hi all , i`ve been playing my fute and it is a Armstrong. It works good, but i took my a while to learn to play it.
just if you wnant one try theme then take it back to the place you bought it from then pick a new one. The Max for my area is max. 30days if I don`t loke it i would take it back in one of those 30 days. They can get dents when you drop it. but not alot of times it gets dents I had one dent and my Key had gotton stuck so i went to the shop and they fixed it by 2-3 days. in the 2-3 days they let me use one of there insturments for awhile untill i picked my flute up. If any of you have songs please give my songs with notes until G cuz i`m not far. I`m just a beginner player
Thanks
Amy+
Email me at my email amydeannwalls@yahoo.com ~~~ peace ~~~~

Amy, you should not be playing the flute if you are that irresponsible where you are dropping it and bending keys. In all of the 25 years of playing the flute, I have NEVER dropped any of my flutes. I respected my instrument and treasured it. The flute is not a toy. Shame on you! If any of my students ever mistreated the flute the way you just described, I would drop them and refuse to teach them.

My original flute was a Bundy, and I played that for 8 years. Then I got an Armstrong Model 90 solid silver head flute. The tone difference is noticable. If you need a beginner flute, most any will probably do. The trick is in how well you take care and treat that flute. I have had my Armstrong since 1973 and still play it. It is harder to play the very highest notes with this particular Armstrong and I was surprised to find that out when I purchased some other flutes. The Armstrong is also shorter physically than a Gemeinhart 102 that I bought for my daughter. I also bought an Armstrong 102 or 104? to play around with and it is a good instrument and easier to play than my Model 90. I still prefer the all silver though as I played it intensely and it`s my best. I bought a Wurtzel over the internet and it`s the same length as the Armstrong. It`s silver plated and very pretty. It`s a little fragile in that the plating is thin and bound showing tiny bit of wear from my daughter playing it. It has excellent spring action in the keys and all notes are easy to get. It has a "bright" tone and I love to play it for fun. The bottom line is that you should get something in good repair and learn the art. Then step up if you ever get good. Like another has replied a good player can get good tone out of most anything. I can get fantastic tone from a piece of PVC pipe that was drilled with 6 holes and a blow hole in a musical instrument workshop.

My original beginner flute was an Armstrong and I bought it at a pawn shop. It worked just fine and I have never needed to send it in for repairs. I still have it as a backup for concerts and stuff, and it is one of my Favorites

The Armstrong Flutes are good price/quality flutes. They sounds very clear.

Even if you buy them on http://www.boxymusic.com , you have your flute in a few days.

Hope I can help you with this.

All this discussion of whether Armstrong is better than Gemeinhardt is better than Yamaha -- wow!

Maybe one should consider comparing like models to like models and not company to company.

Is an Armstrong beginner model better than a Gemeinhardt pro model -- no way.

Try a real pro flute -- Altus, Sankyo, etc. then blow through one of those cheap (under $2K) beginner flutes and see what you think about them.

Go for the real thing -- spend $2200 or more and get a good flute. Get an Altus or a Sankyo or a model 600+ yamaha or even the DiMedici...

Get open holes, get a silver head and body, get a custom head that works for you (maybe Drelinger) or at least a Bigio crown. Get the split E and the full B foot.

Why play with a beginner instrument and try to take the front seat in the band or orchestra -- go for the real thing and it will last you through college.

Are you crazy? I would NEVER give a kid a really expensive flute to start out on! I have seen them use them as swords before. Besides, you don`t even know if the person will stick with the flute.
On another note, not everyone is made of money.

Good points, Kara.

Well thank you Arak.

I`ve played quite a few professional flutes, but I`ve never had the money to sink into a Powell or the like. So, I like my Armstrong 80B just fine.

As far as how not to treat a flute, I can`t really say anything as I was in a college marching band where we all had to set our insturments down on the ground so we could dance!

I do have a question for you folks though. I have another flute, an older Armstrong, model 100/101? that has a stirling head, closed holes, offset G, and B foot. I have never seen another one and wanted to know if any of you have heard of this particular flute and if it was made any year other than 1980?

Sorry. I can`t help. My memory for the hundreds of models of flute in circulation is too ppoor.

well i`ve got armstrong and jupiter but i think th earmstrongs are better because they seem to sound a lot better than most flutes i`m not sure about other brands but never get a jupiter because i don`t know why but new jupiters seem to be like sticky or well i guess u could say u know the way ur hair gets oily well thats what it feels like i don`t know why though well i chose an armstrong definately

Like, oh my God! Are you like a blond or something? Like, I know what you mean. They are so, like sticky!

I`ve played flute and piccolo for the past ten years and own both a Gemeinhardt and an Armstrong. I`ve used (and abused ) the Armstrong and Gemeinhardt in both high school band and university orchestra but have marched on a Bundy (ugh...), played on a Jupiter in a flute choir, and have played Yamaha, Armstrong, and Gemeinhardt piccolos on the field and in orchestra. I`m far from a professional, but I can tell you that it is almost always the player behind the flute that matters; the first flutist in my orchestra plays on little more than a fancy piece of tin, but sounds better than I ever would on even the finest Pearl or Yamaha.

Of course, the proper equipment can help and we all have our personal preferences. Personally, I prefer my Armstrong as it gave me more range with my dynamics and has required significantly less repairs than the Gemeinhardt; my Armstrong has survived years of abuse in the university orchestra (the rehearsal hall is small and the violinists have knocked it from its stand to the floor merely by adjusting their position in their chairs when I`m on picc) and has only needed a few pads replaced at one time in the last six years. My Gemeinhardt was always in the shop as the springs seemed to break all of the time and it received not even half of the use that my Armstrong gets.

