Haynes-Schwelm 3364 (and Piccolo)

Made in 1923
Silver
0.0125″ tubing
Soldered tone holes
Closed hole
Offset G
Plateau keys
C-foot
18K lip plate, silver riser
Embouchure: 10.1 mm x 12.2 mm
Weight: 399 g
Traditional scale
A=440 Hz
Piccolo: silver, drawn toneholes, cylindrical bore

Are you ready for some gossip? This flute was made for Leola Haynes, daughter of William S. Haynes. Leola was a very accomplished flutist who asked her father to make a flute for her. Well, Papa Haynes told her he didn’t have time because orders were piling up. World War I was also happening, so metals were also scarce. Leola knew that was hogwash. Production wasn’t stalled. Papa Haynes simply didn’t want to make a flute for her. Leola eventually asked her brother, William W. Haynes, to make one for her instead.

WW Haynes had worked for Papa Haynes, but their relationship soured when Papa Haynes left his wife for his secretary. WWHaynes eventually left his father’s workshop in 1913 (the same year Verne Powell joined Papa Haynes) and started his own business, William W. Haynes & Co. You can imagine that Papa Haynes did NOT appreciate his son trying to capitalize on his name, so he disparaged the inferiority of his son’s flutes whenever he had the chance. Papa Haynes later sued his son, and WW Haynes changed the business name to Haynes-Schwelm. It is under this name that 3364 was built.

Family drama aside, 3364 is an exceptional flute, and WW Haynes did learn many useful tidbits about flute-making from his father. The sound is vibrant with a healthy dose of creaminess that gives this flute a wonderful glow that we don’t often hear in flutes from this time period. The tonal character is consistent in all registers. Articulation is crisp, and intonation is very stable.

The flute has closed holes and offset G, features that we normally don’t associate with a professional flute. However, they are features, along with soldered toneholes, requested by Leola, a very accomplished musician. When you hold the flute, it feels amazingly comfortable and natural. It’s one of the most ergonomic flutes we’ve encountered. WW Haynes definitely made this flute with great appreciation for his sister!

The flute also comes with an unmarked piccolo. The natural assumption is that it was made by WW Haynes, but it’s nearly identical to a professional piccolo model made by Papa Haynes at the time. There isn’t any clear reason why either business names were omitted. One theory is that the piccolo is a direct copy of a Papa Haynes piccolo, and WW Haynes didn’t want another legal battle. The other is that Papa Haynes made the piccolo for Leola but refused to put his name on it out of spite for asking WW Haynes to make a flute for her.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Such provenance!

The pads on the flute are in excellent condition, and the flute plays very well in its current condition. The piccolo has new pads but will need an adjustment to perform its best. Both are housed in a newer case.