This wood is unusual. It is light, soft, and I think would have preferred to remain underwater…..At first. The flute is 23 5/8 inches in length, with a one inch bore diameter. Woods used to form the mouthpiece include California buckeye burl, between layers of African wenge, and capped with this cypress. The fetish block is also cut from California buckeye, and bonded to a base of Oklahoma red cedar.
Burl voids, both on the flute and fetish, were filled with crushed turquoise from the Globe Az. Sleeping Beauty mine. Additionally, various areas of the buckeye were subtly hand tinted, using color I felt would complement the materials used in the build.
Inlay begins at the mouthpiece, with a 5x7mm Lightning Ridge Australian boulder opal, flanked by two 4.3mm turquoise cabs. Each side of the compression chamber is accented with a 22mm disk of hand tinted buckeye burl, into which I’ve placed 4.4mm dome cut Australian fire opal solids. Forward from the fetish block, the sound chamber is accented with a beautiful 13x16mm dome cut Battle Mt. turquoise cab, while the finger holes are highlighted with four 4mm abalone cabs, and a 6mm dome cut Tibetan turquoise cab. Lastly, the fetish block has a 6mm pyrite cab set to the bird’s crown, and 2.1mm faceted African cognac diamonds, set as eyes. The flute includes a removable wrap of South Dakota prairie rattlesnake skin. This cypress flute was tuned at 72.3 degrees F, @ 50% humidity, and has a beautiful voice, which was somewhat of a surprise given the cellular characteristics of the wood.