I’m Chris Waters, a designer and brass musician through and through. Playing days started in the Eastney Modern School Band (Portsmouth), the Southsea Silver Prize Band (as was) and the inspirational National Youth Brass Band. I studied and worked as a mechanical engineer and became Senior Acoustic Engineer at the world-famous Goodmans Loudspeakers (Havant) before successfully running the Band Instrument Company, Gabriels Horn House.

 

In December 2006, armed with this background and wealth of experience, Ray Farr and I started the Flugel re-design process on the basis the world didn’t need yet another good Flugel, it needed one that was revolutionary better, eradicating historic Flugel problems in the known areas of intonation, hard-blowing and sound projection.

 

Combining my and Ray's amazing wealth of experience and expertise, after much consultation, from an instrument that has basically remained the same for over 100 years, eventually, our “Gem” was born and together we launched the Ray Farr Signature Flugel, both being very satisfied with the final design which had been applauded by many musicians who tested it for us over the months and customers worldwide over the years.

 

Years on with worldwide sales, Ian, Billy, Karl and I have developed the Ray Farr "Traditional" models with 7" Bells on the right-hand side to compliment our Ray Farr "Signature" model with a choice of 4 beautiful finishes, catering for all Brass Band Flugel Sound needs with instruments that are so hugely respected and played in Championship Bands and Non-contesting Bands alike throughout the world.

 

Coda: For Zoe Hancock ex- Black Dyke in 2013 having tried the Flugel for several weeks to say in a British Bandsman article “The intonation is the best that I have ever played, which I feel the other leading Flugels haven’t mastered yet”, sums the instrument up, resulting in the success we’re having throughout the UK, Europe, the USA, Australia, Japan and being very much in demand in Norway.