is the Gemeinhardt 33SB a good choice for a flute.

I don`t think the pointed arms and gold springs justify a doubling of price from the basic solid silver 3SB. I would recommend another brand in the $1600 price range or get the 3SB and get a professional headjoint with the savings.

My friend has a Gemeinhardt 33SB and it is really good. I was thinkng of getting one as a second flute but decided on a sankyo etude flute instead.

My opinion on Gemeinhardt`s is to stay away from them. I`m not sure but I think this flute is around the 1,500 price range. If it were me I would invest another $1500 to buy a better flute. The models I would suggest are:
Muramatsu EX
Miyazawa 201
Yamaha 684
Sonare 700 series
Sankyo 201
To me a Gemeinhardt doesn`t even compare to these flutes. These flutes are all in the intermediate category, which i`m assuming you`re looking for.

Those are wonderful flute suggestions, but they are $2000+. The Gemeinhardt 3SB is a solid silver $1000 flute which in it`s basic state it is a very decent flute, but with a professional headjoint you`d be hard to justify spending less than $3000 for a better flute.

I have a Miyazawa 201E and it is the best flute ever, I have had it for 7 years and have never had problems with it.

I forgot a flute on my list, the Altus 907 should also be on it.

Piko, I agree with you that a professional headjoint can solve some of the flute`s tone or response problems but just a headjoint can`t solve all of the problems you have with your flute. I`m in the same situation as you, I have a Jupiter 611 body and a Sankyo headjoint. The sankyo headjoint does help with the TONE of the instrument. The mechanism I feel is holding me back. I`ve even tried flutes such as Yamaha around the same price range and the runs I had in some of the pieces were perfect, but on my flute they can be sometimes rough because the slowness of the mechanism. I feel like I have outgrown my flute just after 3 years. That`s why i`m suggesting these flutes that are in the $2,500-3,500 price range. I now wish that my parents had saved up a little more for a nicer flute so I wouldn`t have grown out of it so fast. Also if someone gets a flute on my list you wont have to worry about getting a new professional headjoint because the headjoint is already from a reputable brand and it is fine. Again, this is just my opinion.

I have to agree with Scott. Gemeinhardt is not top on my list.

The headjoint improves intonation, response, dynamic range, and may correct for improper embouchure. The rest of the flute define the pitches that result.

The body/foot of all sub-$2000 flutes are machine made to exacting specifications. Very little hand work involved. I may add that most professional tubes are also machine made and then "touched" up by 10/hour machinists. (Look at Brannen flutes help wanted ads some time...)

The keys of all sub-2000 flutes are machine made.

The fitting of the mechanism to a flute isn`t rocket science. The pads form a complete seal on tone hole and you`re in business.

For around $150 you can have a Straubinger certified flute repair person adjust your flute to exacting standards or around $400 outfit your flute with Straunbinger pads.

An out of adjustment Muramatsu may perform worse off than a Chinese Ebay flute.

Slow mechanism is the sign of a very old flute or a badly adjusted flute. Go to the Straubinger website and take your flute to a professional flute adjuster.

The mechanism of my 10 year old Armstong flute still responds well enough to play any lightning fast passages... and it needs adjustment.

If your problem is that you have difficulty maintaining exacting rhythms at fast tempos then you need a metronome... not a new flute.

"The headjoint improves intonation, response, dynamic range, and may correct for improper embouchure. The rest of the flute define the pitches that result."

I definetly disagree. How could a new headjoint solve an improper embouchure you don`t need a new headjoint you need to fix it yourself. A new headjoint does NOT improve intonation. You have to fix your intonation and make yourself in tune the instrument doesn`t do it for you.

"The fitting of the mechanism to a flute isn`t rocket science. The pads form a complete seal on tone hole and you`re in business."

Obviously you don`t do flute repairs every day. It`s not a simple process at all.



"Slow mechanism is the sign of a very old flute or a badly adjusted flute. Go to the Straubinger website and take your flute to a professional flute adjuster."

Why would new pads offer a faster mechanism...

"If your problem is that you have difficulty maintaining exacting rhythms at fast tempos then you need a metronome... not a new flute."

I don`t think so. I can still play my runs on my flute but they are more clean and easier on a better brand.

"How could a new headjoint solve an improper embouchure you don`t need a new headjoint you need to fix it yourself."

There are headjoints that are designed to focus the air into a flute without the concern of the flutists embouchure. The flutist would have little control of tone colour.

Landell flutes makes handmade headjoint designs that take away control, but guarantee good tone. Muramatsu is makes a wing style headjoint that focuses air into the holw. Drelenger makes headjoints without the back plate that prevents the sound of air resulting from air being directed askew. Just a few of many headjoint customization in the world.

