Does anyone play Tom Green flutes? What do you think of them? I haven't tried one out yet, but I just wanted to know what you thought of the quality of the mech, etc. I tried out the Powells and fell in love with them. I am also considering Burkart.

I haven't tried Tom Green or Burkart flutes yet, thought I would like to. I fell in love with the sound of the Powell myself and then didn't bother trying out anymore then I had.

My only complaint with Powell is that their mechanism is not as smooth and quite as some of the other brands I had tried. The Japanese seemed to have really perfected that on their flutes. I do however like the heavier key feeling that is on the Powell's. I like more resistance. I know this can be changed by adjusting the spring tension, but even with that being done on my Powell, the mechanism still feels a bit heavier.

Please do let us know when you try them out and what you think of them. I would be especially interested in the Burkart. I have a Burkart piccolo and really like it. I tend to do better with the American made flutes and piccs scale wise. I have no idea why.

I had tried a few Burkart headjoints but didn't care for them much, so I guess that is why I didn't bother trying out a whole Burkart flute when shopping. I have heard they are wonderful though. Haynes is another one of my favorites. They are all quite nice though, but you will know the right one when you play it.
Have fun flute shopping!

What model of Powell did you get to try out?

i tried out basically every model of flute they have. lol, but realistically im considering the signature or the conservatory. i was asking about the Tom Green flutes because my friend has a 14k gold flute by him and their flutes seem cheaper than other brands. why is that?

I really didn't find the conservatory to be too different then the Signature except for the headjoint. Powell says that the conservatory is more handmade, but I couldn't tell. You do get more options with the Conservatory.

i didn't really find a difference either, but I kinda want the new "soloist" headjoint. from what the description says, it's what im looking for, but who knows, i could sound really bad on it (wasn't introduced when i tried out the flutes). i have to wait until i go to another powell dealer to try one out. the reason i am also interested in the burkart is because i have a global piccolo and love it and think i might love their flutes too.

The soloist is very nice. I did get to try several when I went to the factory last year. It is in between the Boston and Philharmonic cut. It is not as free blowing as the Boston and not as resistant as the Philharmonic.

I prefer the Philharmonic out of the cuts because it is less airy and I can really push on it without it cracking. I am also able to get more tones and colores out of it. I absolutely adore my Philharmonic headjoint, but I don't play it much because I find that it takes too much air for me at times to play. I am a bit lazy some days and just don't want to have to work that hard. Lol!