Hopefully you all can help me. I am trying to decide which flute to buy. I played the flute through high school and college using a Gemeinhardt student model. The last time I played was at least 10 years ago, and now I want to get back into it. I no longer own my old Gemeinhardt, but I am looking to buy something better than a student model anyway. Originally, I was going to buy the Gemeinhardt 3B, but now I'm all confused after reading the posts on this site. Now I'm thinking more along the lines of a Pearl Quantz, or maybe a Jupiter, or ???. My requirements are: Less than $1,000; Open holes; B foot; Solid silver headjoint; and something better than a student model. Other than that, I'm pretty open minded... and I might be willing to go slightly over $1,000 if there's a really good reason to. But keep in mind that I will never be playing professionally... just for my own enjoyment and for family /friends, and maybe in a community band at some point. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!!

I would encourage you to reconsider your requirements since your budget is somewhat limited. Since you have no aspirations to professional level playing, you almost certainly will never need a B foot, and open holes will be completely useless unless by some chance you wind up playing a lot of contemporary music (and even then, it's possible to get through without them). The low B makes an appearance in roughly 80 pieces of music, mostly orchestral and modern solo/chamber literature, so the odds of any one stumbling across a B are low, especially if you don't plan to go after the flute professionally. The open holes serve only to allow pitch shading (which should be possible with the embouchure), extended effects (and enough of these are possible with a Plateau key flute that open holes aren't really necessary), and some notes into the 4th octave (which you just won't find anywhere besides advanced college level and higher music). The solid silver head will have little effect on tone either, and is really more about prestige than sound. A well constructed silver plated headjoint will sound much nicer and have more musical possibilities than one that is poorly made, even of the most precious materials. When it comes to flutes, it's construction that wins out over material. The point of this is not to say that you shouldn't or can't have those features if it's what you desire, but to keep an open mind, as you may be able to pick up a much nicer C foot, plateau flute for your budget than you could get if you bought one with open holes and a B foot. As for what flute to buy, as has been suggested many times before on this board, it's up to you to play test them and see what you like, or at the very least, you should consult a teacher who can help pick one that compliments your playing. As long as you pick a flute from a reputable maker there should be no issues with playability. There are many threads with suggestions on brand, so I would suggest doing a search to find those threads if you are interested, and then do some research into the various companies to see what model might be suitable. I woul suggest trying to get a used flute, since your funds are somewhat limited for an instrument with the specs you want.

Hmmm. Thanks for your input. Actually, the whole reason I put this post up is because I did a bunch of research, and now I'm more confused than ever about which flute to buy. I have read many of the posts on this site, and it seems that the overwhelming opinion is that the headjoint has a huge effect on tone quality. I believe it was on this website that I read that a good headjoint is responsible for over 90% of the tone quality, and that the more silver, the better. As for the open holes and B foot, it was something I always wanted when I played before, so I'm not too willing to budge on those items, unless there's a compelling reason not to get those features. I know I need to test play some flutes to make my final decision, but I'm planning on doing that through fluteworld.com, so I want to be able to narrow it down to two or three models.

You may very well have read that. And heads do indeed have the greatest impact on tone production other than the player, but this bit about "the more silver the better" isn't quite right. In any case, it would be impossible to measure exactly how much of tone production is related to the head. If you played a silver plated Muramatsu head against a solid silver Gemeinhardt, chances are you'd favor the Mura. Or for a more drastic comparison, put the Mura against a solid silver Cibaili, and the difference will be obvious. The quality of the head is the important part. Some solid silver heads are magnificent, but so are some plated heads. Some solid silver heads are atrocious, and so are some plated heads. The only compelling reason I can think of not to buy a flute with B foot, open holes is that they're unnecessary for the vast majority of players, and you could spend the money that would have gone towards those features (and they can be quite costly for something with very little use) on an instrument of a higher quality, which will mean more musical possibilities and a longer life for the instrument.

Okay, I see what you're saying. But what model/brand would you suggest that has plateau keys, silver plated, and is much better than what I could get if I stuck to those requirements? Obviously a muramatsu is out of my price range, much as I'd love to have one. What have you heard about the Pearl Quantz? Or Jupiter flutes? I'm fairly certain I don't want another Gemeinhardt after reading reviews. But I need to narrow my choices down.

