My mom said its possible that we could go to Chicago sometime and possibly look at flutes. Are there any places similiar to like, FluteWorld that would have a whole bunch of flutes (Miyzawa, Yamaha, Pearl preferably) in stock that I could try?

Well, there are no major flute retailers in Chicago, unfortunately. If you're willing to give us a general idea of where you live, we may be able to suggest something nearby.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/msg/417899679.html
That's local-ish. I found this on a quick search of craigslist. I'd offer $2500

Ebay # 320156708436 - The same seller. $2500 starting price.(hence the $2500 offer and end the auction early (grin).

Plus, with the Ebay link/connection, you can see it and play it in person before deciding.

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Note - by end the auction early I meant offer the seller $2500 in person and he can yank the listing of of Ebay.(item has been sold or whatnot)

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Heh - one more thing - obviously check it out and decide - it doesn't have the c# trill and you might not like the sound as much as the Pearl or Miyazawa.

I would be VERY wary of any instrument being sold through Craigslist. Most sellers will not allow a trial period as a store should, or even let you take the flute to a tech to be checked for condition. Both are very important when buying a flute, particularly a used one. As for this business regarding eBay, not only is it unethical, but it violates eBay policy (for circumventing eBay and its fees), so both you and the seller would stand to lose if you went the route suggested by Plekto. I would highly discourage it. In any event, this flute is advertised as having a modified wave head, and not everyone likes these. They can help you get a big sound without much effort, but in my opinion, they limit the tonal possibilities you have.

I've found Craigslist to be fairly straightforward. The seller listed it on Craigslist and later on Ebay, so there's no conflict of interest other than what the seller is doing/decides.(and if there are no current bids, the seller can cancel it) It's only when there are bids that it's a problem.

Or just let the seller's auction time-out(probably won't get any bids). Then arrange to have him meet you at the shop of your choice and have the tech check it out.(I don't know though - if it's a long drive.. might not be worth it)

If you don't wait for the auction to run out, there is still the issue of circumventing eBay's fees, as their policy for ending an auction early does not include provision for ending it so you can sell outside of eBay. In any case, there's still the problem of a trial period, even if you could arrange for the seller to meet you at a shop and have a tech check it over. Initial impressions of a flute can be misleading, so it's important that you play it in the environments in which you'll be performing, and see how it works for you over time.

I dont think my mom would do anything that has to do with ebay (even in person)

And I have to be able to bring it to show my teacher before buying

I live in eastern Iowa.

Arabians, contact your local flute societys/groups to find out if there are any specialty shops in the area that only the locals would know about.

Start here:
Eastern Iowa Flute Association
http://www.eifaonline.org/

You may also want to asking some LARGE email based flute groups:
#1 FLUTElist:
http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=flute&A=1

#2 FluteNet and GalwayFluteChat
http://www.groups.yahoo.com
(search for them)

Best of luck,
Stephen (Piko)

Oh - that's a bit of a drive, then. Still, you occasionally see something locally on Craigslist or one of the consignment/sales boards(not eBay) that's local.

http://iowacity.craigslist.org/msg/398023140.html
I noticed this bumming around Craigslist. I don't know how good Pearls were 20 years ago, though compared to the new ones(anyone?). It obviously would need an overhaul and new pads.

edit - read a bit - it seems like a fantastic deal, even with the cost of an overhaul. Apparently this was back then they were much smaller and each model at this level was more of a work of art.

There's no way to be sure about that Pearl. Some of the older ones are pretty junky. They've cleaned up their act since then and are now a reputable company producing some excellent instruments, but there's no way to know how reliable this particular instrument might be over the long haul.

if your mom is willing to drive to chicago, why not add on another 4ish hours to the drive and go to michigan and visit flute world? theres another shop about 20mins south of flute world called the flute specialists and they carry other brands of flutes that flute world doesnt (such as the miyazawa).

^Thats almost twice the distance :P If we did go it would be just a weekend trip and 9 hours is pretty far :P

How about in St. Louis, Missouri or Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota?

All are about the same distance from me.

There's no way to be sure about that Pearl. Some of the older ones are pretty junky. They've cleaned up their act since then and are now a reputable company producing some excellent instruments, but there's no way to know how reliable this particular instrument might be over the long haul.

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I just mentioned it because it's likely within a 20-30 minute drive for her and her teacher could also come along, most likely.

I guess I don't have a problem buying used if its local and I can try it out first. But, yes, it would almost certainly need a complete overhaul and pads, so that's a chunk of change...

There's really nothing in the way of a big flute seller between you and Michigan, unfortunately. Fluteworld's about the closest it gets, with the Flute Specialists, and then Cincinnati Fluteworks next in line. If you got down to Plano, Texas or out to the East Coast, then there would be other options, but the western half of the US is kind of low on major flute retailers. You may have to resign yourself to what the local stores have in stock if you can't work out a way to get to one of these sellers, or to have them ship you instruments on trial.

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That Pearl may indeed need a significant amount of work on it, and depending on how well built this particular one is, could end up with other issues not-too-far down the line. IMO, it would be best to look elsewhere.

If your mom is willing to drive to Chicago, why isn't she willing to help out with the price of shipping some trial flutes from Flute World? It seems like that would be a lot less expensive and more convient for her.