gemeinhardt 22sp

cavefish · Post by **cavefish** » Mon May 09, 2005 2:56 pm

i sure this has been done before but i am new.i am a low whistle player have been for a while and i thought i would get into the flute, i bought a couple of these for me and my daughter, are they any good or are these cheap flutes

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Wed May 11, 2005 9:04 pm

This is a standard beginner's flute, not my first choice*, but still an established, old brand. They're not really in the "cheap flute" category. (Usually reserved for those import jobbies, best used for lamp bases, lol!) Other flutes in similar price range include those made by Armstrong, Emerson, and Yamaha. *For the past ten or so years, Gemeinhardt's experienced super intonation issues, and occasionally mechanical annoyances as well. A few of my students have needed these flutes adjusted every few weeks, and these were NOT clutzy, careless players. HOWEVER, through a random deal with Koregelos (now out of the flutemaking biz) they've aquired all of his tooling and scale specs. I was skeptical, but after playing several of the NEW flutes (the OLD ones are still available as well), I was a bit more impressed with them compared to other similarly-priced flutes than I have been in quite a while. The new flutes are the 70 series, instead of 3SB or 3B, etc., they're 73SB or 73B, etc. The standard headjoint wasn't my favorite, but a few of the newly-designed heajoints were much better than the previously-available models. These models may be tough to find, as there are very few dealers for this specific line of flute. Almost all band instrument dealers will carry the older-design flutes. Our Gemeinhardt rep told us that, for exmaple, there are currently only four dealers selling the 70 series in Ohio, and only one in Michigan. We'll see how this one works out!

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Mon May 23, 2005 10:11 pm

I agree that the 22SP's are good beginners. Not top of the line, but good starter flutes. Many of my students have started on them. Most got fed up with the regular need for maintenance and went with another brand when they upgraded. I am fortunate to have a Gemeinhardt dealer near me who carries the new 70 series. I took one (a standard beginner 72SP) home for a test drive and found it to be a much better flute that I had imagined it would actually be. I hope this is a move in the right direction for the company.

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Tue May 24, 2005 8:14 am

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised; they are much better than I anticipated. There's certainly still a market for that brand--all those moms who grew up playng in the '60s and '70s, who come in and say,"I want a Gemeinhardt flute for my daughter.". We all no longer silently groan and try to figure out how to divert their motives toward other brands, lol.