She has a Yamaha 265S open hole flute(?) I think. It is silver plated. She wants a flute that is sliver but has gold keys and mouthpiece. She plays extremey well (band director says scholarship material in the 6th grade *brag )but has limited exposure to other kinds of flutes due to finances so she does not know what kind of key placements ie: the rollover stuff etc.. to look for. So I need advice as to what flute to step her up to, what kind of special key placements to look for, and anything in general you can help me with. All advice is appreciated immensely. Thank you.

I have a Buffet flute and it works great!

Cooper 228 I think.......

Hi,
I just bought a wonderful flute this past Christmas (actually my husband bought it for me......I hinted on the one I wanted) It is a Gemeinhardt KG Special, it is open holed, and has all the trill keys and gizzmo key. It is solid silver (all three pieces) and has a gold mouthpiece, the keys are solid silver though, but this is a VERY nice professional flute. Most flutes that I have seen with the gold keys are just gold plated, and they look nice, but aren`t fine quality. Check with a reputable dealer (you can check online for the nearest one near you), and they can help you find something that is just right for your daughter. You can also check out the Gemeinhardt website, but caution, they are pricey, but, if you want a good investment and you are sure that this is what your daughter wants to do with her life, I say go for it, but whatever you do, keep the old flute so she won`t mess up the good one playing on a ballfield or during a practice. Kids have never been properly taught how to lay the flute in class when they get up and many of them will place it on a music stand or lay it in their chairs and thats when disaster comes, and once a flute is bent (especially the mouthpiece) it is like money down the drain. Not telling you this to scare you, but fine flutes are wonderful, and hate to see people spent lots of money on them only for them to get messed up by young kids who most likely are responsible, but are not cautious to things such as flute care. Sorry to ramble on, good luck in finding the right flute for your daughter.
Lisa

I strongly suggest a Gemeinhardt KG Special. I am actually selling one. The retail value on this flute is $1800, and i`m selling it for $700. It has a few common scratches and such, but plays well. I played the flute for 6 years, and after three on a different flute, I upgraded to this one. It`s French (open hole) with a Low B foot, silver plated in-line G keys, gold plated lip plate, and I have a case and a leather cover for it as well.If you`re interested, email me.

I suggest that you take your daughter to the nearest good music shop and get her to try a few flutes out. Get her to try different flutes of the same make/model because flutes can vary from instrument to instrument. I understand that maybe you want to surprise her with a nice new flute but it is more important to get a flute that she likes. You didn`t say if you are a flautist yourself, but if you are then you will know that every musician has different preferences and everyone looks for different qualities in an instrument. Geminhardt, Buffet and Yamaha are generally considered as the best flutes but buy the one that your daughter likes and not what everyone on this site likes.

Good luck,
Amy.

I actually went out and bought a flute yesterday. When I got there, they (the people at the `flute desk`) got out 8 flutes for me based on what I had told them about my playing level. I tried all eight, compared the sounds, experimented between inline and offset a/g keys, and finally made my decision (Gemeinhardt 30SB, Gold plated lip, inline a/g key! ... it`s sooooo pretty...). My friends went with me and they actually preferred different flutes than I did, and that each other did. Definitely take your daughter to a music store and have her try all the flutes out. Every musician will probably prefer a different tone wuality, or type of flute. I like Gemeinhardts, Lexi (friend. the other one that went with was Zoe) likes Yamaha. Surprising someone with an instrument is not a good idea.

My Gemeinhardt KG Special Edition flute is now on ebay if you`re interested.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2559373921&category=47101