HANDMADE FLUTES HANDMADE FLUTES The Kanji symbol for flute. THIS PAGE WAS PRINTED ON A SEMI-TRANPARENT FLY SHEET. -DELETE THIS BOX BEFORE PRINTING - FLUTES OF ELEGANT QUALITY & CRAFTSMANSHIP The founder of Altus flutes Mr. Shuichi Tanaka, known as “Speedy” to his friends, is a man of many talents. He is an artist, musician, engineer, businessman, and most notably a master flute maker. As a teenager, Mr. Tanaka studied flute with renowned Japanese teacher and performer Toshio Takahashi. During this time he not only developed into a gifted flutist, but also a sensitive student of flute making with keen insight into the needs of flutists. In 1977, Mr. Tanaka met British flutist William Bennett. The two men had much in common including their respect and admiration for the vintage flutes of Louis Lot. With Bennett’s influence and the inspiration of the finest vintage flutes, Mr. Tanaka designed an innovative modern flute rich in expressive tone colors, with ample capacity for resonance, accurate intonation, and mechanical strength. This was the first Altus flute, built in 1981. Over the next decade, global respect and interest for Mr. Tanaka’s innovative Altus flute increased. In 1990, he designed a beautiful building (pictured left) on a peaceful site in Azumino, at the base of the Japanese Alps to inspire his artistic creations. This breathtaking facility is where Altus flutes are still handcrafted today. The Altus flute is founded on friendships, collaborations, intense research, and a passionate devotion to music as an essential part of life. Altus flute maker Shuichi Tanaka and renowned British flutist William Bennett shared an admiration for Albert Cooper’s vision of updating and modernizing the traditional flute scale. Bennett combined his vast performance experience and quest for precise intonation with Mr. Tanaka’s flute making vision to create the Altus-Bennett scale. An instrument’s scale is determined by the size and placement of each of the tone holes and their relationship to each other. This crucial design aspect allows flutists to play with accurate intonation and effortless tone. The collaboration of Tanaka and Bennett set a new standard for flute design. The Altus-Bennett scale was carefully designed to provide effortless intonation, impeccably tuned harmonics, and exceptionally balanced registers. This monumental achievement is one of the hallmarks of the great Altus flute making tradition. WILLIAM BENNETT ALTUS SINCE THE BEGINNING 05 Tubing & Metallurgy Altus leads the way in providing an unprecedented array of tubing and material choices for the needs of discerning flutists. By combining old world craftsmanship with modern alloys and tubing construction, an incredible range of flutes can be tailored to the specific needs of any flutist. Altus provides the most unique variety of flute tubing and materials in the world today. Tubing Seamed Tubing – Made from a flat piece of metal that is rolled, hand planished and then seamed, the Altus seamed tube is truly the only handmade flute tube available in modern production. Sintered Tubing – A process unique to Altus where powdered silver metal is compacted at a high temperature to fuse particles together directly into a rigid tube. Extruded Tubing – Metal is drawn over a mandrel through a precise die to form a tube. This construction is the modern standard in the flute industry. Alloys 14K Gold – This karat is the most widely preferred gold alloy with sufficient density allowing a standard thin gold tube. 14K gold’s tone color is dark and warm and its response is both flexible and pure. Altus 946 Silver™ – Our proprietary Altus Limited (AL) alloy combines silver with the world’s finest precious metals. It is a perfectly engineered blend consisting of 94.6% silver and 18 precious metals, including small amounts of platinum and gold. Inspired by the preferred metallurgy of the great French flute making tradition, Altus silver was designed specifically for seamed tube creation. Only Altus silver provides the correct silver blend for extensive hand forming and represents the highest art in flute making available today. This results in a flute capable of producing a wide array of complex tonal colors. Pure 997 Silver – Our exclusive powdered Pure Silver (PS) tube is made possible only through highly innovative sinter technology. Normally, pure silver is too soft for successful flute tube production because it requires trace amounts of harder metals in the alloy to give it sufficient strength. The traditional method of creating a melted metal alloy results in pure silver tubes unsuitable for flute making. Sinter technology creates hard tubes of pure silver by compacting the silver under great pressure without melting it into a soft alloy. This unique process produces a dense and brilliant hard silver tube with supreme projecting qualities. Britannia 958 Silver – A traditionally created silver alloy composed of 95.8% silver. The remaining common metals balance a dark, rich tonal color without sacrificing