You ask why Gemeinhardt are being bashed?

As a repair tech, teacher and professional player myself, and years of experience, I feel as though I should comment on this.
No flute should have to be put in the shop three times a year.
I see this case way to often with this brand.

Second, I don`t consider a Gemeinhardt a professional flute by any means. Yes, the company may label it as such, but I have yet to see a professional flutist play on one. Please keep in mind that the features such as pointed key arms doesn`t always mean it is professional level quality. That is a lot of sales gimmicks.

In all do respect, though the truth may be harsh, if a pro player was playing on one, they most likely would be laughed at and never taken seriously.

If you would like a true professional flute then expect to pay $5000 and up.

While the Gemeinhardt may take your daughter through high school, it would not be suitable for college level. There are plenty of other option if you can not affor a Haynes.

If you would like to hear more professional opinions on this, I would advise you to post this topic on http://www.superflute.com/wwwboard/
and see what they have to say.

You are only going under one teachers opinion. I think that you will find that 99% of the professional flutist out there would pretty much tell you the same thing that I have.

As another repair technician and able player, I agree with most of that.

I consider that a Gemeinhardt flute can be overhauled to be reliable, but they are in no way comparable to flutes that are in `professional` league, simply by how inferior they are to play.

KC - you are right on the money! I have yet to see a Gemeinhardt come out of a case in playable condition. Every one I`ve seen is so out of alignment, not sealing, etc., and yet these young players don`t know the difference between an instrument that`s actually playable and one that isn`t. Just for fun ... Here is a list of what some of the professionals in the world are playing - for those who recognize some of these names, you can see they are the top pedagogues, solo or orchestral flutists. It lists the flute and headjoint maker, if different from the maker of the flute. And as you can see, not a Gemeinhardt in the bunch. It is a travesty that flutemakers call flutes "professional" only because of having some small feature similar to a real professional flute. So, all you young flutists, be cautious when someone tries to sell you a "professional" flute. I hate to say it, but even some teachers don`t have a clue and recommend horrible instruments. Anyway, here`s the list, it`s rather interesting!

Andras Adorjan/Brannen/LaFin headjoint
Robert Aitken/Powell
Jeanne Baxstresser/1961 Haynes/LaFin headjoint
Willliam Bennet/Louis Lot, Altus
Philipe Bernold/Yamaha
Mathieu Dufour/Powell/LaFin headjoint
Bart Feller/Brannen
Dieter Flury/Yamaha
Benoit Fromanger/Pearl/Pearl ST-4 headjoint
Patrick Gallois/Haynes -> Yamaha -> Abell
James Galway/Muramatsu*
Severino Gazzelloni(d)/ J. Hammig
Irena Grafenauer/Yamaha
Gottfried Hechtl/Haynes (I sold him mine!) -> Sankyo
Timothy Hutchins/Brannen
Trudy Kane/Muramatsu
Jeffrey Khaner/Yamaha/LaFin headjoint
William Kincaid(d)/Powell
Shigenori Kudo/Haynes -> Yamaha
Robert Langevin/Powell/Albert Cooper headjoint
Christian Larde/Yamaha
Maxence Larrieu/Powell/LaFin headjoint
Alain Marion(d)/Sankyo
Massimo Mercelli/Yamaha
Aurele Nicolet/Muramatsu/LaFin headjoint
Emmanuel Pahud/Brannen/Dana Sheridan headjoint
Michael Parloff/Brannen/David Williams headjoint
James Pellerite/Powell
Amy Porter/Muramatsu
Jean Pierre Rampal(d)/1958 Haynes->Deveau-scale Haynes
Paula Robison/Brannen
Elaine Shaeffer (d)/Powell
Christina Smith/Powell
Joshua Smith/Yamaha
Mark Sparks/Brannen
Alexa Still/Brannen/Drelinger headjoint
Sheridan Stokes/Pearl
Keith Underwood/Powell
Carol Wincenc/Burkart
Anne Zentner/Brannen/Oleg headjoint

I can only say that the sound my daughter gets from the gemeinhardt is far better than anything else she tried. We have worked with several different repair folks as we have moved a lot and none of them seems to think that bringing in a flute for adjustment several times a year was unusual, and felt people more often neglect their instruments because they didn`t want to pay for the service (we have a service contract so it`s not like the techs are saying bring it in more so we can make more money).
As far as the list of professionals goes,...........just like players in major league sports, I suspect there are plenty of brand endorsement contracts out there so you should use that list with a grain of salt.
By the way - I did mention in the original post that my daughter`s instructor is not only a teacher but also plays professionally. As an instuctor she often gets to test drive flutes from the area music shops and allows her students to try them and the gemeninhardt comes out sounding better than anything else they have tried.
On a different note - Walmart is supposed to be coming out with a line of student instruments (very scary) so you repair people better get ready for endless lines of instruments to fix .....

My daughter played on an intermediate Gemeinhardt and it was also in need of repairs a few times a year. She found it fustrating having a flute that she could not rely on. My repair tech said that repairs that often are not common with all flutes. He told me that Gemmy`s are not just what they used to be. My daughter now plays a Yamaha and it has never had a need for repairs.

We also have a teacher that plays professionally and I can tell you that she does not play a Gemmy.

So I guess this would be a matter of opinion and a good reason to do research before purchasing an instrument. Talk to a few repair techs and teachers before making a purchase.

