Should I buy this Brannen?

[yjh]

After trying quite a few flutes, I decided i like a used silver Brannen, which is also the only Brannen around here. It is at least 5 years old, and the price is a massive $14,415. I checked the Brannen site, and according to the price list there, a new silver flute is $11,965, so i think the used one is a bit overpriced. Even if i add the import tax on top of a new flute, it is still less than the asking price of this used one. so i started thinking maybe it is better to order a new one coz even with the flight added to pick it up from the US it is still cheaper than this used one. The drawback would be that there would be a long wait, and there is a risk that i might not like the one that is ordered，　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｙｏｕ　ｃａｎ’ｔ　ｔｒｙ　ｉｔ. Has any one had ｅｘｐｅｒｉｅｎｃｅ　ｏｆ　ｂｕｙｉｎｇ　ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ　made to order?　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｙｏｕ　ｂｕｙ　ｔｈｅ　ｕｓｅｄ　ｏｎｅ　ｏｒ　ｃｈｏｏｓｅ　ｔｏ　ｏｒｄｅｒ　ａ　ｎｅｗ　ｏｎｅ？　Any thoughtｓ/opinions on this would be greatly appreciated. Ｔｈａｎｋ　ｙｏｕ．　

[Zevang]

In any case, I'd say buying new is the best option.
Did you check if the overpriced used you are insterested in is the same model, with the same features as the new one you researched?
Some items may cause a huge difference in price, like gold headjoints, platinum risers and so on...
Anyway, if the used one is really overpriced and there is no margin for negotiation, I'd say it's worth waiting. The biggest difference you can expect is the embouchure make. If you can make sure you're ordering the same as this one you like, I think you will be in the right path.

[yjh]

hi Zevang

Thank you very much for your reply. This is an all silver, with no additional features like trills, etc. Headjoint is silver as well with no other precious material variations. It does have split E so the new one with split E would be $12,995, which is still cheaper than the asking price of the used one. There is no information on the headjoint cut, so I can only suppose it is the traditional one. Brannen has only two options and from the description they are probably not massively different. The shop says they don't know how old exactly the flute is, and told me it won't be older than 15 years. However my friend who has a Brannen guessed it's maybe 5 years old from the serial number. It seems that Brannen has a good reputation, but if the $14,415 price is realistic it almost seems that used Brannen don't depreciate! (I read somewhere that used instruments normally lose about 25% of their value). I think you are right i need to check and see whether there is any room for negotiation. Many thanks!

[fluteguy18]

It is true that Brannen flutes don't depreciate. In fact, most of the time they retain their value, or appreciate in accordance to the price of a new instrument from their company. However, that asking price is indeed quite steep for that instrument.

Brannen is a company that is extremely good with their customer service. I wouldn't hesitate to order from them. In fact, when I have the finances, I myself plan on ordering a Brannen of my own. They offer a very adequate headjoint exchange system in case you don't like the headjoint they send.

Another thing that is worth mentioning is Brannen's consistency. Most companies are consistent in terms of quality, but their instruments have widely different playing characteristics (even within the same model). While Brannen's headjoints do play quite differently from headjoint to headjoint (but not outside the realms of normal variation), the playing characteristics of their bodies are very consistent.

So, while you may have to try a few headjoints to get the one you like, I would bet that the body will play quite similarly to the used one you are looking at.

I would go for it! The wait will be a pain (because the Brannen representative I spoke with last week said that if I ordered now I wouldn't get it until June/July), you ultimately could get an instrument that you like far more, or a similar instrument at the least.

(And sorry... I know I'm trumpeting my favorable views of Brannen, but I really love their flutes. )

[ABC]

Thanks alot.
What is the difference between gold and silver flutes?

[pied_piper]

Gold flutes are a model AU
Silver flutes are a model AG.

They are the same except for the material each is made from. Some say that gold has a darker sound while silver has a brighter sound. Depending upon who is playing, they can sound the same or different.

[fluteguy18]

Pied Piper basically said it in a nutshell. I personally find that I can push gold more before the notes crack. Furthermore as a general opinion of my own, I generally find my sound to have more depth and texture on gold, but I have to work harder to get clarity in the upper register when playing pianissimo. I find silver to have more brilliance than gold, but I can't push it as far.

These however are my experiences and I know people who have had the exact opposite opinions in relation to their playing.

[Zevang]

These however are my experiences and I know people who have had the exact opposite opinions in relation to their playing.

This essencially tells everything. Nothing can substitute someone's own experience in trying different instruments. You can pick a general guide line, but at the end, what really counts is YOUR own experience (and of course, the money available to afford this or that material...)

[wtogami]

Pied Piper basically said it in a nutshell. I personally find that I can push gold more before the notes crack. Furthermore as a general opinion of my own, I generally find my sound to have more depth and texture on gold, but I have to work harder to get clarity in the upper register when playing pianissimo. I find silver to have more brilliance than gold, but I can't push it as far.

This is totally true in my experience. I tried over 30 headjoints in Boston area companies. I like the dynamic robustness and darkness of gold but I feel that it is missing a spinning brightness characteristic of silver. My former teacher explained to me that gold generally wont "speak" (word she used) for a soloist to the back of a concert hall like silver. In any case I found an interesting option in Burkart's 998 headjoint. It is a heavy silver headjoint, constructed denser and harder than sterling silver. I heard multiple sources describe it as a hybrid of dark gold-like and silver tone colors. Having played on it I feel that this is an accurate description. I can push that headjoint HARD without cracking.

I suppose this is a Brannen thread, so I'll mention my Brannen headjoint experience for comparison. I tried Brannen's standard sterling silver headjoint with "Modern" cut and found it to be very easy and enjoyable to play. Their Brogger mechanism flute was also very smooth and a delight. It had a bright "silver" tone like what I hear in my mind. I had a much easier time playing on the Brannen, while I felt uncomfortable on the Burkart 998. But then my teacher said I sounded better on the Burkart. Apparently the Burkart 998 has higher resistance and I would need to become a stronger player to handle it.

The 998 headjoint seemed like a great option for me, but I hesitate because of its weight. My favorite Landell headjoint was a 14K gold. It sounded GREAT. It was 17% lighter than the 998. (93 grams vs 77 grams.) The 998 I believe is 0.016 inch wall while the Landell was 0.012 inch. Gold is so much denser than silver that it seems you don't need a thicker wall in order to achieve the desired darkness. So it seems you can achieve a lighter weight flute (important if you play a lot and develop tendonitis) if you spend more money. (BTW, Landell currently has a 14K gold flute for sale. The mechanism of that flute is SOOO smooth and the entire flute feels light weight and well balanced.)

http://www.youtube.com/user/ninaflute
One of Nina Perlove's videos she talks about a platinum riser in a headjoint as adding a "shimmer" to the sound. This has been my experience too, as my favorite headjoint after trying many has been Burkart 998 with platinum riser. I would have never believed that such a tiny piece of metal makes a big difference if I didn't experience it myself.