What Flute.

[JazzySax]

Hello Board, I have decided to try some flute. At 41 years of age I don't have a lifetime to find a good flute to work with so why not ask the board members. I do realize that each person has their own opinions. Im a sax player and in that field I am Selmer loyal , so I am aware of personal preference . I would though like to hear some opinons. The following is what I will be looking for from the flute once I have become an accomplished player of it . I want a piece that gives pure clean tones throughout the register. I would also like it to be easy blowing. For those with access to a music library you can actually listen to the sound I will be looking for. Composer ,Tim Janis has a cd titled ," Across Two Oceans". The flautist on this cd is ,Cinnamon Creeden and on track 11 titled "Beneath The Distance" is the pure tone I mention here. I also realize that as with any instrument the player accounts for much but I also know that a player is limited to the quality of their instrument. With this said Im not looking at present for a $6000 flute yet Im also not looking for a $600 flute unless it is a fine instrument at a great buy . I look forward to everyones opinions. My Sax's are as follows:

Tenor: Selmer Paris Series III Super 80 (Jody Jazz metal mouthpiece,Jody Jazz plastic piece,Vintage Brillhart Tonalin piece)

AltoL Selmer Paris Series II Super 80 (Jody Jazz metal ESP mouthpiece, Vintage Otto Link Slant Sig piece, Jody Jazz rubber piece , Bobby Dukoff vintage metal piece, Brillhart Tonalin vintage).

Soprano: Selmer Paris Series II (Phil Barone rubber mouthpiece, Vintage Metal Selmer Piece and Vintage Metal Dukoff piece both previously belonging to Gene Donati prior to his passing,rip Big Band Man)

On sax I prefer Jazz and the likes of Getz and Coltrane. Im looking to cross over on flute though to a more Tim Janis / Classical Type of playing.
I guess old Jazz players just reach a point in life where we decide to fly straight ,after all we can't just go along bending notes forever :D

Enough on my brass let me hear some wisdom on flutes.

Many Thanks in advance.

[powayflute01]

Hi there! Welcome to the board...hopefully you can find the information you seek here.
I am not a stranger to the saxophone world (I played tenor for five or so years and a lot of my friends play sax), and although I consider myself to be fairly well-informed, I must confess that I have not heard of the Jody Jazz line. I'll have to ask around about it...

I listened to a little bit of the recording you spoke of, and that "clear" sounding flute actually sounds like a wooden irish flute. I'm definitely not the authority on wooden flutes, though...so hopefully someone else here can help out with that.

[JazzySax]

Many thanks for the reply . Jody Jazz mouthpieces are the product of Jody Espinosa (may have did injustice to the spelling). Jody pretty much took over for Runyon and utilizes the removable Runyon spoiler piece within the mouthpiece.They manufacture a line of Soprano ,Alto and Tenor pieces as well as a complete line of Clarinet pieces. Jody has just came out with a new Tenor piece which seems to be drawing rave reviews. I do not do enough with the tenor to justify it's $500 tag but I do hear it is nice. What I like most about Jody's pieces is their effortless blowing. The hard rubber/plastic pieces would allow a beginner to belt out an alto note which would put a window or an eye out . As a matter of fact I some time ago studied sax under a local teacher,real sweet lady and a Peabody Graduate with a flute major. I introduced her to the Jody Jazz HR alto piece and in the process it blew her mind and most likely part of her hearing. I use the ESP gold metal piece by Jody on my alto for volume. My favorite alto setup though is my vintage Brillhart white plastic tonalin and a plasticote reed. With this setup ,playing as far back on the tip as possible you will get a real sweet whispy jazz sound. Same setup works nice on the tenor for that Stan the man Getz sound. As for Jody you will find him very personable and easy to reach.He can be found in NY where he is well known for sitting in from time to time on Broadway in one of the many Orchestras in the Clarinet chair. I can say his metal ESP alto piece was about $300 plus and worth 10 times that much.
it is funny you would mention the wooden irish flute as the times I had listened to that track ,the thought crossed my mind.Perhaps Ms.Creeden might be so kind as to pass by this board and let us know. She plays a beautiful Penny Whistle sound as well. Again many thanks for your reply and should you get the chance ,check out Phil Barone as well ,he is a great guy and makes a wonderful sax mouthpiece.

[Phineas]

My favorite instrument (I Own) is a Buffet/Crampton International model. You can pick up one of these for around $1500 dollars. If you can find one. This flute is a very under rated flute for the the price!

I own a Hayes Standard. The Buffet IMO plays and sounds almost as good and plays better than the Hayes, for 1/3 the money.(Headjoints are really what makes the Hayes!!!). Good durability, Good repairability, Good features.

http://www.buffet-crampon.com/instrumen ... t=features

The international model was replaced by this model. The closest model to mine is the 8053.

Not everyone likes them, but I do. Very well crafted instrument for under $2000. I picked this flute over MANY others in the price range!

Phineas

[JazzySax]

Many Thanks Again Phineas .Im on my way over to the sight to have a look. I has also looked at a Gemeinhardt 2S Conservatory Model, Im still a little hesitant on that one though . I have read where several flutist on other site have said that makers product is not what it use to be. Im not sure if they mean the lower of the line or perhaps the entire line. Thanks Again.

