Hi!

I am a player of the Bansuri flute but I was thinking of buying a concert flute for fun, Music is only really a hobby to me and it will probably never become anything more than that.

I really liked the sound of wooden flutes over metal ones, I've never played with either in person before, so I was searching the internet...I renember reading things about the Grenaditte piccolo, how it sounded very similar to wood, so i looked into a grenaditte flute, I was actually amazed to find the Guo One, though the price is hefty, I am willing to pay that much for a quality instrument.

I have done google searches, and searches on this site, but most of the reviews are based off testing, I was hoping for a long term review, how it holds up, and if it is really worth the money.

Also, I was intrested in the keywork, It isn't exactly...favorable to the eye, does anyone thing It could be replaced with metal keywork, or even plated? Though the sound is more important than the instrument itself, if change is possible that would be really cool.

Thanks alot.

1) You are aware that this Guo Grenaditte Flute isn't wood of course.
I've tried one a bit but I wasn't much tempted to buy it. I didn't consider it much of a real attempt to simulate wood so much as make a Boehm flute from this Grenaditte material. This isn't necessarily a criticism of this instrument. It was fine enough.
2)If you want wood have you considered a one key traverso (Baroque Flute)?
3)Anything regarding modifying the flute "can be done." but replacing the key work would not make the flute cost-effective and would not be worth the bother in my estimation. One could get used to this flute's keywork with time.
4) An alternative is to buy a wood flute with Boehm system. They are being made today.
or
5) you could buy a metal flute but also get a wood head joint for it. This gives you some tonal possibilities including the wood sound on a more stable metal chassis.

~bilbo
N.E. Ohio

'you could buy a metal flute but also get a wood head joint for it. This gives you some tonal possibilities including the wood sound on a more stable metal chassis.'

....but some people reckon that the material an instrument is made from has no effect on the tone. btw I am not one of them - but don't ask me to prove it - I am no scientist but do have ears. See another current thread on this forum.

Hi, I'm another one interested in the Guo flutes and headjoint. This is my first post so I hope I'm not breaking any rules by listing the following Guo-related youtube demos I found. (You may need to log into your youtube account to view them.) I've posted on another forum about the Guo and received comments to the effect it takes a few days to adjust to these flutes (unsurprisingly). As to the Bansuri, which I've never tried, how easy/difficult is it to play them in more than one scale? Do you need a different Bansuri for each key?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sn71DhB8HA
(Merengue Japtal (Omar Acosta))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZrcJ7xZjZU
Mixed demo including Guo flutes & HJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t15iLh3xnoU
(Grenaditte Flute Movie 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbrvubf7sgQ
(Grenaditte Flute Movie 2)

They are so much fun to play on and very easy on the hands! Although, I would never use one as my main flute, it would be fun just to have one to play around with. For the material and such, I think they are on the bit expensive side though.