wow... i can`t believe how everyone is acting about this one.. i se abouslutely nothing wrong with it if that`s what you want, your able to buy it and able to play it! i know nothing about gold flutes therefore i can`t help out much... but if everyone could get over the fact that your a 15 year old and getting a gold flute.. then maybe you could get some good advice.. also, what`s wrong with a porshe for a 15 year old? it`s amazing how big of an argument money can make

You really are oblivious to the whole picture! It is people like you that truly make me ill. "What is wrong with a 15 year old having a porsh?" Are you serious? I bet you eat cavear (sorry, I have no clue how that is spelled) for breakfast and have your maid make up your bed and clean you toilet too. Mean while, there are people out there that don`t even have a car, breakfast or a sanitary place to live in. You really need to re think before speaking out on the issue. It is only a very wordly of a person who would post what you did.

Guys,

Maybe this clears up my viewpoint a bit. I`m not angry at anyone for criticizing the U.S. for our viewpoints. I`m upset because we are not being informed in this country about why they are mad at us. I think that we are getting into a situation here where the prople are getting uneducated with misleading propaganda and lies. -not to get too political.

Now two views on Gold flutes and Porsches.
If I had real money I would be tempted to fall into the ideology that I want my child to have the very best. I may feel that at 15 they should have a gold flute and a Ferrari. I may believe that this is going to cause my child to grow up expecting the very best and therefore more often getting the very best. But then again, if I had that viewpoint, I would not want my child playing music in the band because doing this pasttime fosters a group mentality where people work together for a common goal. I would want my child to succeed and be above the common average and music is not the place for that. Music fosters teamwork. You could say, "But what about symphony players? They are superior musicians and make lots of money." My answer would be, "Not enough $$ and besides they socialize with liberals. -The rabble of society. My child will be the head of a large corporation and they will need to manage people. The won`t be able to do that properly if they sympathize with their commoner way of thinking."

I don`t hold with that way of thinking but I have seen people who do.

Now, the average 15yr old owning a gold flute:
I don`t think that the average 15 year old has the mental makeup to take care of a very expensive flute. I know that some do and most 15 year olds feel that they can. BUT, they are more intent on other things when the flute is out. Too many times, I`ve seen in my studio the student who simply has too much energy to comprehend the flute is either at rest or being played. They point with it, they use it as a light sabre, they bang it on the music stand, me or the wall. You all know that if you drop a flute it may get damaged. Realize that if it`s a silver or gold flute as it falls from your lap to the leg of a Manhasset music stand, the tube simply will dent. A silver plated flute may survive far better.

Now as for those that hold the theory that they want only the best and no less than Gold for them. It is very debateable as to whether gold produces the best sound of all the materials. I actually prefer to play on wood but I can`t afford a wood Boehm flute right now. There of course have been blind tests done on flute materials and there isn`t any pereceptible difference in the sound of silver, gold or any other metal. BTW:For the rich snobs, gold isn`t the most expensive, platinum is.

But what about another thought. What about having a flute which doesen`t need to be constantly adjusted by the repair person. As an active practicer who gets about 8 hours a day in on my new flute, this is a concern. I don`t want too much down-time where the thing is in the shop. I also don`t want to wear out my expensive flute practicing day-in and day-out for 8 hours a day. Flutes have a life span. Sure you can have them adjusted but like any machine the mechanism will wear out eventually. I wore out a Gemeinhardt 3Sb in about 5 years when I was in college. -BTW, I`d never own another one of them. But I`d rather wear out ten less expensive flutes that work than one really fancy one. So, for my students. I may recommend the best sounding flute that also is the most durable. That very well may be silver plated. Maybe with a silver head joint.

The question that one should ask if going for the gold: Who am I trying to impress and in what way? Am I trying to impress them with my sound? They may be blind so how can I impress them with a gold flute of a silver one sounds the same or better...or am I trying to impress them with my money?

That being said, we (who may have more) should feed the poor around the world and at the same time, make it possible for them to be able to feed themselves.

~Bilbo

I hope nobody got the impression taht I wrote that the rest of the world was "mad" at USA, or "hated" it. I don`t think that was what I wrote.

However, if killings of eachother is anything to go by - and it may well be not - then I`d say USA is madder at certain other countries than they are with USA!

Somebody mentioned international benevolence. When compared with population, or Gross National Product, comparisonds are rather revealing...

Go to http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp#ForeignAidNumbersinChartsandGraphs

and click on "Foreign Aid Numbers in Charts and Graphs"

Commitment to aid relative to military expenditure:
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco_com_to_for_aid

Regarding `hate` and USA, try
http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/foreign_aid.html

As one of the other non-Americans on the forum, i`d loike to echo Meme`s comments. Sure the world is mad at you, but that doesn`t mean we all hate every one of you. Just your president

There`s not point shouting at Bob. Bob, as far as I can tell, is fifteen and therefore naive, like every other fifteen year old on the planet. There`s not point in blaming his parents either- they are probably unaware that Gold does not equal best and also that "best" does not always equal most appropriate.

The other argument is A very interesting one. I`ve never believed in spending all the money you can simply because you can. It`s the same reasoning behind buying a Nissan Micra rather than a £48,000 car with all the bells and whistles you could ask for. I find that kind of consumption offensive in a country where the same people wouldn`t stop to buy the Big Issue (homeless magazine) from a man selling it in the street.

As far as musicians are concerned, no-one, not even James Galway needs a diamond studded flute. No-one needs 6 different intstruments with 6 rose gold headjoints and special carving.

Politics don`t belong here... we hate our President too.

It`s rather obvious that some of you see all people with money as bad people... answer this question then.. what`s wrong with having what you want and the best of things and help out others??? ya`ll make ridiculous comments on situations that you have no idea about!

Hey, ~ME~ grow up and then come back to the forum when you know what you are talking about.

I don`t think the problem is that it`s bad to have money. Some people see the public display of a Gold flute as a shameful show of elitism. If the performer is recognized as a great performer and funded the flute through their performing it is more accepted. If it`s a 15 year old girl who had her Gold Flute stolen by force at school she would garner very little pity.

Great points Piko and Mrs. Carb. Nicely said.

Notice how Bob has nothing to say about anything of this, and he is the one that brought is up? Hmmm....

Jesus i just wanted a price and it seems like ive started a war. I am not spoiled!My parents work hard and so have i to be able to aford a new flute. Sorry to all the people that i caused to fight on my behalf but in no way what so ever am i or my siblings spoiled or even well off. My family are just normal people with parents that want the best for us and so believed it was about time i got 1

Jesus i just wanted a price and it seems like ive started a war. I am not spoiled!My parents work hard and so have i to be able to aford a new flute. Sorry to all the people that i caused to fight on my behalf but in no way what so ever am i or my siblings spoiled or even well off. My family are just normal people with parents that want the best for us and so believed it was about time i got 1

Hey Bob, I feel bad for you- it`s not really your fault this thread kicked off in the way that it did. I DO want to reiterate what I said before: don`t be fooled into thinking that gold is best. What is best is only partly related to price. You`d be better thinking about a more modest flute, which will be every bit as useful to you as the most expensive gold one.

Your not spoiled, yet you are looking into buying a gold flute? Hmm....It is kind of weird how someone might think that.
If you really want to know the price of a gold flute. Do a search on the net. Look up the brands that you are interested in and see if they have a price list on their site. Most do, if I am not mistaken. It really isn`t that hard. Did you really expect not to raise some questions by what you posted?