I was gonna get a new flute for concert cseason and my flute teacher referred my to a place that sells Pearl Flutes but when I got there I discovered that place had already moved to Tennesse and a new company called Orpheus Music had taken over. I tried the Nara model out and I ABSOLUTLEY LOVED IT. I just wanted to know if they made good flutes because I had never heard of the brand and haven't heard if they are made of good quality.

I have heard of them (usually negative things from a customer service/reliability point of view), and playtested a few instruments (which I wasn't at all impressed with). They seem to be trying to establish themselves yet, and as such, I would be cautious about buying an instrument from them. For the money you'd be spending on one, you could pick up a flute from a well-established maker and have no worries about reliability or customer service. At the very least, play more flutes, and if you don't find anything that works just as well for you, then consider the Orpheus route, but don't stop shopping now just because you found one flute you like....Odds are you'll encounter others from other sources with more established reputations.

I have actually heard the opposite and have heard some good reviews. I will be trying some models out very soon as I was contacted by a man from the company that has asked me if I would be a dealer for their company. Of course I have to try the flutes out for myself to make sure they are any good before I start selling anything. They are made in the USA which is a good sign and NOT made in China. The company stands behind their products 100% and offer a full warranty as any of the quality name brand flutes do. If you like the flute, then I don't see any problem with getting one. Just make sure to shop around first and try as many flutes as you can get your hands on.

I was gonna get a new flute for concert cseason and my flute teacher referred my to a place that sells Pearl Flutes but when I got there I discovered that place had already moved to Tennesse and a new company called Orpheus Music had taken over. I tried the Nara model out and I ABSOLUTLEY LOVED IT. I just wanted to know if they made good flutes because I had never heard of the brand and haven't heard if they are made of good quality.

You are a bit misinformed. Orpheus was a distributor for pearl flutes and that is no longer the case. Orpheus is not a new company. Pearl Flutes are the same flutes, just not the ones distributed by Orpheus.

There are not comparable. If you want to try a pearl and compare it to an Orpheo...Go to a real Pearl dealer.

Joe B

Please excuse my error. I was told by a Representative that their flutes were made in the USA and nothing was done in China. I may be misinformed as a reliable source told me that they believe them to be ASSEMBLED in the US.

I tried the Orpheo flutes at NFA this summer and they are just TOO WONDERFUL!!!!! They had a full family of flutes at their booth. All were extremely well made and very fairly priced. Many of the flutes were beautifully engraved. These are instruments well worth taking a look at.

The people at the Orpheus Music booth told me that they no longer distribute Pearl flutes, and that Pearl flutes are now handled by the drum division of the Pearl company. Is this true?

I have read on other forums that many of the Pearl flutes are now made in a different factory than was used in the past. Is this true?

You can see the Orpheo flutes at www.orpheusmusic.com. I would love to hear from anyone else who has tried them and get your opinions, good and bad.

My impression of those same flutes at NFA was nearly a polar opposite of yours. The flutes I played gave the impression of poor design and mediocre craftsmanship just from the look and feel of the mech. Actually playing them only reinforced my opinion....The response was slow, the tone bland and difficult to color, the dynamic range small, etc, etc. There really wasn't anything I can say I liked about them, which is very unusual...Even if I don't particularly like a flute, there's usually something that I can appreciate it for. As for your questions about Pearls, JoeB is probably the best person to ask. He's our resident Pearl expert.

I just got the call today from a rep from Orpheus music and he will be sending me out a model by Friday, so I should have it next week. I am looking forward to trying it out. I truly hope it is as good as a lot of the people I have talked to have said because I think it would be fun to start selling a particular line of flute and not just used ones anymore. So far I have been impressed with customer service and give them a two thumbs up. I guess time wil tell.

Isn't Joe B an actual employee of Pearl? that would certainly color his opinions.

I can't find where it says they import flutes from China. Are you sure about this?

I see they also have some very nice looking handmade flutes from Japan. The features on the regular line look very impressive.

Where do you get it that they are not a flute company, since they represented Pearl for many years?

Marshall, I find it rather odd that you just joined the group and you know already so much about Joe and Orpheus flutes. You wouldn't happen to represent them would you? Not that I have any qualms about that, I was just curious

Joe is a very honest person and even if he is a was not a competitor of your company, I know that he would give us his honest opinion of a flute. After all, he is a highly regarded flute technician.

Newcomers aren't welcome here?

The subject of this thread was Orpheo, not Artley, Altus, or anything else. My remarks were only intended to be on topic.

I'm a soon to be retired school teacher, not an employee of Orpheus. The designer of the Orpheus instruments is an old friend of mine, from the 1960's when we played in a band together. That's how I came to try the instruments.

Joe enjoys a flawless reputation, which I in no way intended to disparage. I do think he should disclose his relationship with Pearl.

I'm pretty familiar with lots of other brands, it's simply that the topic here was Orpheo.

No where in my message to you did I say new comers were not welcome or implied that, I am sorry you took it that way. It was just a simple question and I thank you for the answer.

Joe has mentioned several times on this forum his position with Pearl flutes. Flawless reputation? Now only I have that, but I am sure Joe comes close. lol! Right Petric?

<Added>

Just to clarify... This is an open forum to all and of course new comers are welcome and always appreciated. Once again, I didn't mean to imply that.

I couldn't help but notice you didn't question anyone else's opinions in this thread.....

I couldn't help but notice you didn't question anyone else's opinions in this thread.....

True, I didn't because the others have posted many times on this forum and didn't come on here just out of the blue commenting on only one particular thread and also promoting a company or putting in any type of digs in one Joe. Yes, I did see that.

I am trying to be nice here, so please don't start any games right now with me as I am in a foul mood and trust me, you don't want to be on the end of it!