I just bought a flute off ebay. YFL 24S

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 5:01 am

Hi all, I suppose I should introduce myself here, as it is my first post.

I'm a 20 yr. old seminary student. I've been playing the guitar like a lunatic for about four years, studied compsition a bit, blah, blah, blah. About four months ago I started playing the Tin Whistle (Well, the low D whistle actually). This experience kicked off a series of events which has eventually lead me here. Important land marks along the way: Joining the Chiff&Fipple forum, getting more whistles, starting the soprano recorder, getting a tenor recorder, the playing and now the building of Irish flutes with some chromatic modifications and other fun stuff.

Anyway, my expirience with chromatic music on the guitar has me wishing I could pull the same kind of tricks on the my flutes. I can, to an extent, but in the typical human fashion, I want even more. Not to mention the tone of the boehm flute is quite lovely and perky, as where the irish flute is lovely and mellow.

Then somehow, last night, I bought this Yamaha 24S. I don't know what I'm doing at all. The description sounded quite good. It's Japanies made, all the keys work, and there are no leaks, it's got one ding in the body, and there is one loose pad. I assume pads are easily replaced (well, at least easier than keys). I got it for $118

Someone please tell me that this was not a stupid buy. I'm lacking confidence about this purchace due to my lack of experience. I know that Yamaha has been making reliable instruments for all levels for quite some time now, and I hope this is one of them (realizing that this flute is older than me).

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:25 pm

Congratulations on your purchase! Sounds like you got a good deal. I would strongly suggest taking it to a local music store for inspection as soon as it arrives, and pick up a beginner book while you are there. If you can afford one, try to find a student to take lessons from (possibly at you seminary?). Most important: HAVE FUN!

Drummer_Girl · Post by **Drummer_Girl** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:37 pm

im thinkin of buyin a flute off ebay aswell.. i have a flute - but its not mine

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 8:47 pm

Be careful. Stick to name brands (you can see several in this forum), and buy from sellers with high feedback scores or good return policies. To be honest, I have had nothing but good experiences with ebay, but I have been playing for many years and I know what to look for. I generally don't recommend it to my students, but I often try to find flutes for them on ebay. Just be careful.

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 10:35 pm

Well, it arrived today. It sounds pretty good to me. It wasn't quite as good as described, but I think it's still pretty good for a $118 Yamaha.

The pads are all pretty good. I glued the loose one with some Elmers (a quick, easily reversable fix, in case something major needs to be done later). A couple of the keys are a touch sticky, the move, just not as springy as the rest.

The body of the flute looks... meh, ok. Good for nickle that's 30 yrs old. I hope I look this shiny in thirty years.

So, not a perfect flute, but a fine starter, especially for such a small price. In tune and all of that.

That said, I'll be over on the newbie boards firing off a million questions.