I was wondering if I could get some opinions on Armstrong and Gemeinhart flutes. I know a lot of people say they are similar, and if you`ve played both, which one did you prefer?

i personally prefer armstrong.

Neither of them.

ARMSTRONG!!!!! They are reliable, inexpensive, work well in different enviroments, and just dont break as often as Gemeinhardts do.

If I can choose, I`ll choose for Armstrong: Armstrong, a name associated with high quality flutes and piccolos for almost 70 years.

I looked for prices of Gemeinhardt and Armstrong. Be sure that Armstrong has a better price/quality!!

I saw it on:

http://www.piens.com/news.lasso?id=1786

I have an armstrong and I really like it a lot. In my opinion you should sample the instrument before you buy it ans see what feels best to you.
I had sampled an older Geimindhardt that was about 20yrs old and seemed very sturdy. However it did not have a B-foot which I needed to play Gospel music.
My armstrong was new when I got it, it will be a year old this week, Happy B-day to it. Other than the Geimindardt I was only shown new flutes since there weren`t any more used in my price range out of the new flutes I found my armstong to be the most sturdy.
I hope this helps.
I guess all I can really say is sample, sample, sample.

I think that you should get an Gemeinhardt. I have a gemeinhardt and I love it. I have had it for 6 years. That is since I started playing flute.

I have a Gemeinhardt flute and I LOVE it soo much that I`m planning to get another. I`ve had three and they`ve all sounded awesome and have played with excellent, quality tone! I recommend a gemeinhardt flute all the way!!!

Yeah I agree...I have a Gemeinhart also...it plays beautifully and it doesn`t get ruined so easily like the others do. I totally recommend Gemeinhart! ITS THE BEST.

I have to disagree...The majority of flutes that people bring to me to fix are Gemeinhardts...I traded in my own after about a year of frusteration and repair fees. At first I thought that it was me because my tone was awful and I couldent get anything to work...Then I took it in to my music store to get a bad spring replaced and to get a few new pads, and the repair man said he wouldent even work on it because it was bound to fall apart soon and it would be a waste of money to repair anything-the sad thing was that the flute was only two or three years old... I have to say that the Gemeinhardts are the worst because there are so many faulty things going on with them. However, if you work well with Gemeinhardt brands, go for it...But I would not recomend them to anyone...Go with either an Armstrong or a Yamaha if you need a good flute-You can always trade up to a D.C. Pro or something...

I have seen the DC pro flutes on ebay and have been curious about them. So you do like them? When comparing them to other brands, what would you say the DC pros are most like?

Arak, have you gotten a chance to work on any of these flutes yet?

I have not seen a DC Pro yet.

I am not impressed with the lack of specification detail, and the misleading nature of the information, on their website, http://www.dcproflutes.com/

For example, `Gold and Silver` gives no detail about what this means, and I suspect the `gold` is only gold plating for this price.... fancy not saying!

Add to this the fact that nickel plating, to slightly reduce manufacturing costs is used only on the very cheapest model flutes....

I would be very suspicious indeed! I very much doubt that these flutes could be considered an upgrade form Yamaha.

But the years of contact with cheap flutes have taught me to be healthily highly skeptical.

I received my D.C. Pro as a gift. When I got it, a felt pad that protects the silver from rubbing up against some key parts was folded back, proving difficult to play until I brought it in to the repair shop. As the repair man was working with it, he said that several things that were loose should not have been and that he has seen these flutes before. He said that he rarely has to work on D.C. Pros, but when he does, it is usualy something small like what I had...After it was fixed, it played very well. Some of the finish is wearing off a few keys and some of the engraving is wearing off, too, but it is a good flute. When I first recieved it, I thought it was a knock off brand, but then I talked to the designer, Dominic, and found his knowledge of flutes broad and we had a very nice conversation. It is a small, secluded brand-and some of the prices on ebay can give the wrong impression. I found that mine was bought on ebay and it was less than $700 (I looked the gift horse in the mouth...) and the one I have would be around $1,400 if I bought it directly from the website. The flute was not previously used when it was bought off ebay-the managers must have needed to sell some to make room for new flutes. I have the one with open holes, b foot and all the rest...it was the third down on the website. (This is my second time typing all of this because, when I clicked on Araks link to refresh my memory, I lost my message...so I might be mistaken, but I am pretty sure it is the third from the bottom.) Compared to other brands, I would say it plays like an Artley, but it also has it`s own feel to it that is hard for me to discribe. I still prefer my Armstrong for practice, but for concerts, it is nice. KC, I thought that you and I had a conversation a while ago about these flutes-it was sometime in the early winter, I think...Oh well... In short, I like the D.C. Pro, but I still prefer my Armstrong- D.C.s are not really difficult to own or use and they dont break down a lot, but they have certian things that might bother other players...

out of the two, armstrong. but neither of them produce a quality sound. i own an armstrong 104 and a gemeinhardt 3sb. both sound like horrible. and the armstrong mechanism is kind of slow

What kind do you prefer, Miranda?