Hey all,
I'm looking into buying an Alto flute as I'm looking to own as many instruments that have appeared in my musical pit orchestra books as possible. I found an alto on ebay made by Venus (which I know is not a reliable brand) for $799.00 including BOTH headjoints. Because I am looking for low cost (college student, here. 'nuff said) and the alto is not going to be my primary instrument (or even used very often), my question to you is is it ok to invest in an iffy instrument or is Venus just SO unreliable it wouldn't even be suited for the performances I DID play with it? I really only play in community pit orchestras... nothing professionally. What say you, and can you recommend other cost-effective brands?
Buying an Alto Flute
Moderators: Classitar, pied_piper, Phineas
-
PianoGenius
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2008 12:39 am
- Location: Massachusetts, USA
- Contact:
-
fluttiegurl
- Posts: 882
- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:05 pm
An iffy instrument, even if it is not for an all the time instrument is not always such a good deal. You would be much better off to look into used altos. I sometimes see Gemeinhardts and Armstrongs for under $1,000 on ebay (of course, use good judgment and be careful even then).
My first alto was a Jupiter. It was a decent instrument, easy to play and held up well. The biggest issue I had was intonation with the curved headjoint, but it worked well with the straight headjoint. The last time I checked, they atrat out new at around $1,500.
In my opinion, Venus has proven to be one of those brands I choose to avoid altogether due to past experiences with students.
My first alto was a Jupiter. It was a decent instrument, easy to play and held up well. The biggest issue I had was intonation with the curved headjoint, but it worked well with the straight headjoint. The last time I checked, they atrat out new at around $1,500.
In my opinion, Venus has proven to be one of those brands I choose to avoid altogether due to past experiences with students.