First Flute

[Funkey Monkey]

My daughter is joining the 6th grade band next year. The band director has suggested the band members either rent or purchase a Yamaha 281. The rental fees are $42-$52 per month.

Instead, I've been looking at purchasing a used Yamaha flute and having it serviced. I'm lucky to have several reputable techs in the area but I don't have experience with a flute.

Even though the band director suggested 281, I was looking at 261 or 265sii with offset g. Is there anything that I particularly to watch out for in a used flute?

Are there any drawbacks from 265sii from 261 besides age. I saw a nice flute with a small nick (not dent) on the lip plate but it is far from the tone hole. Would that keep you away?

Any suggestions for an excited dad in purchasing first flute for daughter?

[jim22]

Is she just starting to learn flute? If not, what is she playing now? Yamaha's have a very good reputation, but i think even a lower end model would be fine, like a 221. Your idea of a used one is good. If you get a chance, let the tech look at it before you buy it. I personally would not rule out other brands like Armstrong, gemeinhardt, Jupiter or other reputable brands.

[Funkey Monkey]

Thanks Jim. This will be her first year playing the flute. They want her to have an open hole flute.

[flutego12]

Thanks Jim. This will be her first year playing the flute. They want her to have an open hole flute.

They must see potential.
Open hole does give one the option of staying with the flute beyond the first 2 years.
I've noted the models 261, 281 mentioned above have Inline keys.
Personally because I'm small framed, I considered models with Offset keys (221, 211, 271, 371), however, if your daughter has long fingers and is on the verge of a growth spurt, then Inline keys should be ok. [added on] otherwise as Pied_Piper advises, offset is the way to go. And yes get those plugs.
More people however are steering towards Offset now that they are getting older. It is less strain for the fingers.

[pied_piper]

I find it most unusual that the band director recommends an open hole flute for a beginner. Most beginning students start on a closed hole and later transition to an open hole intermediate level flute. 6th grader hands are generally too small to successfully cover the open holes. If you do buy an open hole flute for your daughter, be sure it comes with (or buy) a set of plugs for the open holes. Otherwise, your daughter may become discouraged with the difficulty covering the open holes.

Be sure to read the FAQ at the link below. It has a lot of good information about buying flutes:
http://www.fluteland.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5859

(BTW - I am a former band director and started all my beginning flutists with closed hole flutes. As a flutist, I started on closed holes myself.)

[fluteguy18]

It's actually becoming a trend amongst young band students to start with an open hole model at the request of the band director. Sometimes up to half of the starter flutes sold were with open holes. Jupiter offers a fairly inexpensive open hole, low c model flute that's actually really nice. Having open hole keys is becoming more and more of an option than an 'upgrade'.

[Funkey Monkey]

Can someone comment on what to be cautious in looking for a used instrument (for someone who doesn't play a flute)? I will make sure to only get an instrument that I can take to flute tech and look over, but it would be helpful to know things to look for off the bat.



Will the nick in the lip plate keep you away from buying a used flute for beginner?

@Flutego - Thanks for model list, but I think the 261 is the offset g. I've been looking at 261 and 265sii because I was thinking these were the last two offset g with open hole models in the 200 series.

@Pied-piper - we will get the plugs and thanks for the FAQ link it was very informative.

[pied_piper]

The little nicks in your photo are far enough from the embouchure hole that it should not cause a problem. Some players engrave artwork into their embouchure plates, and those nicks not not appear to be any deeper than engraving. If the nicks were on the edge of the embouchure hole, it might be a problem, but that is not the case with what I can see in the photo.

If that is the only apparent damage, any decent tech should be able to put a Yamaha flute back in tip-top playing condition. A tech should be able to estimate any needed work to do so.

[cflutist]

It's actually becoming a trend amongst young band students to start with an open hole model at the request of the band director. Sometimes up to half of the starter flutes sold were with open holes. Jupiter offers a fairly inexpensive open hole, low c model flute that's actually really nice. Having open hole keys is becoming more and more of an option than an 'upgrade'.

FG18, why is that? So that students learn proper hand position from the get-go?

[flutego12]

Due to price considerations and the young age of their children, most parents start with 221 and 211 sometimes even renting or buying used to gauge their child's interest in the instrument prior to making a larger investment. Young children are less careful and can be fickle about an instrument. Both these flutes are quality flutes - closed hole, responsive and easy to make a good sound - hence a pleasure to learn on, increasing the chances of continuity for the child. These flutes are popular with young children because they are built like a tank and quote verbatim "can be relatively easily and cheaply repaired". As the child progresses in a year or two and decides the flute is their instrument, an upgrade is "encouraged" but I personally know a medical student who minds the shop up the road who finished her grade 8 on a 211 due to financial constraints. Certainly not encouraged but possible.

As your daughter is already 12, she may be a little more responsible and sure of herself, hence the above isn't as crucial. If money is no object, one can afford to be a little more far-sighted, why not purchase a 271 that is open hole, a feature encouraged as one progresses - so as to save yourselves an "upgrade" two years down the line. In the meantime, to facilitate the beginner, you can plug the holes to convert it into a closed hole. In essence, you are buying "two flutes". The two hundred line is virtually identical in design as the 300 (silver hj) and 400 (full silver) except for their silver content - hence best hedge either way. When she is ready, she merely needs a headjoint upgrade until she gets to pre-conservatory level thereabouts. That is just the economic route.

There is nothing stopping a full upgrade in junior high if she is a fast tracker, once she has mastered her foundations on the student flute. The US is full of great well priced flutes, we over here are so envious of. You have a smorgasboard of powells, altuses, miyazawas, muramatsus, ... she is very blessed indeed.

Hope this helps.

[Funkey Monkey]

I wanted to give you an update and tell everyone thanks. I purchased a used Yamaha 265sii online for $278. The pictures looked good and the seller had a very high rating selling used instruments with a long return period. I took the flute to a highly regarded tech and he said the flute was in great shape for a used instrument. He suggested doing a COA and replacing two pads which will cost me $74. So for $352, I will have a flute ready for my 6th grader to start the new school year. Yeah!

As a side note, after reading everything here and learning what to look for in a flute, I spotted a counterfeit Yamaha 271 from a different seller. I sent an online complaint and the items were removed.