My advice would be to go to an instrument distributor and try out all of the flutes that they have available (even those that may be slightly out of your price range) to see what attributes suit you best. I owned my Gemeinhardt first (it was my mother`s and was purchased at a garage sale...) but when I tried out other brands, I found that I hated the `feel` of the Gemeinhardt compared to that of other models. You may not need or be able to afford that $2000 flute just yet, but knowing what types you like may help you if you decide to wait or search for a used model. I was delighted to find my Armstrong in the classifieds offered at a fraction of its retail price - you may have the same luck!

But even the finest flutes need work so if possible, get to know your technician. I`ve been very fortunate to know the guy who has repaired all of the woodwinds in my family and I`ve been able to get a sax for my brother and student Armstrong flute for my cousin from him at reduced prices. He has been the only guy to repair my instruments in the last six years and has done marvelous work on everything I`ve ever taken to him (even an ancient wooden clarinet whose pads were infested with worms - another $25 garage sale purchase). If you are able to get quality repairs on a quality instrument, that should help your playing much more than any name will.

Best of luck to you in your search and I hope that this rambling may help!

A few comments on which brand is better...

I’m not sure if the original question was about maintenance and reliability, or quality of tone and playability. So, let’s have a go at both.

First rule, never make a decision about a flute because someone says brand “Y” is better than brand "A", especially if they NEVER OWNED OR PLAYED EITHER OF THEM!

Second rule, never take advice from a salesperson about flutes if they can’t play one AT CONCERT LEVEL!

You should note most flute makers produce beginner models and upgrade models. Some only conservatory and pro models. So just because you tried out two brands in the store and "G" didn`t sound as good as "A", really doesn`t say much about which "brand" is better.

Is a pro model better than an entry model?

Ans: YES and NO.

If you are a beginning student, a pro model will be difficult to hit the higher notes.
A beginning player doesn`t have the embouchure or the pressure to be able to play the pro model on pitch. A pro flute in the hands of a beginner will sound awful!

If you have progressed to where it is time to develop a full and rich tone. Then an upgraded model might be in order.

A beginner model has a different head joint and the tone hole is cut at an angle and shape to make the notes easy to hit. But when the hole is cut for ease, you give up tone. Why do you think they call it a “tone” hole?

Tone also is affected by the head joint material, (sterling silver, nickel silver-plate, nickel, gold, etc.) how far the head joint is pulled out of the body, and the setting of the crown cork. If the head joint is pulled out slightly (1/8 to 1/4" or more) generally the tone becomes richer, but the player must "lip" to get on pitch. This requires a lot more pressure which most young players just do not have; and thus, they play flat and off key.

When you try out a new instrument, always bring your present instrument with you to compare the sound in the same room. If you are trying out several different models, have the sales person put tape over the nameplates, so you make your decision on how it sounds, not on the "prestige" of owning a brand "G","H" or "P".

As for maintenance, any flute should last a lifetime. I have a 50 year old Artley that was my first flute. The tone is not great, but it never needed repairs other than pads, because... I TOOK CARE OF IT! Even though it fell off my bike, (still in the case,) several times on the way to band practice. Just pads once in a while.

Leaky pads, which cause keys out of adjustment, are usually the fault of the owner, not the name plate engraving. All flutes made in the last 50 years are well made and should not be a problem if properly maintained. Keep clean, oiled, and replace the pads as needed, depending on how much you play. (Most student instruments are long overdue for pad replacement.)

1. Never wash your flute under water. Don`t let the pads get wet! If they do get wet, wrap the keys down so they hold the pads sealed while they dry.

2. If the adjusting screws or post rods are slipping, tell your repair person about it so the problem can be corrected! They can put thread lock in the screw holes to tighten them up or replace the loose screws.


Now for the testimonials of flutes I have actually owned and played in bands and orchestras.

I still own the Artley, (sentimental reasons) Beginner model, Easy to play, wimpy tone, OK in the middle octave, a little sharp in the upper octave, low octave is weak and lacks richness. Good beginner flute, silver plate model, beginner head joint. Closed hole. C foot. Comfortable for small hands. Entry level price.

Gemeinhardt, open hole, B foot, upgrade model. Silver-plate. Good overall tone, clear upper register, but lacks real richness in the lower tones. Probably would fit my taste better with a different head joint from Gemeinhardt. But my style is strong tones. This flute plays softly very well, but its not loud in the lower octave. Action always felt a little slow to me. Moderate price.

Armstrong "Heritage", bought new in 1965, Open hole, B foot. Solid silver, gold springs. Strong tones, especially in the lower octave. Can blow the rear doors off the auditorium. Very crisp action. Still playing it after 40 years. Not a beginner flute. More expensive but very good value… for me, it plays as well as some very expensive pro models.

Haynes… A fine instrument, but wasn’t right for me. Mine did not give me the sound I wanted. Probably was the wrong head joint for my lip. Older Haynes’s can vary a lot depending on when they were made. Sold to buy a different flute. Pricey.

Vern Q. Powell... White gold, open hole, B foot. NOT a "Band" instrument. Spectacular upper register. Multi-phonic lower register. Head joint requires a well developed embouchure to play it well. If you started beginners on this instrument, they would quit in a week. In the hands of a pro, I don`t think there is an equal. VERY PRICEY.

What all this really means is, find a flute that fits you… that you can play well, with the sound you like, is comfortable, and most importantly, is one that you can afford.