Buying my daughter a new flute

[SP22]

Hello everyone!

Let me say in advance I have read many of the pages of this forum and found the information to be very helpful.

My daughter has been playing the flute for 4 years now. She has been using the same battered old Armstrong student flute that I had when I played in my school band many many years ago.

She has expressed the desire to continue playing, and I want to encourage that. I still regret my decision to quit playing. It was (is?) hard to be the only boy playing the flute and eventually I just gave up.

ANYWAY...

I live in Maine, which is part of the problem. We have very few stores that have a wide selection of instruments for my daughter to try. If anyone would like to suggest a store within a couple of hours drive from me (as far as Boston to the south and Bangor to the north) I would appreciate it.

So my first question in regards to brands would be about Armstrong. Has the quality of the flutes changed much over the years? Would it be easier for her to transition from a student Armstrong to and intermediate Armstrong than it would be for her to transition to another brand?

I am limited in my choices by price range, I would like to stay under $1000 if I can at all help it (although I might edge upwards if a really good deal was to be had )

I have read good things on this site about a number of brands that have instruments in this price range. Yamaha and Pearl seem to be mentioned frequently, and a few have said that Armstrong is alright. Do you feel that there are other companies that I should be looking at seriously as well?

Now assuming I can't find a good store to go and try out flutes at, which of the online businesses would be best to deal with? I have basically given up on the idea of Ebay, it seems I need a place that offers me a trial period in order to avoid disappointment.

I guess that is it for now. I apologize for the redundancy of yet another "what flute should I buy" thread, and thank you in advance for any advice that can help in my particular situation.


Allen

[flutepicc06]

Well, let me start by saying that as far as step-up or intermediate flutes go, for a new instrument, they generally start around $1500 (of course there are exceptions), so you may also want to consider a used instrument in good condition. Armstrong makes solid student instruments, but unless your daughter play tests the flutes and picks out the Armstrong over all others, there are better flutes to be had. She should have no issue at all switching between brands, though it will take some time for her to grow accustomed to any new instrument, regardless of what make you might end up with. I would suggest also looking at Amadeus, Sonare, Azumi, Emerson, and Trevor James flutes in addition to the Yamahas and Pearls. All of these flutes can be gotten on trial from Fluteworld, and you are responsible only for shipping. Other online options might be Carolyn Nussbaum, the Flute Center of New York, or J.B. Weissman. Boston is home to many professional flute makers, including some of the largest professional flute makers in the world, so there may well be a flute dealer that carries intermediate flutes in that area. Unfortunately, I am not terribly familiar with the area, and cannot suggest one to you. I hope some of this helps answer your questions. Feel free to ask if any more arise, and let us know how the flute search works out for you!

Chris

[woof]

I would echo much of what flutepicc06 said. I recently had the experience of having 4 flutes sent to my home for a 10 day trial from Fluteworld. They were great, helpful, and accomodating- as I am sure other companies would be. Of course that means you have to pick the brand before hand. But I think the sale reps would be very willing to help you make your selection.- especially if you can not find a store nearby. I will say the shipping/insurance etc for the group I looked at costs about what a trip to Boston for the day would cost from Portland- not cheap but well worth it. I had a great experience but it would have been nice to try 20 brands in a store before taking a few home for extended trials. I am a big fan of taking your time because each flute needs a little learning curve to fully appreciate its potential for the player.

Anyway happy hunting and nothing should stop you from jumping back in- duets are fun!!

[SP22]

Thanks for the response, I will have to delve a little bit more into the Boston area and see what is available there.

I guess when I refer to the term "intermediate" I am going by the way the vendors list their flutes, for instance the Emerson EF8BOF is listed as an intermediate flute on the Fluteworld website. The main thing I am looking for is an upgrade for her that will last her through High School (and beyond if possible! )

Next question:

How useful or important is the split E mech? I see it offered as an upgrade to a number of flute models.

The main reason I was considering Armstrong again (other than the durability of the instrument I started with) is that I have seen the discontinued model 87B for sale at under $800.

Thanks again!

[SP22]

Oh, one other thing, her current flute has a c foot, I assume I should go with a b foot on the new one?

