gemeinhardt or yamaha? help.

justaparadise · Post by **justaparadise** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 11:39 pm

so im a high school student ready for a step-up flute. my band director reccomended me a yamaha-381. (silver head and silver-plated body/foot)

went to the store today.. tried out gemeinhardt 3SB, gemeinhardt 3SHB, yamaha 361 (didnt have 381) , and a sonare

i wasnt in the best environment and some of the flutes i tried out didnt have plugs for the open holes (which is bad cuz i never tried an open-hole) so i was a bit uncomfortable. i didnt know exactly which one i liked better or what was the difference for that matter.

anyways.. i ended up getting a gemeinhardt 3SB. should have i gotten the yamaha? i still have a chance to test it out and return the gemeinhardt. or was the gemeinhardt a good enough choice?

i also tried the sonare.. amazing headjoint. noticed a difference when i tried it out but i was unfamiliar with the brand.

anyways i feel like i violated my band directors advice in a way.. im still undecided.

opinions? dont have a private instructor just yet so deff. need help.
please help.

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 3:31 am

Just play on them, and see which one is best for you.

Sounds like if you liked the Sonare. That is the instrument you should buy. The only problem is that is costs a little more than both the Gemmy and the Yamaha. All of the mentioned instruments are good instruments. My first stepup flute was a 3shb. I think I could have done better, but I could have done a lot worse!

For the extra $200, you really do not gain that muchwith the Yamaha. Testing a lot of Yamahas, the Yamahas dont really start getting good till they come equipped with the EC headjoint, which the 300 series does not have. The 300 series has the same headjoint as the 200 series. The 300 IMHO is nothing more than a higher priced student model.

Sonares are a decent brand, so if you like that one the best, get it. It is a lower price spin off of the Powell, and in fact has a Powell signature headjoint. I agree, the headjoint is cool, but the rest of the instrument is average in my opinion.

The key here is what you are willing to spend, and what you want. The sonare may be the better one out of the 3, but you would not go wrong with any of those choices.

Phineas

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:05 am

Just to let you know, the bodies on the Sonares are constructed in Beijing (as are many of the junk flutes people are warned against), and "quality controlled" at the Powell factory. However, there have been many, many examples of very poor craftsmanship in these bodies despite the fact that Powell technicians are supposed to look them over. One of my friends bought the 7000, and found to his dismay that whoever made the flute had not rolled the tonehole on the G key, leaving it to cut into the pad (which is no small mistake and could not be corrected, meaning he had to give up his brand new flute and go out on the hunt again). Personally I would stick with the Gemmie or the Yamaha, at least until the Sonares have shown decent quality for a while. Either the Yamaha or the Gemmie should serve you well for a few years. I personally dislike Gemeinhardts, but that doesn't mean that they aren't good flutes for you, and obviously you liked them enough to buy one. Don't worry what your director told you to get. It was your money, and you'll be the one playing the instrument, so it's a good thing that you had the courage to buy the one you wanted, and not the one you were told to get. Good luck with your new flute!

mrc01 · Post by **mrc01** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:38 am

flutepicc06 wrote:However, there have been many, many examples of very poor craftsmanship in these [Sonare] bodies despite the fact that Powell technicians are supposed to look them over. One of my friends bought the 7000, and found to his dismay that whoever made the flute had not rolled the tonehole on the G key, leaving it to cut into the pad (which is no small mistake and could not be corrected, meaning he had to give up his brand new flute and go out on the hunt again).

I had a similar experience. When I was trying out different Alto flutes, the Sonare's C# foot keys were binding so if you play low C and roll to C# the C key wouldn't lift. Also the Bb toggle key bound with the A key. This on a brand new flute! I also found the "Powell" headjoint to be underwhelming. Big fat boomy bass but edgy midrange and squeaky at the top.

I'm not trying to bash Sonare flutes - just relating my experience.

BTW, as for "violating" a band director's advice - don't worry about it. Consider his advice as a guide but make your own decision. Get whatever flute plays well in YOUR hands. Nothing wrong with Gemmy or Yamaha.

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:44 pm

I agree with all of the above. Sonare is a relatively new line, and they are still working the bugs out. My Flute professor suggested me to them, for my college flute (she is very biased for anything Powell related), but i didnt like them. Gemeinhardt and Yamaha are both good brands. Keep in mind that when you step up to a professional flute, Gemeinhardt's professional line is not up to par. Yamaha makes the cut, but isn't as widely used as other greats like powell, muramatsu, brannen, miyazawa and many others. I almost got a Yamaha (for my college flute), but decided against it, because it takes up to nine months to put on an additional roller, and I wanted a whole slew with things.

But, for a step up flute, the Gemmy was a good choice. I have a friend who plays flute who played a student model gemmy, then upgraded to the 3sb. with that switch alone, he went from last chair to 2nd chair. He didn't do any extra practicing.

So congrats with your new flute, and may it bring you success!

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:00 pm

Take your director's advice with the proverbial grain of salt, unless he or she is a good flutist. Your step-up purchase should depend on your goals and the amount of money you have to spend. Did you try a Yamaha 400? It's often recommended to skip the 300s in favor of the solid-silver head and body 400s, which has gotten several of my better players though most of college.