Has anyone played one of these? I have been offered one cheep, and I wondered what they`re like. Thanks!

PLUMBING

I own one and it has served me well for two years now. It is not the best flute I have ever owned (my Armstrong was the best) but my DC is definetly second...
Im glad that Dominique (the maker of the flute) is now getting some attention.

Oh, and even though DC`s are one of those brands that everyone is wary of (and sometimes for good reason), it is still a quality instrument. It`s mostly a matter of opinion.
(It`s funny because, a year ago, no one knew what I was talking about when I said I had a DC PRO)

Hmmm. A discerning instrumentaist.
Me thinks that they ahve aq long way to go to be universally accepted in the flute community.

I have just serviced a current model student Armstrong flute, recently bought, and the standard of manufacture was disgusting. Armstrong flutes were once quite respected. Maybe now a DC Pro is better.

Thanks for the replies - and I hope there are more to come. I took the plunge and bought the DC Pro Alto. SApologies to the gent who said it was plumbing, but I see you are a professional, and I am couldn`t afford to pay $000,000 for a professional instrument.

Anyway, I like the flute a lot. I am not used to altos, but already the tone is good, and I think it will be excellent once I`ve learned to adjust my embrochure slightly.

The action is extremely good and responsive.

I can already say that it`s phenomenal value for money.

I`ll post again in a week or so when I`ve had a chance to road test it. Thx again for the replies.

I hope I didn`t offend the maker by my last reply. I personally like D.C.`s but some other people do not... I think that soon the flute will have a reputation as a fine instrument. (And I think I have a pretty good rep. in the flute world...)

Now I am curious. I think I might just go buy one off of ebay just to see what they are like.

They are not too bad! I still love my Armstrong but my D.C is good for concerts- I get a good tone out of it and it`s flashy...

OK, I`ve road tested this DC flute. It`s a gem. I`m not a pro, but I have been playing for 36 years so I think I am qualified to comment.

The tone is really lovely, and it`s getting better all the time as I had not played for a few weeks (I LOST my other flute!!!) and my embrochure is just coming back.

This is an alto, and I might have expected it to be difficult on the low notes, but it plays perfectly and very easily in all registers.

The action is very fast and accurate. There are no leaks or squeaks.

I haven`t got a single complaint.

As I say, I`m not a pro, and I have never owned a really expensive flute, but I reckon I`m a good player after all this time, and able to judge. My tone on this flute is pro quality. I do play occassional concerts, and I would be completely confident of using this instrument.

One last thought: I am always hearing people saying that they were disappointed by their big name flute for which they paid a fortune. I think that the (so called) pro flutes vary quite a bit. I assume DCs are produced in some volume, but they are individually tested at the shop, so I feel quite confident that quality is not going to be an issue. I think it`s appropriate that they are named "pro" along with the better known names. Cheers and thanks for the comments, Mike

I wonder how there C flutes are then.

Well, this has certainly piqued my interest! Kara, why don`t you see if you can order one of these and try it for awhile. I`d love to know someone who is really trying it out with an objective point of view (no offense Jessie and bigbignose, I`m just not familiar with your level of expertise).

BigBignose, what brought you to DCpro rather than some of the tried and true brands? What is your background (you mentioned you`ve played for several years), and what were you playing on before? Were you going for an upgrade, or an inexpensive replacement for the lost flute? Do you have a "C" flute also?

And are you enough mechanically-minded to recognise any deficiencies that may haunt the reliability of the instrument for the rest of its life, and make maintenance very expensive.

Kippsix, I will see what I can do about gettting my hands on one. I have a couple of things that I have been saving for, so it may be a little while yet. I will let you know.