brilliance. Sterling 925 Silver – Comprised of 92.5% silver, Sterling has long been the industry standard for making high quality flutes. DENIS BOURIAKOV ALTUS SINCE 2000 Our Handmade Flutes The Altus flute is a genuine handmade instrument and is the product of brilliant engineering, modern metallurgy, and seasoned craftsmanship. All Altus Handmade flute models are distinguished by a variety of tube materials and manufacturing techniques. Years of research and development have allowed Altus to pair the highest quality materials with a range of flute making techniques culminating in the prized collection of the world’s finest flutes available today. Standard features include the Altus-Bennett scale, exclusive SP-1 springs, drawn or soldered tone holes, French-pointed keys, and gizmo key. Numerous keywork options are available including an open G # mechanism by special order. Each model comes in a rich leather covered wood frame French case with leather wrap-around cover. CHRISTOPHER LEE ALTUS SINCE 2012 Mastery 14K Gold flutes are highly prized and inspiring. This level of precision and craftsmanship allows the finest players to push the boundaries of expression. 11 14K GOLD All Altus 14K Gold flutes feature extruded tubing and include a wide range of keywork and headjoint options. The 5707 Altus includes soldered tone holes and a solid Gold mechanism. The 5407 Altus includes soldered tone holes and a Sterling Silver mechanism. The 5607 Altus includes drawn tone holes and a solid Gold mechanism. The 5207 Altus includes drawn tone holes and a Sterling Silver mechanism. LORNA MCGHEE ALTUS SINCE 2012 Emotion There is no other flute as expressive. The player feels the vibrance of the instrument as the audience becomes captivated by its tonal beauty. 13 SEAMED TUBES Altus seamed tubes are thin, lightweight and handmade in a choice of two types of silver. Soldered tone holes and D rollers are standard. Sterling Silver mechanisms are mounted on # Pure 997 Silver hinge tubes. A variety of keywork and headjoint options are available. The 1807 Altus Limited (AL) is made with our special alloy of Altus 946 Silver.™ The 1607 Altus is made with our standard Britannia 958 Silver. GEORGE POPE ALTUS SINCE 2009 Virtuosity The PS is capable of a powerful tapestry of sound. Its unique sintered tube provides the strength and power to produce amazing projection and intensity. 15 SINTERED 997 PS Our unique 1707 PS model is available only with the Altus standard tubing thickness. Soldered tone holes and D rollers are standard. Its Sterling # Silver mechanism is mounted on Pure 997 Silver hinge tubes. The 1707 Altus PS is available with a variety of keywork and headjoint options. VIVIANA GUZMAN ALTUS SINCE 2009 Spirit Personality exudes from the Britannia Series! Advanced players and teachers appreciate its immediate reaction to player demands due to its customizable character, and its ability to demonstrate a vast palette of tone colors and technique with clarity and precision. 17 BRITANNIA 958 SILVER All Altus Britannia Silver flutes are available in standard, medium heavy or heavy wall tubing. They feature extruded tubing and Sterling Silver mechanisms mounted on Pure 997 Silver hinge tubes. The 1507 Altus includes soldered tone holes and is available with a variety of keywork and headjoint options. The 1307 Altus includes drawn tone holes and is available with a variety of keywork and headjoint options. NINA ASSIMAKOPOULOS ALTUS SINCE 2012 Tradition The classic pairing of flutist and the original precious metal has long been held as the soul of fluting. Connect with the flute’s great history and extend your personality into the future. 19 STERLING 925 SILVER All Altus Sterling Silver flutes are available in standard, medium heavy or heavy wall tubing and feature extruded tubing and Sterling Silver mechanisms mounted on Pure 997 Silver hinge tubes. A wide range of keywork and headjoint options are available. The 1407 Altus includes soldered tone holes and is available with a variety of keywork and headjoint options. The 1207 Altus includes drawn tone holes and is available with a variety of keywork and headjoint options. ABI COFFER ALTUS SINCE 2013 Energy In Japanese, Atsui means hot or deep, powerful and strong. By adding a layer of precious metal, many unique possibilities can be created to deliver unprecedented power infusing intensity into any score. 21 ATSUI The Atsui finish can be added to any Altus Handmade flute as an option. The existing tube is clad with a thick layer of precious metal. 18K Gold lends warmth and richness to the tone while the silver gives the flute brilliance and life. Platinum gives the flute a darker color pallete with exceptional response while the silver maintains the right balance of sparkle in the sound. KARL “FRITZ” KRABER ALTUS SINCE 2011 Artist Series Flutes Through the careful selection of materials and the Altus dedication to handmade craftsmanship, the Artist Series achieves an unparalleled balance between performance quality and affordability.