Description

Aluminium flute – UEBEL, Gerhard Rudolf

This amazing Boehm-system vintage flute was manufactured by Gerhard Rudolf UEBEL (1915-1991) in Eastern Germany (GDR) in the 1960s. He was the grandson of the founder of the UEBEL company, Friedrich Gustav UEBEL (1855-1915) in Saxony, Germany.

Now’s your chance to hear one for yourself. Listen to this flute playing “Intermède (Hommage à Bartók)” from Quatre Pièces Pour Flute Seul by Jindrich FELD (1925-2007).

Gerhard Rudolf Uebel experimented with new materials and mechanical construction techniques and this flute is a fine example of his innovation work.

The body of the flute is made from one single rod of aluminium – silver grey anodised. There is no separate foot joint. It is therefore made in a similar way to a wooden flute rather than a modern metal flute. The flute is tapered at both ends so it looks a bit like a cigar, which is where its nickname ‘cigar flute’ originates.

The flute has no ribs. Instead, the posts are screwed directly into the aluminium body to hold the mechanism. The key design is quite modern and looks a bit clunky; however, the flute is made with the highest precision. Tiny screws rather than pins are used to connect the rods of the keys. The posts have set screws which enable the pivot screws to be finely adjusted. It has a closed G-sharp key and an extra G/A trill key.

The head joint and keywork are made of silver-plated nickel silver. The head joint itself is simply inserted directly into the body without a tenon socket. There is no head joint cork assembly.

The head joint has a solid silver lip-plate which is very unusual for this model of instrument. They normally had a black plastic reform lip-plate.  The solid silver lip-plate was added on top of its original lip-plate, made of nickel silver. Perhaps its previous owner had an allergy or didn’t like ebonite or nickel silver, preferring solid silver instead. The ebonite crown is fixed in place.

Production of these flutes lasted from 1959 for around ten years. This particular Uebel aluminium flute is model number #118, built in 1965 and serial number 956.

Number 118 was the top of the range model – crafted for extraordinary demands. The flute is in pristine, like new condition…hardly ever played. It comes with all of its original goodies: case, screwdriver, grease pot, cleaning rod. The case has a Rudall Carte label inside. So, we can assume it was originally sold in England.  It plays very nicely at a=443 Hz with the head joint fully inserted.

Our opinion

Don’t let its robust, German tank-like build fool you. While this flute commands attention with its sheer power and presence, it can also deliver an unexpectedly delicate, nuanced tone. It is the ultimate powerhouse for jazz and contemporary players, or a prize trophy for the serious collector.