Sorry Patrick, I think we could all learn to lighten up somewhat. Sometimes I am guitly myself of this.

thanks Kara, maybe someone finally recognizes irony when they read it..

growing up, all other flute players my age talked about was what kind of flute they played, including the tube thickness, riser height and material, type of cork and pads, etc, didn`t matter whether they could play or not...

So true! I am guilty of liking a 14K gold riser and my love and obsession for Powell flutes (lol!)

But, when all is said and done, all the hype isn`t always worth that much.

You can give a handmade Platinum Powell to someone, and if they suck at the flute, they are still going to sound awful on that one.

I think that too many people get wrapped up in the idea that a very expensive or a flute with all the features on it are going to make them sound like Galway.

We all know that that is not true. Practice! Practice! Practice!

PS. What is the deal with a lot of the top notch players and gold flutes anyway? Trend?

how about the wood flute trend, when Galway hit the scene, everyone ran out and bought cooper, then he switched to Muramatsu, and I assume they all ran out and bought Muramatsu.

Yeah.. he just bought a Nagahara now, so that should drum up some more business for that company.

I uderstood Galway will and can play whatever a company will "give" him.

We sold only gold risers for years,they made a great difference in tone. A silver liplate is less expensive than a gold lip plate.

That is not true, according to what he wrote in the forum he is part of.

::nod::

Galway buys his own flutes:
http://www.superflute.com/notes/choice.htm