First, let me apologize as I am sure this topic has been answered previously but browsing back in history I have not found it.

I have a daughter who has tinkered with my nieces flutes, but for all practical purposes is just starting out. I am not looking to get her the best flute money can buy as I am not one of those moms we see these days over doing at a young age. I do however, want to spend wisely.

As best I can tell it seems a Yamaha would be the answer? If so, what model would you recommed for a beginner yet have it be one she can grow into as I am not a rich woman and am looking for this to last her a while?

Also, what options would you advise? It appears an offset G, but anything else? I appreciate any advice you can give and look forward to learning much more from all of you on this site.

A Yamaha is a good choice. Any of the 200 series would be good for a beginner. If the flute has open holes, just have plugs put in until the child grows into it.

The some of the other good brands are Armstrong and Gemeinhardt.

The Yamaha might have a higher resale value.

I wouldn't spend a lot on a flute unless you know that your child takes good care of his/her things.

I just bought a Gemeinhardt 3 flute from a parent today to use for parts. She had paid a lot for the flute and had bought it new. It looked as though it had been in a war. The headjoint of the flute is extremely dented and scratched. It is probably unplayable. The crown is missing. The footjoint and the tennon for the footjoint is dented. All the pads are shredded, some of the springs are broken..... I could go on and on. It made me kind of sad and sick.

I never treated my flutes like that when I was young. They looked almost brand new the day I sold them back to the music store for a newer instrument. I started playing when I was 9 years old.

Your child could be great and responsible and would deserve a great flute. You should buy as much as you can afford.

Some good intermediate flutes are:

Sonare *I think this is my favorite*
Jupiter di medici
Amadeus
300 and 400 series Yamaha

Remember you can always get the holes plugged.

If you can't afford something new, you should try a local store that has used flutes. You are taking a lot of chances with ebay. Most of the flutes on ebay need some kind of work and some of it could be very expensive.

Good luck.

I'd like to add that Gemeinhardts are made with the beginning player in mind. That is, they will certainly outgrow it in 3-4 years of playing, but in the meantime, they can be had in like-new buy used condition from many retailers and stores. Their intermediate models are roughly where the Yamaha 200 and 300 series are in actual quality, so you can often find a good Gemeinhardt 3SB or similar with a few extra options for later on for a very good price.($500 or so is quite common used). At this price, they are a great choice to begin on and also will be perfectly find throughout high school in a pinch.(I'd rate the 3SB similar to the Yamaha 300 - it's not nearly as good as you should get if they keep playing in college or for a job/etc, but both will work for high school just fine.

i need to sell my gemeinhardt 3sb. badly. if i cant sell it soon (wanting about $500 but will let go for less) i will have to drop out of college because i cant pay for the rest of my headjoint,which is a necessity to even play flute.

let me know if youre interested!!!!!

Have you listed it on ebay? If not, I am sure you would be able to get $500 with a buy it now. Those solid silver Gemeinhardts seem to go pretty well on there. Rigt now though the market is not going so good with selling.

was scammed with ebay. now im very scared to place there.

you should be able to get some buyer protection, ask them about it before you sell...

I would go with the Yamaha 200, because with its C-footjoint it will be lighter in weight, shorter in length and easier for a young body to maneouver. The Yamaha 300 or Gemeinhardt 3SB series will have the B-footjoint, which will be heavier and unnecessary.
A used Yamaha 200, refurbished by a GOOD technician, will be a much better buy than a new one.
If your daughter shows talent and dedication, in two or three years, or for high school, you can spend $400 to $800 on a (used, again) pro headjoint. The sound and response comes mainly from the headjoint, and this will be all the flute she needs through high school. With a really good headjoint, a Yamaha 200 student flute will likely out-play most of the upgrade or intermediate flutes available.

Thank you for that post. I was actually just looking at a used Yamaha 361 and was wondering about the B Foot, so that answers my question!

I would not put a beginner on a B foot.

Here is a new Yamaha 221 for a used price.
http://fluteragiouscreations.blogspot.com/

Also available is a Jupiter closed hole and open hole that are also new.

I am selling a lightly used Yamaha-281 if you are interested.

A Jupiter or a Pearl student flute should do nicely, too, as long as they have been checked over by a competent tech. These will likely cost less. The Yamaha does have a reputation for longevity, though.

It is possible that a C-footjoint from a Yamaha 200 flute could be simply substituted for the B-foot on the used Yamaha 361 you were looking at, and you could keep the B-foot for later should your daughter become 'fashion-conscious' about the footjoint.

Frankly, though, I would just buy one of Kara's Yamaha 200 re-builds.

Well... I should add that the most basic headjoint is usually a bit of a hindrance with these models after a year or so, so getting a basic flute with a slightly better headjoint can be a very good thing. In Yamaha's case, that would mean a 361(361H is the B foot joint model)

It's identical to the basic model except it has a better headjoint with a similar cut, so it's easy to learn on. A lot of other makers would consider this to be their beginning flute from a features aspect, so it's fine to start on as well, yet will be capable of surviving well into high school if need be.(IMO the 200 is a bit too basic, especially since we're talking about $100 or so more for a used 361.

The 361 does not have a better headjoint than on the 200 series. They are the same CY cut except the 300 series is solid silver and we all know that it is the design of the cut not the metal that makes the difference. You are not going to notice any difference in sound with the 200 and 300 series. The 500 and up you will because it comes with a EC style headjoint.


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What is the hindrance in the Yamaha student headjoint besides the fact that it is not a professional hand cut head? Why waste more money on a solid silver head that plays identical to the silver plated one?

Kara,
You are still saying that the student should still have a flute with a headjoint that is easy to blow. Am I right?