I spotted what looks like a great second hand flute yesterday, an older model muramatsu with a john webb headjoint. It was selling for a great price (plus I'd do practically anything to own a webb!) and the retailer would not give me it on approval. To try the flute i'd have to pay the full asking price and send it back within seven days if the flute isnt what I expected. I agonised over it all day and finally rang the retailer back five minutes before closing and gave him my credit card details.
I never thought I'd do something like this! I'm so excited and nervous. I'm almost hoping it will be a wreck so I won't have any qualms about sending it back.
Absolutely! Personally, I doubt I would ever have the courage to do anything like that. I am just a little too paranoid that something will go wrong, so I take my time and agonize over ever single little detail. So much to the point that when I purchased my new flute a few months ago, I went over every little detail to ensure that this was the EXACT same flute [Maker, serial number, riser material, headjoint cut, key cup style, open holes, extra options, b-foot,.... you name it, I verified it]. Sometimes I just worry so much that it works against me. But, I guess the perfectionist within is one of the things that drives me as a musician.
I do this all of the time, Buttercup, but it depends how much I am going to pay for it. If a flute is less than $1500, I do not have a problem mail ordering it. Past that, I will not buy a flute unless I play on it. If I pay more than $500 for it, I am getting it from a dealer. Used flutes I almost exclusively get from a dealer. I have gotten this way from past experiences.
Way back when I use to be a pawnshop cruiser. It was not that long ago that Pawnshops would have instruments they did not know the value of. If you were not too impulsive, you could clean up on used instruments. The problem was almost all of these flutes needed work. When I would buy these instruments, I always considered a $100 markup for COA on top of the purchase price. I bought an Armstrong 104 for $50 dollars, and dumped another $50 for a COA. It was a steal!!!!! Another time I found a Gemmy 3S for $200, did a $60 COA. I have found all types of nice instrument(Not just Flutes). Those days are gone! Now Pawnshops are Antique museums.....lol Most of the time, I get these flutes fixed up, keep them for a year, then give them way.
First impressions... not what I was building myself up for, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Webb headjoint is totally different from my current one (Oxley). The upper registers respond far more easily, it's easier to tongue and double tongue but the low register is not as full and rich as my Oxley. Is that a trade off I can handle?!
The Muramatsu looks like it must be at least 10, 15 years old (and that certainly was reflected in the price) but it's mechanically spot-on as far as I can see.
Time will tell! I think I'll end up keeping it for now. I only have seven days to make up my mind before the money back period runs out, and I don't think that will be enough. I suppose I can always sell it on if I need to.
Hi Buttercup, you have a dilema there don't you !! I too have an Oxley headjoint (gold lip and riser) and i keep thinking i want to get a different make, and just when i have made up my mind to go shopping this Oxley projects a tone and quality i haven't heard before, so i still think that there are possibilities with this headjoint that i haven't yet discovered
I know exactly what you mean with the lower register, it's exquisite, and it's nice to meet someone else that plays one
Buttercup wrote:First impressions... not what I was building myself up for, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Webb headjoint is totally different from my current one (Oxley). The upper registers respond far more easily, it's easier to tongue and double tongue but the low register is not as full and rich as my Oxley. Is that a trade off I can handle?
This is unfortunately a common problem people run into with higher end headjoints. I don't know much about Webbs or Oxleys, but for years (about 20, in fact) I searched for a headjoint that did not enhance one register at the expense of another. I always ran into the opposite problem: the heads would sound great in the lower register then thin out considerably in the higher range. I was unwilling to compromise and just waited until I found what I wanted. Actually, I was lucky enough to find two; one gold and one silver. Both have excellent continuity, response, and wide tone color palette throughout the whole range of the flute.
So, I guess this type of "trade off" is not one I could ever handle . But to each his/her own. I just don't see paying a lot of money to essentially trade one problem in for another.
Hey guys. I know this is an old thread but I thought i'd post an update on how my flute and I are getting along a couple of months on
It's just gorgeous. The Webb is sumptuous in all ranges and it flatters my playing unbelievably. Yes- it took me a while to figure out how to get the best out of it but now I'm in love. The lower register is rich and the upper register is silky! A risky purchase with a happy ending
brina wrote:that's the best way to buy a flute. when u find the perfect one, u have to buy it cause u won't find a better one.
The best way to buy a flute is to play test many different options against each other. This particular story had a good ending, but simply buying a flute off the internet and hoping for the best can have some unfortunate downsides as well.
. But to each his/her own. I just don't see paying a lot of money to essentially trade one problem in for another.
thanks for the update.