With the use of only the highest quality materials and traditional metalwork techniques the Aluminium Case Company manufactures its products strictly to individual order. This ensures that every product which leaves the workshop represents the highest standards of workmanship and that each product has been correctly tailored to each customer's individual equirements in size, colour and design.
Aluminium Case Company has not rested on its laurels but continues to innovate and expand its product range. Recent additions include digital orientated products, a range of presentation cases, archive cases and the new airline carry-on luggage range. These bespoke cases can be a great addition in adding the wow factor to any product or presentation while at the same time offering protection to an expensive item when being transported or stored.
Ivorine is a synthetic non-animal sourced resin with a grain-like structure that successfully mimics the look of genuine ivory which Dolmetsch no longer uses. Ivorine can be applied to a recorder either during manufacture or retrospectively. The addition of ivorine mounts has no effect on the performance of the recorder and, unlike ivory, adds virtually no extra weight. We use a similar material to bush thumbholes on new recorders and also on instruments where the thumbhole has become worn through use. We can bush recorders of any manufacture.
We purchase our raw material from:
G.P.S. Agencies Units 3 & 3A Hambrook Business Centre Cheesmans Lane Hambrook Chichester West Sussex PO18 8XP tel: 01243-574444 fax: 01243-574313
We regret that this product is no longer available.
Please note that the Dolmetsch Millennium Series which has a square cross-section does not require this accessory as all the models are built to be floor-standing or are supplied with their own end-pin.
Special Keys
Dr. Carl Dolmetsch invented a number of devices to increase the dynamic possibilities and the range of the recorder. Two of them are still manufactured by us. The third, the tone projector, is no longer manufactured.
The lip key when operated slightly sharpens the recorder letting you play more quietly without going flat.
A small hole is drilled behind the window of the recorder and sleeved with ivorine. The ivorine protrudes slightly into the head to prevent 'flooding' during use. When the key is opened (operated by the lower lip or chin) the recorder plays sharp. The player can then drop his pressure to correct this and so play more quietly without playing flat. This effect is particularly effective in large concert halls and recording studios.
The bell key provides an easy way of closing the bell providing a secure high F# on the treble (C# on descant and tenor recorder) and a number of additional higher notes, alternative and special trill fingerings.
A number of modern works for recorder, in particular many of those written for Dr. Dolmetsch himself, assumed the recorder was fitted with this key. Where the player wants the freedom to play a recorder without a bell-key when this is not required we can provide a 'second' foot or bell section fitted with this key leaving the first foot or bell section un-keyed.
Main Body Keys
We also provides a range of additional keys for increased player comfort including bottom double keys and additional single or double keys for other holes on the recorder; for example holes three and four on treble, tenor and bass recorders (some makers call these 'mid-section' keys). All these keys can be applied retrospectively to any make of wooden recorder of any age.
Key prices include the costs of plugging the original hole, cutting a new hole and hole top with the correct radius to guarantee perfect key pad seating (if the hole needs to be offset then the hole may have to be moved slightly left or right of its original position for player comfort), the making, finishing and gold-plating of the key(s), followed by the final fitting and any final adjustment. We regret the recent increase in the cost of keywork but this reflects that fact that the prices of electricity and of gold have increased significantly over the last six months.
Dolmetsch makes descant/soprano and treble/alto recorders for those who can use only one hand either through unavailability, incompleteness, loss or loss of use.
Please follow this link to read more about these remarkable instruments
Imagine a wheelbarrow without its subframe, wheel or handles and with its base removed. Cut a pair of arcs from the bottom of the north and south faces of this device so that when placed on the recorder, secured by an elastic band running around the back of the head section attached to two protruding pins placed one on the east, the other on the west face, it fits snuggly like a rectangular megaphone over the recorder's window. The effect is to slightly flatten the pitch of the recorder and to concentrate the sound energy radiating from the window. These two properties of the device allow the player to blow more strongly, without compromising the pitch, so giving the impression that the recorder tone is stronger than it might otherwise seem.
The tone projector was invented and so named by Dr. Carl Dolmetsch and was manufactured by the Dolmetsch company until the 1970s, in wood and later in plastic (for descant/soprano and treble/alto). With the advent of small microphones, that can be attached to the instrument itself, the tone projector is now seldom used. For this reason, we no longer manufacture nor supply this intriguing product.