I'm looking for a flute that will last me at least 4 years. Unfortunately my bugdet does not allow me to buy a reknown brand.
There's a $450 Artley (108-0) B foot, sterling silver, in very good conditions (I tried it and it's got a beautiful sound! all notes came out perfect, from low B to high C) I'm not familiar with the brand, since I wasn't even born when they were still being produced, so can someone help me?
Most people i've asked tell me it's not worth it becasue Artleys are terrible flutes.... what's your opinion?
Artley flute model 108-0
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pied_piper
- Posts: 1962
- Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:31 pm
- Location: Virginia
Re: Artley flute model 108-0
Artley flutes are a mixed bag. They made some good flutes (the older models) and many newer models were pretty poor. The older Artley flutes were made in Elkhart Indiana. Later, Artley was sold to Conn and production was moved to Nogales Arizona. That was when the reputation of the Artley brand went downhill. If it is engraved with Nogales under the Artley name, then I would stay away from it. If it is engraved with Elkhart, it might be OK if it was well cared for and a flute tech has gone over it to be sure all the pads are OK and in good adjustment.
There are a lot of really good flute brands out there and some can be found used in the price range you are looking at. Look around a bit more before you jump on this one. However, since you have tried it and it plays well for you, then it might be a good choice for you. Ultimately, you have to decide if it is right for you, but you owe it to yourself to try some others before you buy. Read the FAQ for a list of other brands that you could consider.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5859
BTW, my first flute was an old used Artley student model. I still have it. It's not a terrible flute, but I have several better ones now.
There are a lot of really good flute brands out there and some can be found used in the price range you are looking at. Look around a bit more before you jump on this one. However, since you have tried it and it plays well for you, then it might be a good choice for you. Ultimately, you have to decide if it is right for you, but you owe it to yourself to try some others before you buy. Read the FAQ for a list of other brands that you could consider.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5859
BTW, my first flute was an old used Artley student model. I still have it. It's not a terrible flute, but I have several better ones now.
"Never give a flute player a screwdriver."
--anonymous--
--anonymous--
Re: Artley flute model 108-0
Hi bandgeek.
I am a bass player who always wanted to learn flute, and I bought an Artley off eBay for $28, and it's proved to be a good purchase. I have played my teacher's flutes (a student Yamaha and a serious Miyazawa) and the Artley seems to be as good for my needs right now.
To some extent this was dumb luck, to be honest. But it was also betting that Artley had at one time been a respected student brand, who were underpriced compared to other equivalent quality flutes. I avoided cheap chinese flutes, which I thought were likely to be less well made than an old better student model. And that bet, for me, paid off.
First as Pied Piper said, Artley seems to have gone downhill when they moved from Indiana. This occurred in the early 1970s. So flutes before then will be better made. Mine was a 1968 model. See here for how to date the flute from serial number: http://www.musictrader.com/artley.html . For a short history of the company see here: http://www.ehow.com/about_5087515_histo ... lutes.html
Second, models within a brand may vary. With Artley, my flute tech told me they were reluctant to work on the open hole models because they were hard to work with. Mine is closed hole and doesn't have the issues he raised (and sorry but I didn't ask for more detail so I don't know why this is so).
Third, with any student flute, not just Artley, it's the luck of the draw. If the flute needs major reconditioning, it will cost almost as much as a new flute. My flute has all good pads and is adjusted ok. It needed one key fixed, the spring on it had popped off and I was able to do that myself.
Fourth, I don't know where you want to be in four years, but my understanding is student flutes are more forgiving (it's easier to get a sound of them). It takes a bit more skill to get good sound from a better flute, but you will be able to get much better tonal variation. So at some stage you are going to need to trade up.
And fifth, to be honest, I bought my flute thinking .... it's $28......if it is total junk I've lost $28. At the time I was watching student model Yamahas go for bids around $150.
Hope this helps.
I am a bass player who always wanted to learn flute, and I bought an Artley off eBay for $28, and it's proved to be a good purchase. I have played my teacher's flutes (a student Yamaha and a serious Miyazawa) and the Artley seems to be as good for my needs right now.
To some extent this was dumb luck, to be honest. But it was also betting that Artley had at one time been a respected student brand, who were underpriced compared to other equivalent quality flutes. I avoided cheap chinese flutes, which I thought were likely to be less well made than an old better student model. And that bet, for me, paid off.
First as Pied Piper said, Artley seems to have gone downhill when they moved from Indiana. This occurred in the early 1970s. So flutes before then will be better made. Mine was a 1968 model. See here for how to date the flute from serial number: http://www.musictrader.com/artley.html . For a short history of the company see here: http://www.ehow.com/about_5087515_histo ... lutes.html
Second, models within a brand may vary. With Artley, my flute tech told me they were reluctant to work on the open hole models because they were hard to work with. Mine is closed hole and doesn't have the issues he raised (and sorry but I didn't ask for more detail so I don't know why this is so).
Third, with any student flute, not just Artley, it's the luck of the draw. If the flute needs major reconditioning, it will cost almost as much as a new flute. My flute has all good pads and is adjusted ok. It needed one key fixed, the spring on it had popped off and I was able to do that myself.
Fourth, I don't know where you want to be in four years, but my understanding is student flutes are more forgiving (it's easier to get a sound of them). It takes a bit more skill to get good sound from a better flute, but you will be able to get much better tonal variation. So at some stage you are going to need to trade up.
And fifth, to be honest, I bought my flute thinking .... it's $28......if it is total junk I've lost $28. At the time I was watching student model Yamahas go for bids around $150.
Hope this helps.