Which flute to buy?

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:36 pm

fluttiegurl wrote:I really like the Amadeus as well. There were some mechanical issues in the beginning, but I think they have got most of them ironed out. I like the playability as well as the sound.

Although the Amadeus is a good quality instrument, I never did care for them. Since the queen of the flute board ("Fluttiegurl") likes them, I may have to check them out again.

I like the headjoint, but I did not think the mechanism did the headjoint justice. Maybe after reading user reviews they have improved. I will have to try one and see. I use to feel the same way about Pearl, but they drasticly improved.

I like the 500 series Yamaha better over all. You get a great headjoint, and a matching mechanism. I use to own a YFL514, and absolutely loved it until I bought my Miyazawa...lol The 500 series is killer!

MissyHPhoenix wrote:I have to keep myself under control 'cause I know I could easily end up with a flute collection!!!

Yeah, I had a pretty good cloection going for a while...lol You only live once!

Here is my old collection
Buffet/Crampton international model SS head SP body/Openhole/Bfoot
Melody(Chinese Yamaha Copy) SP/closedhole/C Foot
Barrington 996 Piccolo SP Head/Composite body
Haynes Standard(1980)(Great headjoint!)
3Venus Piccolos(Blue, Green, Purple) Play good, but disposable.
2Hawk Flutes(Black, Blue)Better that expected, need minor adjustment.
Armstrong 104(Everyone should have one of these rugged things!)
Jinyin SP/ClosedHole(Up and comming world class chinese flute maker thinking seriously about buying one of their higher end instruments!)
Shanghai Piccolo (One of the finer piccolo I have played on for under $1000. All Wood/Silver keys/Conical bore!) Too bad you can only buy one of these in China!

I went through a stage of buying Chinese stuff. The chinese stuff has even gotten better since then, but so has the prices!

Here is my current collection

Miyazawa Legacy 1E SSHead/Silver-clad body/Closedhole/9k Gold Plate LP (Japanese market)
Pearl Quantz 665 SS Head/Silver Clad body/Openhole/Bfoot
Yamaha225S II Silver plated.
Armstrong 210 Piccolo SS Head/SS Body/ Gold Plate LP and Keys

Welcome to the collector club.

Phineas

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:46 pm

That is too bad indeed Phineas.

Especially since it is looking like my trip to Asia is going to fall through.

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:33 am

That is too bad Mark, I was looking forward to hearing my Taiwan friends telling me how bad you were...lol

Oh well maybe next time!

Phineas

MissyHPhoenix · Post by **MissyHPhoenix** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:00 pm

I didn't mean to sound like I don't like my Yamaha anymore -- I do! I love both the Yamaha and the Amadeus; it's just that when my arthritis kicks up in my hands, the Amadeus is a bit easier on the fingers.

Just a question -- does anybody have an opinion on the Brio? I saw a rose-gold plated Brio on Fluteworld that I thought was absolutely beautiful, but been hearing bad things about the brand and about gold-plating in general. Any opinions?

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:54 am

MissyHPhoenix

Yeah, there may be some truth to the Amadeus having a lighter action than the Yamaha, however that can always be adjusted by a good flute technician.

As far as the Brio, I played on a couple of them a couple of weeks ago. It is my opinon that that are very good flutes for the money. I could easily live with having one. However, they were nothing I would get excited about playing. The good thing about Gemeinhardt is they give you a choice of any Gemeinhardt headjoint you prefer at no extra cost. Since I was not intending on buying it, I decided not to try out the different headjoints. The one I tried the Brio out on was flexible enough, but still a little restrictive.

As far as the "gold plating", it really does not make any difference to the sound of the instrument. It is also completely harmless. I think most people that complain about gold plating are mainly refering to those imfamous Chinese Ebay flutes.

Remember, if you got the money on your credit card, you can always have Fluteworld send you one to try out. If you dont like it, send it back. If there is a Samash store near you, you can always go there to try it out.

Phineas

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:07 am

The Brio did not do as much for me as I thought initially. Once I got one home (I play test for a local company that sends flutes for me to try out for weeks at a time), it was just like any other Gemeinhardt. Now keep in mind that as a step up flute, that is not all bad, and like Phineas said, it's decent for the money. One of my students sounded fantastic on it. The others, well had pretty much the same opinion as me. I tried the Sheridan headjoint on another flute and did not care for it much at all.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:38 pm

Phineas wrote:That is too bad Mark, I was looking forward to hearing my Taiwan friends telling me how bad you were...lol

Oh well maybe next time!

Phineas

And I was looking forward to meeting them.

MissyHPhoenix · Post by **MissyHPhoenix** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:22 pm

Phineas & fluttiegirl:

Thanks for the input! There are so many flutes out there that I don't know anything about.

