Kohler & Son 10-Key Siccama Style Flute, D

A historical blackwood flute that takes us back to the 1800s, when London stood at the center of the wooden flute-making world. It plays at A=440 with the head joint drawn out 14mm and has a sounding length of 575mm. The tone is solid and strong, with very good intonation.

The foot keys all work, though the bottom C wants a little playing in. The pad reads as fairly new, and while the note will speak with a bit of coaxing, it is not yet quite as quick to respond as it will be once the flute is back in regular use. This is simply an instrument that has not been played much of late.

Despite its size, it wears its reach comfortably thanks to the Siccama-style keys covering the G and D holes, which opens it up to players with smaller hands; it would suit a player of roughly medium frame. The tone holes themselves are on the large side, closer to a Pratten in that respect, and they sit in more acoustically favorable positions for response, with the long keys bringing them back within easy reach.

The head joint carries a couple of hairline cracks that have been sealed; it has been tested and seals well. Overall the flute is in really nice shape, clearly looked after and overhauled at some point. It is very clean, all keys function well, and the pads are relatively fresh.

About the Siccama System

The design follows the system patented in London by Abel Siccama, who received British Patent No. 10,553 in 1845 for his improved flute. The idea was to place certain tone holes in more acoustically correct positions and then bridge the longer stretch with keys, so the player gained the tuning and response benefits without an unreachable finger spread. Flutes built in this style carry that thinking in the long keys for the lower holes.