[powayflute01]

Gemeinhardt has become a pretty heated issue as of late...many people claim that the quality of them is simply not what it used to be, while others swear by Gemmy and no other. I'm with the side that says they aren't what they used to be-- I find Gemeinhardts a little harder to play than comperable Yamahas and the headjoints tend to have an element of stuffiness. I own a Prima Sankyo artist model (which is a sort of expensive flute--around $5000 depending on where you go) though it is a very high-quality instrument and I am very happy with it. If you're not looking to spend quite so much on a flute, I would recommend a more advanced Yamaha, such as the 500 or 600 series. I have had only good experiences with Yamaha flutes and I think that it would serve as a nice instrument to learn on that will last a long time. If you still like the "woody" sound of a flute, you could also consider getting a wooden headjoint for your flute. I don't know if you've ever listened to Nestor Torres (latin jazz flutist), but he uses a wooden headjoint on his flute for a warmer tone.

[JazzySax]

Hello Poway , I will be tucking that flute name you provided into my permanent memory . I feel that truly quality instruments are priceless .In the past as a sax player I have spared no expense on the selemers in my room simply because I was fortunate enough to be able to buy them and knew the tone quality they would deliver. As a new flutist though I will start out with something a little less. I have been practicing on a Yamaha 225SII which I picked up on the cheap some time ago. It could use a go over but was cheap and is very playable. Only flaw is the tarnish beneath the keys and a clicking Eb key.
As of late last night though the chance came up to purchase a flute which I believe may be okay. It is a vintage Gemeinhardt M2S all silver conserv. flute. It has just been redone by a professional flute tech in the south. The redo include a full dis-assemble and polish. The item is guranteed to play pure and at a qulaity of conservatory level,or my money back no questions asked. I spoke with a local friend of mine who is an sits flute chair in an orchestra. Upon seeing the item she promptly said buy it as it is being sold by a very reliable source for a well below value price. I have agreed to go ahead with the purchase as believe it or not I sealed this deal for under $450 not a lot under but under ,with a no questions asked money back gurantee. I went onto a flute site in London and found the very same model flute which had been recently sold for L600 Im not familiar with currency conversions but I do know for sure that this is much more than a US amount of $450.
Again I will be tuckng everyones advice into memory as Im sure that down the road I will be seeking other flutes. I like to take music to the high . With Sax I could easily pull out the tenor but I like the challenge of finding the mouthpiece and horn that allows me to get deep on the Alto or vice versa bringing the tenor to an alto tone.My fondness though has always been my Soprano which is what has lead me after years to the flute. So again Im sure given my likes to experiment that I may very well eventually tute many of the flutes mentioned.I would be interested in knowing is anyone has had and played the M2S or would know about it. I went ahead and sealed the deal simply because of the low low price which is next to giving it away ,plus an iron clad money back gurantee. Many Thanks All.

[JazzySax]

Hello All, If you recall , at the beginning of this post I was curious as to the sound Cinnamon Creeden produced on a Tim Janis recording. To all who may have gave that recording a listen ,it is official ,that beautiful tone is that of a Susato high -D Penny Whistle.Take Care

[powayflute01]

How interesting...I thought it might have been a penny whistle, but I dug around online and all I could find was something about an "irish flute". That is a really beautiful sound though!

[JazzySax]

Hello Poway, So true ,it is such a big sound from such a small piece. I like another thought possible a standard size wooden flute. Late yesterday evening though Tim Janis emailed to say it is in fact a Susato hi-d Penny Whistle. Nice part is that from what I can see ,Susato prices their instruments very fair. I only wish they would offer the option of wood .I also understand though that such an option would increase cost and the stability factors of wood and the elements are a real consideration. I cannot say any negatives about abs products though given Creeden's sound and it being enough proof of the quality Take Care

ps. would you know of any legit websites to post classifieds for instrument sales. I have to many and IM running out of space I have two tenor Sax's and IM considering the selling of the one I have rarely touched. It is a Selmer Paris Series III. Very nice professional horn. Ebay is a hard place for such instruments at times. I put up a beautiful Takamine Accoustic Electric guitar for auction once . It ran for 10 days at a price which was about $400 to $500 below list ,still no bids. I understand many are looking for the extreme bargin but before I give them away,I'll shove them into the closet and make them dust collectors Which is just what I have done with the Takamine (Im not a guitar player but this one found its way into my music room,nice sound ,excellent craftmanship and real sweet clean sound .I cannot play it though which makes it an expensive decoration) Any fret players out there interested??????

[powayflute01]

I've never actually sold any of my instruments, so I don't really know of any legitimate places online to sell instruments. I know that selling instruments in classified ads in newspapers is usually a pretty good way to go, but you also don't get quite the same audience that you would by selling it online.
Just out of curiousity, how much are you asking for the Selmer?

[JazzySax]

Hello Poway, I may list it online but not sure yet . When I do put it up for sale I will most likely pin a $2500 price tag on it . The Sax is like brand new and still has the original tags. sale will be the sax and a case with tags .The case has a couple marks on it and it the standard lightweight rectangular case. The horn itself though truly is as new and is a Selmer 80 Series III Tenor with all the engraving. I do so little with it that I cannot justify hanging onto it. When I put it up I will offer the option of a hard flight case instead of the standard case. Flight case is not selmer but is nice and as new. Take Care

[JazzySax]

Good Evening Poway , If you know of any interested parties ,I have decided to sell the Selmer Tenor. I have it listed on Ebay at the present time .It is listed under my seller id which is ceo4profit. I try not to venture onto ebay as I always seem to buy something .Tonight when I listed the Selmer was no different. I went on ,listed the Sax and ended up purchasing a refurbished Haynes flute before I made it back off of the ebay site I also have the Gemeinhardt M2S on the way to me which has also had a professional restoration. Other wind players tell me I will appreciate the Haynes over the M2S Gemein. If this is the case I'll use the M2S for practice and bring out the Haynes for better moments. Again though the Tenor is on ebay with many nice pics .It has been listed for a few hours now and I've had questions from 5 individuals. Take Care and have a great night .