Tibbiecow
(480 points)
|
OK, I have to comment first on the 'Santa' factor. I agree that the surprise of a new flute is going to be a HUGE thrill for your daughter. Unfortunately, it is way too easy to buy a flute that is better than the old one, but still not the best flute for her, if you don't have her input.
How about putting a few pictures of new flutes in a package, and taking her on her OWN journey to find that great new flute? This gives you the 'wow', as well as the practical process of having her PLAY the flutes beforehand and finding the one that is most suitable to her playing and your budget.
Lets say your daughter has old, crappy, hiking boots that are unrepairable. You could surprise her with some new size 8 (or whatever her size is) boots, and they would certainly be LOTS better than ones with the soles falling off, but what about her particular foot? It will be the same with a flute: you can get a fairly nice replacement without her help, but the one she tries and loves will likely be a much, much better fit- and she won't need another new flute in two years when she finds that she needs something different to further her playing.
The silver-head Barrington is probably not worth it. The sound and response of the flute is due to engineering MUCH more so than the materials. To most of us, a Silver-head flute from a poor manufacturer would be like a Yugo with leather seats. We'd much rather have the Honda with cloth seats.
Again, most of the features such as more silver, open holes, and a B-footjoint are put on the better designed flutes in the first place. The features are much less important than the engineering.
From the suggestions your daughter's teacher has given admittedly third-hand!), it does not sound like she is really knowledgeable about a flute upgrade.
Could you possibly find a really reputable flute teacher in your region, who perhaps plays with an orchestra and has lots of successful flute students? Perhaps your daughter could take a few lessons, and get help with an affordable upgrade. Some teachers do this, and having someone helping you that does not benefit financially from the sale of a flute would save you a LOT of money and hassles down the road. And I would bet that those lessons from a 'star' would light her up in a fabulous Christmas surprise. The only thing better would be to find out that she was getting help to replace her old flute!!
One of the most economical flute upgrades is to take a well known, well engineered student flute (like a newer Yamaha 200 series) and put a pro headjoint in it. A great pro headjoint, used, can cost $400 to $600 used, and $1200 or so new. The Yamaha EC is widely available, as is the Sankyo NRS-1, and there are several Miyazawa headjoints floating around. I have a $1200 wood headjoint that I play in a $400 student Pearl flute, and it sounds like a million bucks. (It has been borrowed to play in the symphony, too.)
In any case, your daughter really needs to play several flutes to discover what she really likes. It isn't fair to her future playing not to have her input, and truly knowledgeable help, when selecting her next flute.
|