[MeLizzard]

Depending on your daughter's goals, I wouldn't write off Armstrong--the new Heritage flutes are still quite nice. Two of my students have owned 87Bs, and, yes, they are discontinued. But, the company's alive and well, recently merging with Selmer (now ConnSelmer), so warranty and parts shouldn't be an issue in the forseeable future. This flute plays well (try it first, but they're fairly consistent) and was inexpensive. The first student who bought one was a late-comer to flute, ninth grade, homeschooled, very bright and hard-working, but still growing as a player. She currently plays it in a college flute choir. This flute has served the second student, whose parents weren't quite prepared to pony up the cash in the $2200-$3000 range, well enough to help her earn superior ratings at Solo & Ensemble festivals, be named principal flutist of the All-State orchestra for two consecutive years, and deliver a sufficiently-successful college audition to receive a non-major performance scholarship for the coming year. While we live in a smallish state, good playing is good playing, and students can be successful on any number of instruments. Go ahead and try this one! If you're wishing to spend under $1000, Armstrong might be a good choice. I'm not sure about Trevor James' playability-to-dollar ratio--I've found them to be inconsistent, but the good ones are good. You may have to spend more than $1000 on one of these to get one that plays truly better than an 87B. Happy shopping!
P. S. The B-foot is nice to have, but not critical. It's almost always standard on intermediate flutes in the US, though not in Europe.

[flutepicc06]

I agree with MeLizzard on the B-foot issue. Your daughter might appreciate having one, but most of the time there is no need for it. Orchestral and modern (solo) music is mostly where you'll find the low B's, so unless she's involved in one or the other, she doesn't NEED it, but it's still nice, and does usually come standard on intermediate flutes. Talk to your daughter about the Split-E, however. Split-E mechanisms are meant to making playing high E's easier (High E is one of the more difficult notes on flute, as it tends to crack for some players), by reducing the venting. It closes off a tonehole that would be open on a flute without the Split-E. Once she has settled on a flute, if she feels that it is excessively difficult to hit E's, or to slur from A3 to E, then a Split E might be right down her alley...That's exactly what the Split E is designed to fix. Be sure that she knows that a Split E will screw up her ability to perform some trills (which is why handmade flutes often have the option of a clutch, or on/off switch for the split E), so it is a trade-off. Another option is what is known as a High E facilitator. Rather than closing a tonehole, it is a disk that sits inside the tonehole to reduce venting. They are cheaper, can be put in and taken out at any time by most competent repair techs, and will not affect trills, but may slightly affect the intonation of A3 (generally flattening it).

[apleasuretoburn]

For my own curiousity, which trills does the split-E mechanism tend to affect? I have a split-E on my flute, but I never realized that difficulty with certain trills can be attributed to that.

[flutepicc06]

Most notably it's G3-A3 that is affected by the split E. It also can affect other alternate/trill fingerings.

[fluttiegurl]

The split-E can also affect intonation in the third and fourth octaves (I noticed that A3 had been mentioned), as well as have frequent adjustment issues. I love mine, but I do not recommend a split-E for a student who is still in high school for the above reasons. It is best to learn to play th high E (which is very possible) without it. Later, she may decide she wants this once she has decided what playing path she will take. For adults who do not play frequently, they are great. For orchestral and symphonic playing, the intoination issues as well as the trils may be an issue.

[flutepicc06]

One more note on the split E: If you happen to buy a flute with an inline G model, you should strongly consider not getting a split E. It is possible (though I don't know if it's an option on the flutes you're looking at) to get an Inline/Split E combo, but in this configuration, the Split E is more likely to cause the mechanism to bind. Just one more word of warning about the Split E.

[mforky]

I have an Armstrong 87B that is 8 years old but has been played very little. The flute and pads look like new. The gold plating is showing a little wear on the lip plate. It has been appraised at $700. It does not have the split E but Fluteworld said that a g-disc can be added to any flute for around $50. I just purchased a used Trevor James from them and am planning to have the g-disc added. They explained that this will act the same as a split E. If you might be interested just pm me and I will give you my phone number and we can talk about my flute.

[flutepicc06]

The G-disc you mentioned is the same thing as the High-E Facilitator I wrote about earlier. It goes by many different names (crescent, g-disc, donut, High-E Facilitator, NEL, etc.), but is the same thing regardless of name.