Apologies if this has already been asked but I couldn't find anything similar.

I'm looking to buy a new flute for under £1000 and don't have a clue where to start. I've seen the yamaha 371 which looks pretty good (and I'd like an open hole flute). I currently have a very old Boosey and Hawkes London Emperor which got me through my Grade 8 a few years ago but just isn't up to the job anymore. Would love to spend more but don't have the cash, and I don't think I need to for how much I play (local concert bands etc) I Made the mistake of trying a friends Miyazawa though so think my expectations might be a bit high!!

I'm planning on going to try a few out at the weekend but was just wondering if anyone has any advice on makes models etc to steer clear of?

Cheers

have a look at music shops on the net because you know what your looking at and your flute will be your flute and flute are a very personal thing.

Most of us on this forum are in the US, (with a few exceptions) so most of what we know will be from the US flute market.
To me, here on the west coast of the US, a Boosey and Hawkes emporer is not a model that we are familiar with. This is actually an important question, because sometimes a flute's body can be repaired to an acceptable (for an upgrade flute) condition, and in other cases it is not worth considering.
For example, if you wanted to upgrade a Yamaha 200 series flute, we would almost always tell you to have it overhauled by a very good flute technician, and buy a pro-level headjoint to go in it.
In fact, the 'flute' that I play most often is a Yamaha (albeit a handmade one) with a professional-level, handmade Miyazawa headjoint in it. My backup flute is a student-model Pearl 501, and it fits the same headjoint. There is no discernible difference in my sound between the solid-silver Yamaha and the silver-plated Pearl. The differences between their playability comes from the difference in the mechanism- one has a split E (changing the response of high E as well as changing the tone quality of the occasional alternate fingering), the Yamaha doesn't, and the Yamaha has light springs such that it can be played remarkably fast.

The sound and response of a flute comes from the headjoint. So the best advice to you would be to buy the best headjoint that you can afford, and pair it with a good flute body. For a flute body, a student Yamaha would be great, also Trevor James or Pearl or even Jupiter. I would get the advice of a trusted technician regarding a flute body, as to the condition and repairability as well as the reputation for being trouble-free.

A hand-carved flute headjoint can cost anywhere (new)from about $650 (solid silver) to upwards of $10,000 (solid 24K gold). The good news is that you probably don't need solid gold. You probably don't need the gold, unless you have a silver allergy.

More good news is that headjoints are often available used. A used headjoint might be found for $300 to $500. A headjoint doesn't have many parts like a flute body does, you don't have to worry about replacing pads. You might have to replace the head cork.

Not all headjoints will work with all flute bodies, though the majority of them can be re-fitted. The issues can be a big disparity between sizes, or it can be a difference in intended pitch/tuning, or it can simply be that a headjoint doesn't sound very good paired with a particular body.

Try an Azumi 2000 around 850 pounds 3000 model a bit more. hese are Fantastic flutes for their price.
Made by Altus and with a Bennett scale.
Have you tried the 2 specialist flute shops in London. Im sure they will help you.
Thanks
Paul

Personally, I LOVE my emerson EF6. I bought it for $800 new, and it has great tone. The emerson EF6 has a solid silver headjoint, but not body. (I don't believe the body has any noticable effect on the tone as far as silver or silver plated goes) It also has open holes (aka, its a french flute) and comes with the holes plugged f you haven't learned to play on opened holes. Its a great buy, and has been a great flute. DO NOT,however, EVER buy a Chinese "no-name" brand. These flutes always look great and are priced low, but I have known many a flautist who ends up having major problems after investing in one of these.

Hello all,

Many thanks for your tips and info they came in really handy. I went to London on Saturday and visited All Flutes Plus, a specialist flute shop there. They were really helpful. They shut me in a room with a few flutes and then kept on bringing more in. They offed loads of advice. It took me a while to decide but in the end I bought a Yamaha 371, with open hole and silver head joint. I'm really pleased with it although the open holes are going to take a while to get used to!! Strangely I really didn't like it at first as the flute I'd been playing on was so different but after about an hour I was hooked! Very pleased to find out I can now play all sorts of things that I couldn't before!

Do NOT fret about the open holes.
Leave them plugged, if you need to.
Should you develop an interest in jazz flute or special effects, you can learn about how to put them to use.
Otherwise, you may simply cause yourself some hand and arm pain. If your hand has to go into an un-ergonomic position to cover the tone holes, such as to play a low Db, C or low B, you can strain tendons and muscles and give yourself a repetitive stress injury.
Also, if your hand is in an uncomfortable position to seal the open key, so you have to grip harder to do it, you can wear out the pads or create the need for the flute to need adjustment more frequently. Any time you push harder on the keys than necessary, you can put wear and tear on the pads and adjustment.

Most of the flutists I know who are at the higher levels of ability (Master's degree in Flute Performance from a prestigious University) have plugs in at least three open-hole keys: G, (RH3), especially if it's an inline G, D (LH2), and especially E (LH#).

Don't let the idea of vanity prevail over hand pain while playing. It's not worth it.

And CONGRATULATIONS on your new flute!

Hi,

Many thanks for the tips Tibbie. I've managed to take out 3 of the plugs without having to really change very much about how I play. Was feeling a bit frustrated that I couldn't take out the others but you're right if I can't then it doesn't really matter! So think I will stay as I am for now and maybe think about them later.

Loving the flute though, making such a difference for me. I'm finding some of the tricky octave jumps so much easier to do now!