"A new headjoint does NOT improve intonation. You have to fix your intonation and make yourself in tune the instrument doesn`t do it for you."

The design of the tube and cut of the hole controls/limits how much air enters the flute and the the velocity and can have a dramatic effect on your overall intonation.

The fitting of the mechanism to a flute isn`t rocket science. The pads form a complete eal on tone hole and you`re in business.

"Obviously you don`t do flute repairs every day. It`s not a simple process at all."

Do you expect flutists to repair their own flutes? If all the keys of a flute seals properly with little effort on the part of the flutists then... the body is fine.

"Why would new pads offer a faster mechanism..."

When you take your flute in for a major adjustment the flute should be completely disassembled and cleaned of all dust and oil. The keywork will be re-oiled and fitted to your flute and adjusted to seal properly. Any pads needing replacement would be replaced sometimes at a higher cost if more than 1 or 2 pads. Your flute should function as new. You cannot guarantee good work unless you take your flute to someone who`s been certified as being competant to do the work. There are many instrument repair places that repair instruments only up to a certain point... repairmen can only play so many instruments so well, unless they specialize in flutes they may not have the ears to hear the problems you do.

"I don`t think so. I can still play my runs on my flute but they are more clean and easier on a better brand."
Get your flute adjusted and then compare. A new flute will perform better than a 3 year old flute that is known to have a slower than norm mechanism...

"Landell flutes makes handmade headjoint designs that take away control, but guarantee good tone. Muramatsu is makes a wing style headjoint that focuses air into the holw. Drelenger makes headjoints without the back plate that prevents the sound of air resulting from air being directed askew. Just a few of many headjoint customization in the world."

These headjoints are made to guide the air into the headjoint. You shouldn`t need a winged headjoint to correct your embouchure. If a begginer had an incorrect embouchure would you just tell them "oh there`s this thing called a winged headjoint don`t worry it`ll do all the work for you!"...i don`t think so.


"The design of the tube and cut of the hole controls/limits how much air enters the flute and the the velocity and can have a dramatic effect on your overall intonation."

How would just a change of air improve your intonation? The player has to change their air for notes that they know they are sharp or flat, the headjoint can`t do everything for you. Proper intonation comes from a well tuned instrumend COMBINED with the player fine tuning almost every note.


"When you take your flute in for a major adjustment the flute should be completely disassembled and cleaned of all dust and oil. The keywork will be re-oiled and fitted to your flute and adjusted to seal properly."

Oiling and adjusting does not fix all the problems due to bad mechanism. Some brands do have better faster stronger mechanism than other brands. Flutes that usually have bad mechanism are: Gemeinhardt, Jupiter, Armstrong, and flutes like that. I`m not saying that all of the flutes from this brand do have slower mechanism but if you got a more reputable brand you can see a difference in the ease of the mechanism.


"Get your flute adjusted and then compare. A new flute will perform better than a 3 year old flute that is known to have a slower than norm mechanism..."

I have my flute adjusted every year and there is only a slight difference in how fast the mechanism feels, and that is not due to the repair person its due to the flute.

"These headjoints are made to guide the air into the headjoint. You shouldn`t need a winged headjoint to correct your embouchure. If a begginer had an incorrect embouchure would you just tell them "oh there`s this thing called a winged headjoint don`t worry it`ll do all the work for you!"...i don`t think so."

You asked how a headjoint can solve an improper embouchure...


"How would just a change of air improve your intonation? The player has to change their air for notes that they know they are sharp or flat, the headjoint can`t do everything for you. Proper intonation comes from a well tuned instrumend COMBINED with the player fine tuning almost every note."

The headjoint is the vehicle through which you create your sound.

If you own a solid silver instrument and both a small round and large rectangle embouchure hole headjoint you can visibly see that air travels far more further through the flute far faster through the condesation patterns you can see on the inside of the flute. You can also feel how quickly the flute warms up when you have a larger embouchure hole.

"Oiling and adjusting does not fix all the problems due to bad mechanism. Some brands do have better faster stronger mechanism than other brands. Flutes that usually have bad mechanism are: Gemeinhardt, Jupiter, Armstrong, and flutes like that. I`m not saying that all of the flutes from this brand do have slower mechanism but if you got a more reputable brand you can see a difference in the ease of the mechanism."

Bad mechanism results from joint friction and spring tension. Which are adjustable. Even Galway has to get his $10,000+ flutes adjusted regularly to keep the mechanism in shape.

Don`t be too upset if when you upgrade to a professional grade instrument that in 3 years you`ll find a new Jupiter has better key response.