I just received a bunch of Weidlich & Lohse (well, the low grade chinese current production), in order to giveeasily or make experiments. Among them, two were lightly marbleized (yeehah!). For sure, they are certainly not as beautiful as
Maikel Mei's one, which is... perfect. But they are not regular.
When you look at their top, they just look bizarre and unclean: the yellow one is not of the bright lemon usual color, and the green is unpure, and darker as the vintage green.
But if you turn them on their belly, you can see light smear of other pigment frozen in the plastic.
It is now clear those should be rejects. While watching at Maikel Mei's one, so perfect, it could have been a psychoedelic series, made on purpose. But mines are obviously the result of changing the color of the batch in production.
My green one is clearly the result of the last red pellets in a new batch of green bodies. And the dark traces in my yellow flute are probably the rest of a dark blue series (since there is no black pellets used).
No matter how 'rejected' these nose flutes may seem, they do have a story to tell.I think that the colour residues actually give these copied "Swans" some character, the thing that they so desperately need, and I do like the 'aged' colour.
ReplyDeleteProduct control at the Chinese factory had been taken regular holidays for most of the year, judging from the quality of the mould and finish. Now they seem to have been made totally redundant! It seems that anything goes these days. However, that might just bring us some spectacular finds. Just keep on looking!
These instruments most certainly look good in a line-up of W&L and rip-off nose flutes, showing the various types, colours as well as failed outcomes.
Antoine, I would have sent you my marbled one long ago, had it not been such a perfect flute to play on. In fact, it is one of my 2 best and since really good flutes are hard to come by, I am keeping this one...
Hahahah! Yes! The quality control is on strike for years:) I also noticed the mould should degrade somehow, because the details quality is worst and worst (obviously, produced by millions...)
ReplyDeleteOh! I didn't claim for you marble treasure! (Just will hire some burglar to trip to Netherlands, hehehe:)