Gemeinhardt or Pearl?

Rebey · Post by **Rebey** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 7:53 am

I'm in 9th grade and I started private lessons this year, and I don't know what kind of new flute to get. When I talked to one person in my band class (she's second chair) she said she likes Gemeinhardt. But when I talked to my other friend, who takes lessons with the same person I do, she said she bought a Pearl through our teacher. Which do you recomend?

Kendall · Post by **Kendall** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 9:01 am

Every flute is different. Try flutes from any brand you can find. Gemeinhardt, Pearl, Yamaha, Armstrong, Emerson, Winston, Any brand you can find. Ask your flute teacher/band director what she thinks. But make sure you try try try try try try try all different flutes.

biggzh · Post by **biggzh** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 1:25 pm

I'd recommend going to www.flute4u.com. Mrs. Nussbaum knows a lot about flutes, and helped me out with finding a good intermediate/advanced flute. Now, I'm currently playing on a Sonare that I got from there (it's a 6600 and is $1500), and I love it.

LisaFlute2 · Post by **LisaFlute2** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:21 am

I have a Pearl flute, the 501 series, closed hole and I love it. I got it at music123.com. It was on sale and had originally been around $650, I think, and I got it for $350. I think they have it on a closeout sale right now. It is silverplated and has a beautiful rich sound. I highly recommend a Pearl. I had tried a Selmer, and a super cheap, nickel plated model, that I can't remember the brand of, but when I tried the Pearl it really fit me.

auletes83 · Post by **auletes83** » Wed May 04, 2005 11:00 pm

Rebey, I can personally attest to the relaibility of Yamaha flutes. I've had mine for several years now and even though it cost me only $3,000, it has gotten me through many auditions and performances. But, to each his own. Like everyone else here is saying, just try as many flutes as you can. When you've found the right one, you'll know it.

amhso · Post by **amhso** » Mon May 30, 2005 12:42 pm

I dislike the yamaha's. Only the beginner ones seem good to me. Anyways deciding on a flute is just budget and preference..

jazzyema · Post by **jazzyema** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 10:33 pm

Out of those two.. Pearl, im not a big fan of geimeinhart (sry for the misspelling) but that was cause my flute teacher for years said they weren't very good. anyways.. i have a Yamaha 481 thats fabulous that i've had for a year now. It depends on your price range though, cause there are more expensive flutes that are better, but I wasnt about to go spend 2,000 or more on a flute in 9th grade.. i say check out fluteworld.com and wwbw.com, i bought my yamaha off of wwbw and there you can order 3 at a time, try them out and then send back the ones you dont want. hope this helps
*jazzyema

Amateur_Flautist · Post by **Amateur_Flautist** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 5:27 pm

It depends on the individual. Just try out different ones. I personally own a really fantastic Pearl (open hole, C foot joint, outset G), but I have also played on Yamahas, an Artley, and another kind no one has every heard of, and they weren't bad (keep in mind that they were like two million years old and had been in storage for a long time, so they weren't in tip top condition, so they probably play better than all right). I haven't ever played a geimeinhart, but I've heard that they're one of the best. In other words, if you're trying out some, try Pearl, Yamaha, and Geimenhart (and anything else you can find, but those would probably be priority). One last note: I do think that Pearl is as good as they say it is; it's a very good choice. Wow, I sure know how to ramble on and on and on and on...

Band_Geek · Post by **Band_Geek** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 10:58 pm

I recommend Gemeinhardt just because it specializes in flutes and piccs.

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:18 am

I recommend avoiding Gemeinhardt, except for their new 70 series, which corrects many of the intonation and mechanical issues from which a lot of their models have suffered in recent years. The new series is based on the scale/designs by George Koregelos, who no longer makes (lovely) handmade flutes. There are, however, only a few dealers for the new line nationwide. If you're taking private lessons, ask your teacher for assistance. My students play a variety of models and brands, whichever works best for each player. Several have had good results with Armstrong and Yamaha, Emerson's ok, one just bought a Muramatsu EXB. Everything from $800 to almost $3000, depending on teh player's level, interest, and goals for their flute-playing.

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:35 pm

MeLizzard,
I am glad that someone has posted re. the 70 series. I have been extremely disappointed with Gemeinhardt for several years, and was very curious about the newer models. The first one I played was not that impressive, but the last few I picked up were very nice. I test flutes for a local store, and they sent three with me a few weeks ago for "approval". I did notice a difference with the scale. They did not sound quite as stuffy either. Thanks for the info and enlightenment!

pandagirl11 · Post by **pandagirl11** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:16 am

I had a Gemeinhardt 72SP student model flute that played beautifully. I haven't tried other models from Gemeinhardt but I've heard that they're more reliable than, say, any other not-as-well-known brands out there.

Pearl, on the other hand, I've tried and it's quite a deal heavier than the Gemeinhardt. But that's just my opinion of the flute.

My advice to you would be to TRY as many different models as you can. Even go out of your price range (you're just trying, not buying, what's the harm?).

When I went to purchase a new flute, I tried out so many flutes and finally decided I really liked the Yamaha YFL-481H. Just out of curiousity, I picked up the Yamaha YFL-684H to try out to, even though it was C$3150.00, compared to the C$1795.00 of the other flute. To my surprise, I sounded WORSE on that intrument, even though it was nearly twice as expensive and was a professional model.

So..my point? Try flutes that are both less and more than your budget will allow because you never know, you may sound best on a much cheaper instrment that you had intended on buying!

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:54 am

Pearl!.....nuff said

Gemeinhardts get a bad rap, but I think it is WAY exaggerated! Frankly, I think Gemeinhardt flues are dependable, quality made, and good instruments over all. My only problem with them are their headjoints. This, and this alone, causes the problem with the "airy" sound, and the intonation issues.

Most people who dislike them just dislike them because most people start out on a Gemeinhardt. After you go from a 2SP, to a Pearl 501, most people will get better results out of the 501. This is a preference issue and has nothing to do with the quality of the instrument(per se).

I just bought a Pearl Quantz Coda 665, and I think it is one awsome instrument! However, I got a 200 dollar Chinese made flute that I am fond of also. That being said, brand bashing is never good. People should state their preferences and be done with it.

Phineas

slhsflute07 · Post by **slhsflute07** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:29 pm

I'm would say both are great. My beginner flute I got in 6th grade was a Gemeinhardt and that was a great one to learn on. I just bought a Pearl, open holed (don't know the series or w/e) and its great also. I tried 4 of the same type though, because every single instrument is made a little bit differently. I went through with my lessons teacher and found the one that I liked best.

My Pearl has a solid silver headjoint is had such a beautiful tone. I love to play it, and I take care of it better than I have anything else in my entire life. I just think the cleaning rag they gave me sucked. It smeared the "dirt" and scratched the flute the first time I used it so I ditched it.

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 10:17 pm

Phineas,
I have to somewhat disagree that Gemeinhardts are always dependable and well made. In the last few years, I have encountered some very poorly made flutes from them (beginner, intermediate and higher level flutes). They tend to need constant adjusting after a while. I am not brand bashing, I am simply stating what I have exeprienced. On the other hand, I like the sound of a good Gemeinhardt, dark and rich, better than some, and I think the newer Gems are better quality flutes overall.

Congrats on your new Pearl! I have three students with the same model and they do very well. I also play a Pearl (Maesta - rose gold).