Hey, all. I know you are all probably getting sick of me (everyone: "she's posting again?! What a !****!!"), but I have another question for you all. Not as lengthy as the other, promise. =]

I have heard of companies loaning flutes for trial -- I believe I read a post by Kara a few months ago about having trouble deciding which, and reflecting on that gave me the idea. However, I cannot find anything about loaner shipments on any of the websites I have scoured. Does anybody have any advice on how to get in contact with some of the companies I am interested in to try some flutes before buying? How much does it cost, if anything? How much time is alloted? Anything else should I know?

Thanks, guys. You are fantastic!

<Added>

Note: It screwed some of my words. o.O

<Added>

Note, note: I found Muramatsu, but I can't find anything on Pearl, Gemeinhardt, or Altus.

Try these, they will send flutes out on trial. You just need a credit card to secure the hold.

http://www.flutes4sale.com/
Phil will help you out and this is one of my two favorite places. Awesome service! 212-307-9737

http://www.flutesmith.com/
Liz will help you out here and this is my other favoite place. Again, AWESOME service! (800) 822-2157

http://www.fluteworld.com/Merchant/
Ask for Diane, you can tell her Kate sent you. She knows me quite well. 248-855-0410

http://www.flute4u.com/
Nice place, but pricier than the others.
972-985-2662


http://www.kesslermusic.com/SOTW/sotw.htm
Not as much selection, but they carry a lot of good name brands. Ask for Dave.
1-888-385-4559


Those will keep you busy calling them. Good luck!

That's it Kara!
Go for deep information... :-)

Zevang

good idea! i should of done my pearl for a trial. i just depended on luck. haha^_^ i'm glad i like it tho! i was panacking. those days of flute buying..was CRAZY!! i think i even made a thread..just panacking about buying my new semi-pro flute that i never tested before. haha!:D..

Thank you for the advice, everyone, and thank you for the websites/information, Kara! ("Hi. Kate told me to tell you she sent me." "Really? How do you know her?" "Well, she's really nice, and we've ran into each other a few times on a flute forum...")

You all rock. Seriously.

Your welcome. I am glad I was able to help.

i don't know much about getting flutes for trial, but i do know that gemienhardt is a very good company and I swear by them...i honestly find i hard to play any other company...

Gemeinhardt has an unusual headjoint cut compared to other companies (or at least it feels wierd...I've never tried to take measurements or anything), that once you become accustomed to it can be quite difficult to adjust to another flute (it's not an uncommon problem with Gemmie owners to stick to Gemmies because they find they have difficulty playing anything else). Gemeinhardt does make some solid student/intermediate instruments, but if you were wanting a professional flute, it would just take a little time to learn how to play other flutes.

Chris is quite correct on this one. Gemeinhardt is considered a good beginner to intermediate brand. Now, there is no saying that you couldn't play on one professionaly, that is your choice.
Wave_of_praise, how many professional model flutes have you tried? It is always nice to know what you are comparing it with, that is why I ask. I am glad you like your flute. I am very partial to my brand also like most people are.

I have compared to Bundy's and Yammaha's, but I'm not sure which models...You are right, their head joints are different, andthey also have a selection of 5 or 6 different head joints with different wall thicknessess that you can choose from.