Just a funny story, brought to mind this morning (need you ask why?).
The other week I got to orchestra early. The conductor arrived, and we were talking about tuning and playing in tune. He told me that I had a nice flute, and didn't need to worry about it, but some of the flutists didn't, and that the lady who sat next to me had an especially bad flute and had trouble playing it in tune.
Both flutes are Armstrong intermediates (mine an 80B, purchased in 1983, hers whatever the newer comparable model is), sterling silver with plated keys.
Moral of the story: All flutes are different. All players are different. All companies change over time, either for the good or the bad. The best flute is the flute you play best. You try on clothes before you buy them. Why wouldn't you do the same with a $500/$1000/$3000/etc flute?
