why is a b-foot better, why do you need one??

Honestly I think you should try and pick the one you are most custom too, as you can see by my name I do play a gemeinhardt , 33ssb my pride flute, but I play a Peral quantz coda, and a yamaha, but sold that for my pearl, so i will not say I like gemeinhardt with out having experience with other types, when i pay 3 types, but the gemeinhardt is my fav, but anyway pick what is most comfortable, and pleasant to you.

May I suggest this flute for $2550:

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It is a Sonare 7000 but upgraded with Straubinger pads and high quality synthetic felt on tails, tightened mechanism etc. Click on the link for more info. We upgraded three of these and have three satisfied customers.

Boris

Professional Flute Repair
Jean and Boris Popovich
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E-mail: fluterepair@gmail.com
Phone: 828-350-9770

We specialize in professional handmade flute overhauls and conversions to Straubinger pads. Satisfaction guaranteed!

I have another question, though: ekdavies mentioned that 2SP players may have difficulty playing sufficiently loud. These days, especially in band during those loud dramatic fortissimo moments, I've noticed that I just can't seem to play loud. It's like I can't get enough sound to come out of the flute. Also, other brands seems really loud, bright, and shrill to me. Is it supposed to be like this or do I have to fix something in my playing or habits?

That is a very astute observation. Many of the flutes today are designed that way, loud and bright, especially in upgrade flutes.

The gemeinhardt embouchure hole is more restrained, but they can be recut for a nice, full open sound. That is what you are experiencing. It doesn't take much and the results are dramatic.
But, you need someone in your area that is knowledgeable about that and can easily modify the gemmie headjoint for you.

Loud headjoints sell, so that is the trend. Just like B feet (or should that be foots? )

Joe B

Thank you for everyone's help! I've learned a lot over the past few days.

Yesterday I tried out a Yamaha, and Amadeus, and a DiMedici. I liked both the Amadeus and the Yamaha, and the DiMedici was okay. The Amadeus seemed softer and mellower in sound, while the Yamaha was very bright and clear.

Hmm, the decision is getting harder! So far I've tried out Jupiter, Sankyo, Gemeinhardt Brio!, Yamaha, Amadeus, and DiMedici.

why is a b-foot better

I used to think this was a gimic - even bottom C occurs rarely. However, the b-foot gizmo does allow me to play a top C pianissimo and can make a difference to other very high notes. On the other hand, any competent composer/arranger understands not just the range of the instruments but other limitations. Occasionally, they go out of their way to make something technically more challenging - my most recent example was in Ghosts by Stephen McNeff.

I can play high c just as softly with my c foot as I did with a b foot...

As can I, Patrick. Dynamics are an issue of control on the player's part, not the specs of the flute they're playing.

I've play tested so many flutes that I almost don't remember them all. I'll be listing the ones I remember as being decent in the following paragraph...

Out of all of the flutes I tried, I liked a Haynes Amadeus and a Yamaha 674H the best. I need to try the Gemeinhardt Brio! again because it's been a while since I play tested that one, but I recall as it being good, but not phenomenal. Sankyo was a bit too bright for me, even though it was a very clean, clear sound.

My teacher said she has a new Miyazawa for me to try this Friday, so I'll be doing that, too.

Has anyone tried the brands/models I'm interested in? What did you think of them?

Yes I have tried all the brands you mentioned except for the Brio. The Haynes Amadeus was very nice, but I felt a tad held back on it, I like a bigger sound. The Yamaha 674 is very nice and I don't have any complaints about that one at all except I would just put a different brand headjoint on it. The Sankyo I did not care for at all. I was unable to get the tones and colors out of it and it just seemed dull to me. I am not sure which Miyazawa that you will be trying but I am a huge fan of Miyazawa. I own one as a backup but I will be putting it up for sale. I just don't need that nice of a second flute lying around.

Thanks for your input, Kara. You and the others have been very helpful and I'm so glad I found this forum.

I did notice that the Amadeus was darker and "softer" in sound than the Yamaha, which was full and powerful in comparison. In some ways I preferred the darker, warmer sound, and in others I liked the nice big sound from Yamaha. I'm trying to find a flute that will play well dynamically in both ways, soft and loud, because one of the biggest limitations I have with my Gemeinhardt 2SP is playing a wide range of dynamics. I'm not sure which Miyazawa I will be trying but I'll take a look when I do.

I've also played all the makes you mentioned. Of those, the Sankyo's were my favorite (A Sankyo found its way into my top three when I was last shopping for a flute), followed by the Yamaha (though I find the scale on some Yamahas difficult to work with...Mostly the slightly older ones), then the Miyazawas (I don't care for the feel of the mechanism, and the headjoints don't particularly suit me). All three of these makes are of very good quality, though, so these are only my opinions. I prefer the Amadeus line to the Brios, but have to admit I was VERY surprised by how well the Brios played in comparison to some of Gemeinhardt's past offerings. Overall my personal ranking of the flutes you mentioned is (from favorite to least favorite):
-Sankyo
-Yamaha
-Miyazawa
-Amadeus
-Brio


<Added>

I just saw your last post, so I'm going to add on to mine. Playing in extremes of the dynmic range can be challenging no matter how fine a flute you own. Be sure you've done the most you can to train yourself for dynamics before you blame the flute. A different flute may make it slightly easier, but if you have issues with dynamics, you'll need to work on that in your practice sessions before a different flute can make any difference.

Thanks Flute06.
I have no difficulty playing softly, but once I go past forte for high notes and mf for low notes, I just cannot make more sound to come out of my flute. It's hard to explain, and it probably sounds really weird, but if I try to play any louder than what i mentioned above I get a nasty high note completely irrelevant to what I was trying to play, no matter how much I control and direct my airstream with plenty of support. I can play much more loudly on the Japanese flutes; Haynes and Gemeinhardt are more similar to my 2SP. The problem is, I can't play softly on the Japanese flutes. It might be a matter of getting used to the flute and learning exactly how to control it, but the bottom line is, I think I've done as much as I can in my playing to improve my dynamic range.