Armstrong 80B, dent in Headjoint

[MegB]

I'm considering buying a used Armstrong 80B flute (from 1977), to replace my stolen Gemeinhardt 30SB. I'd like to know 1) any preference for one or the other? and 2) The seller sent a photo of a very small ding in the headjoint, about 1cm from the end. How much, or will this affect the tone?

Thanks!

[fluttiegurl]

To be honest, there is not a lot of difference between what you have and the Armstrong. Just know that this would not be an upgrade, just a side step. As for the dent, depending on which end, the most it will do is keep the headjoint freon fitting correctly in the body. Even if it is at the other end, it can be removed.

[pied_piper]

The Armstrong 80B and the Gemmie 3SB are similar in features and quality, but side-by-side, I'd take the Armstrong over the Gemmie anytime. I use an Armstrong 80 as the backup flute for my Muramatsu. Granted that there is no comparison there, but the 80B is really a bargain for what you get provided it is in good condition.

You mentioned the dent 1 cm from the end. The crown end or the tenon end? If the dent is 1 cm from the crown, it shouldn't hurt anything. If it's in the tenon end, it might interfere with assembling the flute. Either way, a small dent in the tube can be easily removed by a good flute technician.

As for the dent, depending on which end, the most it will do is keep the headjoint freon fitting correctly in the body.

Wow! A freon cooled headjoint? Never seen one of those. Must be for really hot players!

[jmdewey60]

I was reading this thread the other day while contemplating making another EBay Purchase.
I think I might have caught flute fever. For some reason I decided an Armstrong 80 would
be a nice flute for me, maybe because it is a silver body (which I did not have one of yet)
that I thought would be reliable and maybe most important, that I could afford (not really,
but I can cut corners and sacrifice some things to make it fit into my budget).
So I had to be alert and make a couple quick increased bids to win the auction. Here is one
of the promotional photos:

if the picture is not appearing on the page, you can use the direct link
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd56 ... rong80.jpg
It looks nice but maybe needs to be rubbed to get it shiny. What I read on a description
PDF about flutes is that most production silver bodies are plated to be shiny without having to
polish the native silver. I am hoping this has a good base plating so I can clean it up nice
without too much work.
It ended up going for $231.50 which I think is a bargain, of course if it turns out that there is no
problems with it. So now I have four flutes. I made up a code for looking at flutes on EBay to not
waste time on stuff I would not end up wanting anyway. It is, OH/ IG/ CF. What this does is make
their keys practically identical, so theoretically I can pick one up and play it without having to make
adjustments of finger positions. The code means open hole, in-line G, and C foot. I had an extra
advantage that it seems the C foot flutes are not in as high demand, and go for less money without
much competition in bidding.
There are more flutes, it seems than buyers in the market and I see a lot go without any bids and
some that sell with a single bid. This one I hunted down specifically, knowing exactly what I wanted,
and this particular one was the only one which fit the bill.
This has a serial number that starts with a J so I think that means it was made between '65 and '70.
I just won this thing a little while ago and when I get it I can make an evaluation of it. This is going
to be the last one and I need to concentrate on getting the ones I have, into top shape.
Now I will have; an Artley with no model number, but a serial number that dates it to '63.
A Gemeinhardt 3sh. A Yamaha 281. And the one I mentioned here which kind of makes this post on
topic for this thread.

[Phineas]

As for the dent, depending on which end, the most it will do is keep the headjoint freon fitting correctly in the body.

Wow! A freon cooled headjoint? Never seen one of those. Must be for really hot players!

LOL

[jmdewey60]

I found the descriptions for the Armstrong 80 a bit
confusing when it came to the foot joint. This is true
of the older ones like I got which is ser. # J74xx from
the 60's, that the head joint and body are silver, leaving
the rest, including the foot, unspecified. Here's a picture
in its thumbnail version from an EBay listing for another
model 80 of the same era:

This one is more tarnished than mine but could probably
clean up. I bought mine because it looked flawless in the
photos. I paid $235 for it and think it was very well worth it.
I got it in the mail today and all I could find wrong
with it was a tiny scratch on the back side of the head.
The head joint was too loose for me so I took it to the shop
and the owner fixed it in about one minute. The solid silver
body puts a stop to what I call buzziness, meaning it is kind
of dead as far as making some sort of noise of its own as a
vibration or something.
There was another one up for auction, sold for $144.50 (updated).
This flute (Armstrong) compares well with my Artley and may be
better, as for a nice tone. I do have an up to date Yamaha as a
control, so I am not living in a world of vintage only.

[pied_piper]

The description "Sterling Body and Head Only" is simply meant to imply that the keywork is plated rather than sterling. The main section and footjoint together are collectively the body.

[jmdewey60]

Thanks for clearing that up.
I heard it explained different ways by different sellers.
They probably had a terminology back then that is not
so familiar sounding to us today. They also may not have
wanted to put more writing on the flute than necessary.