G.S Hüller flute

[badnick1]

Hi!

I'm talks to buy a G.S Hüller flute and I need some advice for my bidding.

The seller claims that the wieght of the flute (480 grams) indicates that it would be silver. Is there any validity to that claim, can you draw conclusions about the materials from the wight?

Second: Anyone have experience with G.S Hüller flutes, what would a reasonable bid be for a playing condition? I know they are made in East Germany and the company was partly nationalized during the 1970s.

Here is a picture of the flute: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/12/20061394.jpg/

Thankful for any information and advice!

[James_Alto]

I'm talks to buy a G.S Hüller flute and I need some advice for my bidding.

The seller claims that the wieght of the flute (480 grams) indicates that it would be silver. Is there any validity to that claim, can you draw conclusions about the materials from the wight?

Second: Anyone have experience with G.S Hüller flutes, what would a reasonable bid be for a playing condition? I know they are made in East Germany and the company was partly nationalized during the 1970s.

Errr... sounds like the seller is trying to give you a sales pitch?

The weight of the flute ...is extremely useful ... for telling you if your arm is going to ache! Not if it is made of German silver, .925 silver, or silver plated......!

Huller flutes come in different shapes and sizes. Do check firstly, that you are buying one that plays at modern pitch A=440Hz, otherwise you will be playing lone ranger solos. Hard to give you a ball park, but no more than say, the cost of a new quality modern flute with no issues - that would be best. If the keys are seized; pads missing; springs shot; corrosion or cracks ... it's not worth the postage cost.

Reform embouchures can be good too - Huller did make some nice flutes. They usually marked the headjoint - not just the body. Do check, that yours isn't a generic headjoint, tacked onto a Huller body.

I tried a German simple system Huller flute. It was 'darker' than a Boehm flute and very nice, but not worth the retail pricetag on it. You'll be bidding against collectors, so if you're into flutes for playing, it might be best to start elsewhere....

[badnick1]

Thank you very much for the reply!

Payed about 140 USD for the flute, it's in better condition than I expected. Only issue seems to be that the G# key makes a small clicking noise sometimes when you press it. Not a big issue I guess, but somewhat annoying

[pied_piper]

If the G# key is clicking, it's one of two issues.

The felt or cork under the G# arm is missing and the arm is making a click when it touches the body.
Or
The key arm is slightly bent up which allows the pad cup to raise too high and it is hitting the trill key shaft.

Look closely while pressing the key and you should be able to see the cause. Either problem can be easily fixed. 10 minutes work for an experienced flute technician...