One of the most visually striking woods that I use is Tiger Maple. It comes from the North Eastern United States, Michigan, Canada. This particular wood really stands out when exposed to direct sunlight. This flute is available in the keys of Am, Gm, F#m. The Em is a long flute. I do not recommend it for beginners unless you have flexible hands and/or long fingers. However the F# Gm and Am are a better size for average hands and people who want to start out with a high quality, beautiful instrument. You may have seen this type of wood used with violins and guitars. The intensity and pattern of the figure will vary with each instrument.
The sound of this flute is smooth and mellow. I know this one will have a special place on your collection.
Thank you so very much for making this flute for me, it truly is a work of art!!, cant wait to record with it !!! I will be contacting you again in the future Good Sir : )
Lyrcus .
Dear Richard,
I received the Tiger Maple flute in F# today, which my sweetheart had ordered for Christmas, and it deserves some feedback. I scoured the web, and you weren't the cheapest, but I ended up selecting Laughing Crow simply because you had the best audio samples. I figured, “Hey, could be he’s just a better musician, or he’s got better audio equipment to capture the sound, or, maybe, he’s got a better instrument.” Whatever the truth of that may be, that’s what influenced my final decision, and it was a good one.
I’m absolutely in love with my flute. If you were here, I’d scrap the letter and just kiss you. Not only is it gorgeous, and flawless in terms of craftsmanship, but the real kicker is the sound. I played through the scale and my hair stood on end. Every note is crisp, crystal clear, and reverberates beautifully. I suddenly sound twice as good as I did before, just doing simple scale improvisations.
I already had a handmade flute in A, which I bought for $100 last year, and this Tiger Maple flute is not only head and neck above my old one. It’s head, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles above it.
The quality of the sound is far fuller and cleaner, and I’m astounded by the difference in airflow. The “aerodynamics” (have no clue what it’s called) of this one is completely different from my other one. I’d play my A flute and get so “winded” I could barely breathe. Figured I must be breathing incorrectly. Kept working on staying relaxed, without much luck. I played the same tune with both flutes today; with my old one I was heaving toward the end, and with my new maple “Tigger” I played it twice without a problem. Go figure!
If you end up sticking this on your website, let me add this for all you would-be shoppers: I’d be amazed if you were disappointed with your purchase. Perhaps if you caught him on a bad day, like, say, he had pneumonia, two busted eardrums and three broken fingers, and was hard-pressed enough to not take a day off to sip some chicken soup – maybe something could get screwed up. Barring those circumstances, what we have here is someone who knows what a first-rate, top-notch musical instrument is all about.
Whenever I’m ready to add to my musical arsenal, I won’t waste my time scouring the globe for another flute maker -- I have your card in a safe place.
Your Fan,
Ami Ahlstedt
Writer, Photographer, Lover of all things Native American, and soon-to-be rockin’ Flute Player