I'm hoping to upgrade from my student Yamaha to an open-holed flute. I've played flute for around 5 years now znd might not play once I go to college. I already have a handmade, $1400 silver headjoint that I really like, so I probably won't be using the headjoint on my new flute.

First of all, which flutes do you think are the best for my price range of around $1000-2000? I've mainly been looking at Pearl, Yamaha, and Jupiter and am planning to try some out soon. Any suggestions on models?

And should I go for a not-as-good flute because I already have a good headjoint?

If you already have a good headjoint and a reliable flute body (assuming you have kept the student yamaha well maintained)and you might not be playing once you go to college I don't understand why you want to upgrade to an intermediate flute that won't play much if any better than what you have now.

FWIW I would stick with what you already have. Open holes make little or no difference to the sound and are only really useful for a few special effects like note bending etc. If you really must have open holes I would look for a 200 or 300 series yamaha body, put your pro headjoint on that and save the rest of your money for other things like keeping your flute regularly serviced.

Just drill some holes in your current Yamaha and you will have the same thing. I agree 100% with the above post. Don't waste the money. A so called intermediate flute is just an over glorified student flute with holes.

Get whoever bought you the $1400 headjoint to buy you a Yamaha 500 series or Pearl Dolce series flute. That will be a true upgrade.

I agree with the above posts that for what you want to do, you probably don't really need an upgrade. But you seem set on it, hence my suggestions.

Good luck!

<Added>

Oh, I forgot to mention...

Whatever you decide, make sure to try out as many flutes as you can to see which one is best for you. They don't all feel the same.

I second this. A like new condition used Yamaha 500 series will be a noticeable upgrade in the body and mechanicals and will fit your custom headjoint.(plus it comes with its own handmade headjoint - so you'll have two for different applications)

if you have a nice headjoint take it with you to a music shop that stocks the range of flutes you like and give them a try, but if the mechanism you hav is good spead that money you have for an upgrade on getting you student yammy all fixed ans seviced and made to look shiny. but if you do REALY need the upgrade look at the higher series yamahas as they have pretty good mechanisms i have heard.

Well I mainly want to upgrade my flute because I want to get into the higher band in my school. The director's always been criticizing my tone (which my middle school director liked..) so I was wondering if open-holed might help. According to all of you, it won't?

Open hole flutes do nothing darling.

If your worried about tone, don't worry about the flute. A professional can have an almost perfect tone on a student model. What you need to do, is go to your flute teacher and ask whats best for working on tone. Something that helps almost all woodwinds in long tones. When you play long tones, use a tuner and a metronome to keep track how long your playing each note, and your pitch. Also, once you have a note that's in tune, start to play with your best embouchure and get the best pitch you can. Repeat this at least 20 times a day.

Agreed. Open holes will do nothing for your tone.

Sad but true - a fancy headjoint does not automatically give you good tone. Tone is probably 90% hard work and 10% headjoint (give or take a bit). Lots and lots of practice on those tone exercises!

So you have one director who likes your tone and another who doesn't. Which one is correct? Just maybe the director doing the criticising doesn't know good tone when he hears it! What does your flute teacher think of your tone?

But whatever you do don't spend $1-2K on a flute with open holes in the belief it will magically improve your tone - you will be disappointed.

You have a handmade headjoint and a reliable flute body (I assume you have made sure it is in adjustment and regularly serviced?). That plus lots of practice is all you need to produce a great tone.

I second this. A like new condition used Yamaha 500 series will be a noticeable upgrade in the body and mechanicals and will fit your custom headjoint.(plus it comes with its own handmade headjoint - so you'll have two for different applications)

Yamaha may claim to have their EC headjoints handmade but, they sure look and play machine made to me. They can not compete with the REAL handmade heads out on the market right now. If anyone really claims that they can, I would say that they are either an inexperienced player, has not tried many or any real handmade headjoints or has no ear nor much if any talent on the flute.

"So you have one director who likes your tone and another who doesn't. Which one is correct? Just maybe the director doing the criticising doesn't know good tone when he hears it! What does your flute teacher think of your tone?"


Interesting point but this person may be interested in satisfying their current band director's wishes and getting a good position in the band. The flute teacher rarely chooses the band's sectional seating. ~sad to say but true.

Imagine a person feeling that they have to spend $1400 on a head joint and then the same amount (if not more) again on a flute to satisfy the band director's whims. How much do the other instrumentalists spend on their contraptions?

I agree with you Kara. The Yamaha EC headjoints on the 500-700 series are not handmade - I was told so by my local Yamaha dealer. And those headjoints, in my opinion, have very little flexibility.

I totally agree with all of you about the advanced flute not really helping tone. I have been playing the same Armstrong 104, which has tone I like but is still just a student model, since I started playing seven years ago. I have been in the top group at my school for the past three years, and have no problems either with playing any of the music or with my tone. Working on breath support and doing breathing exercises will help you a lot more than buying a flute with a bigger price tag.

Open holes are a hassle if anything unless you're playing contemporary style classical. You have to slowly get used to covering the keys completely in order to produce a note that is in tune. As far as brands go, I'd go for an Armstrong 303B(, and buying it used to save on cash is always an option.) This is the kind of flute that I currently play on. Hey Kara, what kind of flute do you use?

Why do people think that a "better" (usually speaking about a more costly) instrument make them that much better? I understand plastic vs wood or mech. problems but really?