn't it?

[MarkP]

at the risk of being slated for posting unjustified 'reviews' (see parallel thread) here's a first impression.

A couple of hours playing over two days, but decided to take it for a trip to the pub anyway. Clearly, there are some scale tuning/intonation challenges to get used to (exactly the ones you'd expect from modelling on an old R&R) but I was really surprised the extent to which I could learn to adjust by ear in a session context. Once warmed up, with the tuning slide further out, things seemed to fall into place.

The agility achieveable in general playing is exceptional by comparison with flutes I've played recently, very responsive to crisp cuts and rolls at high speed (maybe a bit dead around the low E). Capable of a very satisfying complexity, edginess or bark when pushed hard.

A key selling point (discussed by others in this thread) is the focus of the tone and projection. My market research consisted of a couple of people sat further away at opposite end of the bar and, for them, the projection was clearly cutting through the mix (fiddles, box, guitars, whistle, bodhran) and the guitarist sat next to me was mighty impressed with the tone. However (the real acid test) you can always tell if there's an impact when people start coming over to ask what kind of flute you're playing, or when the whole pub chatter goes quiet every time you start off a set (that doesn't happen often).

For me, as a player, I was able to hear the flute clearly which made the necessary embouchure/finger adjustments much easier to guage as the night went on (sat between two guitars, banjo and mandolin). For example, the A was obviously sharp to the banjo but slotted better into place later on, with practice.

It will take a while to bring out the potential in this flute, and to cover all the bases with the intonation, but on the evidence of a first test run, I'd say it's a real winner (at least for the way I'd aspire to play).

[chris_coreline]

it also looked shiney.
like a kind of flute super model...
a flutermodel if you will.