Hi, My daughter and I are impressed with your site (so
far!). We are going to be learning flute together. (She has an advantage as she
can already play clarinet and sax!) We purchased from a reputable dealer a used
Armstrong 303 flute. I''m wondering about the instrument, if it was a good
choice... and... about the ''solid sterling silver'' headjoint: the crown
has some silver flaking off, revealing..um..what looks not to be silver. Should
I be concerned? Is the crown exempt from the solid sterling silver part of it?
Is there plating on top of the solid silver that might just be tarnished? I''m
just wondering as I really am new to flutes and don''t want to be a pain in
the neck unless I deserve to be! The next piece is labeled with the model, but
the headjoint merely says Armstrong and ''sterling silver.'' I will end up
taking it to the dealer most likely, but I wanted some background in case there
is a problem. Thanks for your help! K
Tell me about my new flute
Moderators: Classitar, pied_piper, Phineas
Tell me about my new flute
Dear K, For a beginning flutist, Armstrong
flute that you bought will serve you well. Regarding the crown, it is probably
just silver plated (this varies from model to model), as is the body and
footjoint on that model, and is peeling of (solid silver should have no
additional plating). That shoudn't really be happening but it will not affect
your sound. Maybe you can still ask the dealer about it and see what they say,
maybe they give you a discount. In any case, this will not affect your flute's
performance. Regarding model labeling, all flutes are labeled on top of the body
of the flute and not on the headjoint so it shouldn't be a concern. We hope
this helps. If you have any other questions, please ask.
flute that you bought will serve you well. Regarding the crown, it is probably
just silver plated (this varies from model to model), as is the body and
footjoint on that model, and is peeling of (solid silver should have no
additional plating). That shoudn't really be happening but it will not affect
your sound. Maybe you can still ask the dealer about it and see what they say,
maybe they give you a discount. In any case, this will not affect your flute's
performance. Regarding model labeling, all flutes are labeled on top of the body
of the flute and not on the headjoint so it shouldn't be a concern. We hope
this helps. If you have any other questions, please ask.
Damjan, --- Fluteland.com Teacher
Tell me about my new flute
Thanks for your quick reply! As for the
labeling, my concern was whether there was a way to tell whether the headjoint
was the 'right' one for the model, or whether some substitution may have
occurred, since the flute was bought used. Is there some way to tell if the
headjoint is the correct one for the model? By the way, thanks to your
instructional online videos, my daughter and I can now play a very good
rendition of 'Mary had a little lamb'. K
labeling, my concern was whether there was a way to tell whether the headjoint
was the 'right' one for the model, or whether some substitution may have
occurred, since the flute was bought used. Is there some way to tell if the
headjoint is the correct one for the model? By the way, thanks to your
instructional online videos, my daughter and I can now play a very good
rendition of 'Mary had a little lamb'. K
Tell me about my new flute
Dear K, there isn't really a way to check
whether the headjoint belongs to the model. Very often, you would be given an
option to pick the headjoint for your flute (although this does not happen often
on student model flutes). For that reason, they are not necessarily linked
together. Your headjoint is probably really silver, with a crown just silver
plated. If the dealer is reputable, I do not think you should worry much. I am
glad that the lessons are helping you. Make sure you spend time practicing the
lessons of flute basics, they are essential and will become even more so as you
become better and better.
whether the headjoint belongs to the model. Very often, you would be given an
option to pick the headjoint for your flute (although this does not happen often
on student model flutes). For that reason, they are not necessarily linked
together. Your headjoint is probably really silver, with a crown just silver
plated. If the dealer is reputable, I do not think you should worry much. I am
glad that the lessons are helping you. Make sure you spend time practicing the
lessons of flute basics, they are essential and will become even more so as you
become better and better.
Damjan, --- Fluteland.com Teacher