This flute is 20-11/16” in length, with a 7/8” bore diameter. The mouthpiece is a laminate of SE Asian amboyna between layers of maple, and capped with this Hawaiian koa.Two fetish blocks were cut for this flute, because I’m not sure I really love the first one. Specifically, fetish one is a stylized waterbird, cut from quilted maple bonded to Oklahoma red cedar. Fetish two is a bird of prey, cut from rosewood with wing overlay of spalted maple, and again, bonded to Oklahoma cedar.
From the Querencia Woodwinds Cocktail Conversation Trivia Dept. … Of the 258 bird varieties in the Hawaiian chain, 80 are waterbirds, and most are endangered. Also, Hawaii is an archipelago, and further from a major land mass, than any other in the world. It also gets the most rainfall (Kauai), and has the tallest cliffs (Molokai) Their volcano system also ranks at the top in terms of size and activity. The flute of the islands is typically a nose flute, played with the belief that air from the nose cannot lie, while breath from the mouth can. Ok then, Perhaps if you folks buy more flutes, maybe I can go there and come back with an in-depth report posted to my blog. Plus if you send me, that will make Hawaii one less place you have to visit……. Where was I.
Inlay to this flute begins at the mouthpiece with a 5mm orange pearl flanked by 4.3mm Cooper Pedy black fire opal doublets. The sides of the compression chamber include 22mm disks of twice dyed box elder burl, into which I’ve placed 12mm disks of black mother of pearl. Forward from this are 8mm quartz capped abalone cabs. Inlay in front of the TSH consists of an 11mm coin pearl accented with some stylized waterbird pyrographics. This work terminates with a 4.3mm dome cut solid Australian fire opal. Lastly, the finger holes are accented with four 6mm abalone rounds, and a diamond cut 6x12mm abalone cab.
Inlay to the waterbird fetish includes a 4.8mm Australian fire opal set to the top, and two African faceted champagne diamonds, too small to measure, and about the size of fleas, set as eyes to the bird. Inlay to the second fetish includes an additional 6mm black mother of pearl cab to the top, and 2.3mm sapphires set as eyes. …….This flute was tuned at 71.6 degrees F, at 70% humidity.