I saw another post about buying an entry-level (I think that was the term ...) handmade flute versus a machine made one for the amount of money that was being discussed. $2900 - $3500??? What brands are those? Does it make that much of a difference?

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 6:02 am

MissyHPhoenix

I have argued the fact many times that there is no such thing as an entry or professional level flute. If you find a flute YOU like, and you can play what you want on it without restriction, then it is the flute for you. Features, materials, how it is made REALLY does not matter in the long run as long as it is not junk! Another thing I always say.........

A good musician can play on a piece of junk and make it work. If you suck, a $10000 dollar instrument will not help you!

Just about every popular brand makes both handmade, and manufactured flutes. Even manufactured flutes are still assembled and setup by hand. What really makes the difference is the headjoint. Before it got stolen, I had a Buffet International Flute. The stock head joint was O.K., but the mechanism was great. I bought a wood headjoint for it, and this made it a different instrument(I really miss that setup!).

As far as brands, you can find those in the Flute FAQ 2.0 Thread
http://www.fluteland.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=2411

There is plenty of other information there that may help you also. Unfortunately, you will not find much on this message board about flute reviews. Every so often, people will express their views about likes and dislikes, but that is as far as it goes. I have learned the hard way that some of these people have names for their instrument, and treat them like pets...lol We definitely do not want offend anyone by trashing their prized posession.

Phineas

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:12 am

I am not afraid to say what I think about a flute, but at the same time, everyone plays different. We will not all get the same results on the same instruments. I hope that always comes across.

To answer your handmade question, definitely give them a try. You may or may not see a huge difference and as Phineas said, the headjoint is going to be the biggest consideration. However, when I made the change to handmade the biggest thing I noticed was the lack of constant maintenance that I was dealing with. In the end, it has to be your decision. You may also find that putting a fantastic headjoint on your Armstrong may make a huge difference. That's pretty much what the Amadeus, Brio, Sonare, Azumi. . .and the list continues to grow, is doing.

The key is playing as many as you can before deciding what is right for you. Try flutes in all price ranges and designs. Some will even surprise you.

MissyHPhoenix · Post by **MissyHPhoenix** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:49 pm

Thank you both very much. The main thing about this forum that I enjoy so much is the depth of knowledge so many of the members have about flutes in particular and in general.

I know my weakness, and therefore I expect sometime this year I'll be getting flutes from FluteWorld to try out, even tho I have 2 wonderful flutes already. I'm just so curious about all of the types I keep reading about. THey all sound so wonderful!

MissyHPhoenix · Post by **MissyHPhoenix** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:33 am

Huh. Just saw something I had to ask an opinion on. Has anybody ever tried the Orpheo composite flute? What is that like? (another one of my "type of flute" questions -- it just looks neat!)

Thanks in advance!

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:16 am

MissyHPhoenix

The Orpheus flutes are very similar to the Pearl flutes. They are Taiwanese flutes. I have not played on one specificly, but I am familiar with some of the story behind their existence. Steve Goodsen use to be a Pearl flute dealer, but changed over to Orpheo a couple of years ago. This is the same dealer/distributor that sells the LA Sax brand. I got a chance to meet Steve a few years back at a NAMM show. (He was part of the reason I wound up with a Pearl Flute in the first place!)

Since it looks like they are made in the same factory in Taiwan, I would not be too concerned about the quality. If you decide to buy it, you will have to let us know about the sound of it. It may be a good dependable substitue for a wood flute, in which case will sell like hotcakes. From the looks of it, the street value should be around $1000!

There seems to be a trend right now with people getting things custom manufactured in Taiwan and China. These days, instead of the Taiwanese and Chinese pushing their own brand into the market, they are pushing their manufacturing services. These companies claim they will make an instrument any way you want, to the Quality standards you want. Orpheo is and example of this.

Please let us know if you get your hands on one. I will try to find one to try out!

Phineas

MissyHPhoenix · Post by **MissyHPhoenix** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:02 pm

Phineas:

I decided to take a chance and ordered an Orpheo composite. I'll let you know what I think about it after it's here. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I'm basically getting it to play with in a group I"m in that plays renaissance-type music -- violins, cellos, recorders, and flutes. I'm hoping that this will add some depth to the flute section, or at least a bit of difference! We'll be playing at a Ren Faire in May and that should be a good test of it. The representative I talked to said it sounds like a wooden flute, with the warm tones associated with that type, without the worry of taking an expensive wooden flute outside. I'll let you know what I experience.

Thanks for your opinions, as usual.

stoeckle · Post by **stoeckle** » Sat May 17, 2008 6:04 pm

So, Missy,

How's the flute you ordered in March? Tell us, tell us!