George Cloos fifes
March 31, 2009 by Robert Medley
Filed under Instruments, Woodwinds
As Antique Horns now has a George Cloos fife for sale in the classified section, perhaps a word should be said about this very important woodwind maker of the Civil War period.
George Cloos of New York was probably one of the best known makers of fifes during the Civil war. He worked out of New York in 1862 making two piece fifes of Granadilla wood. He also made tunable fifes pitched B flat or C known as the “Crosby Model” and advertised by Penzel-Mueller.
The fife in our classified section is unusual in that it has a “fipple” attachment or (cheater), a device used to help students to learn how to play a transverse instrument.
The type of wood used in fifes is often referred to as “rosewood” Actually it is Granadilla.
I think that you will find that Grenadilla wood is also known as African Blackwood. It is a black colored wood and is used in clarinets as well as Irish flutes and other instruments. It is not rosewood, although I suppose that the two trees could be related.