Brannen 15/85 with Lafin head or handmade Powell 14k head

[sashalovestheflute]

I am buying a new flute and am torn between Brannen and Powell!!!!!

Help!!

[fluteguy18]

Pick one, send the other back. It's that simple. I promise.

[cflutist]

Perhaps you should shop for the HJ first since it contributes to tone production more than
the body does.

That's what I did, bought a 14K Williams HJ 4 years ago, and then last year, had Brannen make a 14K body to fit that headjoint.

[Zevang]

That's what I did, bought a 14K Williams HJ 4 years ago, and then last year, had Brannen make a 14K body to fit that headjoint.

I could not agree more. That's exactly my case too.

[sidekicker]

As did I Very good advice Cflutist.

SK

[sashalovestheflute]

I don't have that much money and time.....I want either the Brannen set up or Powell set up....anyone have a strong opinion on either brand?

[pied_piper]

While it does take time to compare flutes, it doesn't require a lot of money. For a small fee, most of the better flute stores will allow you to get two flutes on trial so that you can compare and play test them side-by-side. If you are planning on buying a professional level flute, you owe it to yourself to try them BEFORE buying. If you don't, you may make a big mistake that you will regret later. Invest the time now and avoid mistakes.

Brannen and Powell both make very fine flutes. They both have excellent reputations. When I was looking to upgrade my flute, I had one brand in mind. When I actually went and tried it alongside several other brands, I found that I didn't like my first choice! It just was not right for me. My favorite analogy is that flutes are like shoes - what you buy has to fit you. I like Rockport size 12 shoes. They are excellent shoes! I really like them and recommend them, but are they right for you? The same goes for flutes: YOU HAVE TO TRY THEM TO SEE WHAT IS COMFORTABLE AND BEST FOR YOU!

[Angus]

We just went through the process to upgrade the body for my D's flute. As mentioned bringing several in is the best way to accomplish this, especially if you already have a headjoint you are happy with. We tested other heads as well just to compare and contrast. We are choosing the 15/85 Brannen body over the others tested. It was a perfect match for her Nagahara head (at least in our comparisons and all the opinions we gathered from teachers & professional musicians). I am glad this process has come to a happy conclusion. It was well worth the money spent on the shipping charges without a doubt.

[cflutist]

I am curious if she also tried a silver Brannen-Cooper body and how would she describe the differences between that and the 15/85 body.

[Angus]

The solid silver Brannen is an excellent flute, however with her hj (it's a silver Nagahara with gold lip and plat riser) it just was not a good match for her. It may have worked well for her coach, we just don't know. Requirement #1 for us was that the marriage of the head we bought a while ago to new body had to be as "happy" as possible. I am fairly certain the one she tried was .018 heavy wall of that model.

The biggest difference we all saw (even me with zero flute ability, - would that be ZFA?) was that the tone holes are much shorter - we believe because they are drawn, not soldered on the 15/85 vs the solid silver. Of all the flutes she tried she liked the tone, action and response of the 15/85 best. We are fairly certain that the shorter toneholes are partly responsible for the better feel of the instruments action / response for her. The flute is also lighter than some, perhaps due to the gold content in the tube, which again for her was a plus.

She tried just about everything we could get our hands on, even a Nagahara 950/PT50, which would have been the costliest body. We chose not to spend more than we originally budgeted for, which eliminated the Nagahara from the pack.
The 15/85 for her should carry her through college & beyond. If not, she had better marry rich!

We are very pleased with the dealer we are making this purchase from and would recommend them to anyone.

hope this helps

[Kshel]

I would choose a Brannen over Powell. The mechanism feels lighter to me on a Brannen flute. Just my personal opinion.