There's nothing wrong with Gemmies, but I don't favor them. Muras may not be out of your range. Ebay usually has a couple (like this one http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Muramatsu-Silver-Flute_W0QQitemZ120084262593QQihZ002QQcategoryZ10183QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120084262593), and as long as you're willing to pay for any necessary repairs, and the dealer is reputable, there's no reason to go through ebay. Pearls are nice instruments, though some of the older ones had quality issues, as did Jupiter flutes, but they won't work for everyone. Here's a list of reputable makers producing flutes in the rouhgly 1k price range to look at. Their websites and literature should give you an idea of which models are within your grasp, and then the ones that look particularly interesting should be the ones you playtest. If at all possible, you would want to playtest instruments from them all, but since you have to limit yourself, any of them should be able to handle what you throw at it.

Yamaha
Pearl
Jupiter
DiMedici
Amadeus
Azumi
Brio
Gemeinhardt
Sonare
Emerson
Trevor James


Keep in mind that many of these instruments can be found used for much less than their list price, so some research into the model you settle on could yield a significant savings, and there's nothing wrong with a used instrument.

You'd have to be really lucky to get a Muramatsu for less that $1000 on eBay. But you should have no problem finding many of the other brands listed above.

Thanks, I really appreciate all your input. I still haven't decided what to do, but you make a valid point about quality vs features. However, I know that I want a new one (not a fan of used items). So maybe what I should be asking of everyone is simply this: If you personally had to purchase a new flute that was around $1,000, which one would you likely buy, and why?

Hi Speltrong and welcome to the forum.

My recommendation to you would be either a used 300 series Yamaha or an new Azumi. Which are both fantastic flutes. The Azumi is much more affordable then the new Yamaha's so if you want a new flute then you may want to look at one of them first. The Azumi also uses the Bennett scale which in my opinion is much better tuning wise then on the Yamaha, so that is something else you may want to consider.

There are other flutes that you can get under $1,000 but these two are at the top of my list as not for only sound, but for a stable solid mechanism, build and a good headjoint cut.

If what you want is open holes and a low B, then so so be it. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, after all it will be YOUR flute.

Good luck with it and if you get confused at all, feel free to drop me a line when ever.


<Added>

Sorry, I didn't see your last post before I posted mine about you wanting a new flute. If I was going for a new flute in the price range I would go for the Azumi.

Hi Kara... I hadn't heard of Azumi before you mentioned it. I did some preliminary research on the web, and I'm pretty wowed so far. This may be exactly what I'm looking for. I know it's silly, but I don't want a Yamaha... all I can think of when I hear yamaha is motorcycles. I'm sure their flutes are top-quality, but I'd rather avoid them if possible. Azumi though.... I'm very intrigued!

If you would like to have one sent to you on trial I am sure that Phil can help you out from Flute Center of NY since I know he sells them. He most likely will give you a good deal too. I like going through him because he doesn't charge a ton of money for shipping and of course because he is such a great guy and has given me so many deals in the past.

I have heard nothing but rave reviews on the Azumi's so far and was blow away by the model I was able to try. I tried the all silver model which is I think in the $1600 price range, but like I said you may get a deal. It blows away an competition in it's price range in my opinion. You can still get one with a solid silver head and plated body with the specs you wanted for $1,000.00.

Buy a Yamaha. You just can't go wrong with a Yamaha.

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I have decided to try out an Azumi 2000 with the offset G. One is on its way to me from The Flute Center of NY, as Kara suggested. I can try it out for a few days, and if I don't like it, send it back. I doubt that will happen though... all the reveiws I've read about this flute say it's just amazing. I really appreciate everyone's advice though. I'll let you know how I like it. :-)

That is great! Yes, please do let use know what you think of it.

I also am looking at buying a new flute. Have an old Bundy student flute, arg!!! Currently playing in the community orchestra on a Geimenhardt flute MS2 intermediate model which the director loaned me 3 years ago as she says I play too well to play on a student model. I am 48 years old, playing for 40 years. But have only been taking advanced flute lessons for the past year from a master flutist, have learned a lot, and the orchestra director has noticed a significant difference in my playing ability. My instructor recommends either a top of the line Jupiter such as 711RBSO, or lower end Jupiter DeMicidi such as 911RBSO, or the new Azumi 2000 series. I have tried out one of the Jupiters before and will try out the Azumi when it arrives. My instructor says the good quality head jone (solid silver) would make more of a difference in my playing than having a totally solid siver head & body, so I could save costs by going with a nice head joint and nickel silver body. What are your thoughts?