If I had researched better I could have saved myself some money because I would never have bought that Gemmy.

poppies40, if you can find one professional that plays on a Gemeinhardt then I would love to know.
So what you are saying is that your daughter sounds and plays better on a Gemeinhardt than on a Muramatsu, Powell, Brannen or Haynes?

I would really love to hear that.
I would really have to question your teachers judgement if she recommends a Gemeinhardt over those brands.

What Symphony does she play in?

Everyone is going to have their 2 cents worth. Ashley says she loves her Altus. Someone else says they`re not that good. I know a young musician who won her first professional orchestral job (at 19 yrs old) playing on an Altus. But she was a beautiful, elegant player. She could probably make a tin flute sound gorgeous.

I am surprised that your flute has had to go in for service so often. I agree with Kim, when I had my Yamaha (which at one point I was practicing on in excess of 6 hrs a day!), never went in for service, in 5 years! My Muramatsu, which I had for 3 years, never went in for service. That`s not saying it probably shouldn`t have, at least for a clean, oil & adjust - but being a starving student I couldn`t afford it. Maybe someone else can answer - is this the standard of intermediate flutes now? They do require that kind of repair work?

I may be wrong here, but my knowledge of Haynes and Powell is that in their glory days, were always the top flutes. Nowadays, my understanding is if a professional plays a Powell or Haynes, it`s usually an older, vintage one - and are usually a bit pricier than the new instruments! Unless of course you are a flutemaker`s "Artist" - like Bennett, or Tadeu Coelho, etc.

Yes, the list does include a few of those "artists" - but I would also like to point out that the players with all the LaFin and other headjoints, those people are not under a contract.

The bottom line is if you are happy with your instrument, then that`s all that matters. We should not take any offense by the opinions here - we all just have our own beliefs based on OUR experiences. Those of us who have spent our lives dedicated to this beautiful instrument can get a little "high and mighty". Being a passionate musician usually means you are passionate about ALL things.

But I will say when I went from a student instrument to my first professional one, it was like hearing the truth for the first time in my life. And as KC says, be prepared for that amazing moment to cost more than $5000!

i hope others read that post, it sure would cut down on some of the useless flaming that goes on around here ...

I have a Yamaha, and it`s definatley the best flute make I`ve ever played. The tone is much better on them.

i got/have my professional music job with a $1000 miyazawa at 15. i think that it all depends on the pair (as in the flute and the person) can`t have one without the other.

I`m being annoying but just want to mention incase got lost in the threads my gemeinhardt which I got in the mid 90s lasted me 10 years. I never had any problem with it mechanically. Yes I`m not professional but I`ve played in band in high school, college, and still in a college university band. I was able to stay in tune play the notes and sounded fine. Adequate. I was mainly first flute also. The only thing was I could not project my sound well with it but being $500 dollars was all I could afford. The yamaha I don`t even know what model but open holes being pushed was $1,000. I worked with the gemienhardt and finally when i had a nice paying job purchased a yamaha 674 and I love it it has a beautiful sound. But depending on who plays or how they take care of it or their economic situation it deponds on each person.

Maybe it not the best thing to get the pricey all out flute when you`re younger. My goodness I remember being younger i think 5th grade running to the bus and my flute case fell open and fell on concrete! and I have to say again it was the yamaha I had to bring in for repair or rather my left thumb key is loose and the response was all the 674/684 were like that. Ok that really ticks me off. Are all new flutes not up to pair anymore? If so lower the darn price for crying out loud!

I just get annoyed hearing all the bashing of gemeinhardt ok they are not as good as other brands mentioned but treating others as if they play horribly on them when they don`t is ridiculous and insulting. Not everyone is saying that but there have been some mean remarks about people playing on certain flutes and that`s rude really. Grace`s response is refreshing. Take all these comments and choose what is ultimately best for you.

Although Gemeinhardts are a bit scruffy in design and engineering, they are robust, and if adjusted right, will need little attention.

Their problem is their very fuzzy tone, by today`s standards.

I just want to put my 2 cents in here on the flute maintanance and beginner flute issues... I had an intermediate Armstrong flute (the model number eludes me, it was stolen a couple of years ago and I now am shopping for a new one). I had it for 13 years. I only had it serviced twice. I played everyday, for several hours a day. The repair person did not comment on it`s bad condition or anything like that, as he did when my sister brought in her horn, so I don`t think that it really needed anymore servicing than that. Although, right before it was stolen, I was intending replace the pads, springs and corks. I really liked the Armstrong. I liked the heavier weight that it had, compared to the some of the cheaper horns. For me, it fit really well. I was able to produce a nice sound, in all of the registers and was even used to tune the entire band in H.S. I know that it is not the best flute in the world, but most of my friends, who tried mine, were also able to produce a nice, rich sound. I would say they are good, economical horns to get a student through H.S.

Hey Poppies... Do you think that the repair technician mighte be cheating on you? Making a minor tweak to you daughters flute just so that it might need to be repaired again and again? My Gemeinhardt has had quite a few problems but then again, it is just a student flute. Just a possibility. I suggest you all try out the flutes first. Nothing in this forum can tell you which flute is good or not. I think that the TOP TOP TOP Gemeinhardt flutes are probably very good...

what top top? those don`t exist...not in gemeinhardts. i have yet to see one that plays half decent.