I'm kinda in the market to buy I flute. Kinda lost mine in pawn! ERRR... Anyways, I'm looking for something that sounds good. I don't care if it's new and shiny and all that.
I wanted to know if there are any older makes and models of flutes that that would maybe be just as good as some of the newer ones out there.
Thank you!!
^_^
Are there any older flutes out there that sound as good?
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BlackSakura
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:19 am
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flutepicc06
- Posts: 1353
- Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 11:34 pm
Absolutely there are. There are some people that swear by vintage French flutes by famous makers like Louis Lot and Bonneville, and these flutes can still out perform many modern instruments. There are, of course, quite a range of prices available, so if you're looking for any kind of suggestions, could you let us know what kind of a budget you have?
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BlackSakura
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:19 am
Old flutes
Hi BlackSakura,
You may look for Haynes, Powells or Muramatsus too.
They are in the market for a long time, and have many excelent makes, really durable and reliable flutes.
Anyway, don't buy anything you can't experiment. Mostly these old flutes need a close look to see if even with minor adjustments/repairs they will work properly.
Zevang
You may look for Haynes, Powells or Muramatsus too.
They are in the market for a long time, and have many excelent makes, really durable and reliable flutes.
Anyway, don't buy anything you can't experiment. Mostly these old flutes need a close look to see if even with minor adjustments/repairs they will work properly.
Zevang
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fluteguy18
- Posts: 2311
- Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:11 pm
Also, If you aren't wanting to go down the road of Vintage Professional flutes, you can also look for Vintage Gemeinhardts or Armstrongs. For the beginner and intermediate flutist they are a pretty good buy. I have two friends who play armstrong flutes (they are sisters). One of them plays a Vintage Armstrong (family heirloom from mother) and the other is a new Armstrong. Even though I know different players play differently, the Vintage plays much better than the new one (Same flute model, just 20+ year time difference)
Also, don't discredit new(er) instruments either. It is true that you will get the most bang for your buck with a used instrument, but these used instruments dont have to be over 20 years old. You could look around for demo flutes that dealers have let others try out in thier store (these are normally very good deals, but make sure the instrument is in good playing condition).
Here are some big names to look for in the beginner/intermediate market: Gemeinhardt (some like 'em some dont), Armstrong (I have one of thier basic Pro models right now), Yamaha (great instruments from thier student all the way up to thier pro models. Very durable) Pearl (Again, some like them some don't).
All of these above mentioned makers are pretty decent for the skill level IMHO. Some might disagree, but it is pretty common for you to be able to get any of thier intermediate used flutes for less than 1000 dollars.
Professional flute makers: Muramatsu, Haynes, Powell, Brannen, Miyazawa, Tom Green, Nagahara, Sankyo, Hammig (wood), Yamaha, Pearl (people really debate these because of the mechanism design, but I like them okay), Sonare (kind of in between intermed and pro. but be careful with these *good headjoint but cheap body*), Williams, Louis Lot (very good) Trevor James (sort of like Sonare I guess, but I dont like them), and many more makers.
These above mentioned makers have been around for a long time (like Powell and Muramatsu etc.) Some are relatively new in the flute world (Sonare and Trevor James etc.). And some aren't made anymore (Louis Lot *I dont think they make these anymore*). So for the used market you can get some that are 60+years old, or some that were tried out two days ago by a little girl but didnt like it so now it has to be sold as "used".
Some flutes retain thier resale price pretty well (pro flutes mostly b/c they are hand made) so you might still have to pay a fortune for some of these names. The intermediate flutes however, sell pretty cheaply once used, and are still good quality (not a pro flute, but if you just want to play for fun, then they are great).
Try every instrument you can. Read some of the posts around here to get familiar with different flutes and thier various problems (but take all debates with a grain of salt * For example: some people hate pearl, but you might love the pearl better than all of the others you tried*).
But try them all, and find your new friend!
Good luck!
Also, don't discredit new(er) instruments either. It is true that you will get the most bang for your buck with a used instrument, but these used instruments dont have to be over 20 years old. You could look around for demo flutes that dealers have let others try out in thier store (these are normally very good deals, but make sure the instrument is in good playing condition).
Here are some big names to look for in the beginner/intermediate market: Gemeinhardt (some like 'em some dont), Armstrong (I have one of thier basic Pro models right now), Yamaha (great instruments from thier student all the way up to thier pro models. Very durable) Pearl (Again, some like them some don't).
All of these above mentioned makers are pretty decent for the skill level IMHO. Some might disagree, but it is pretty common for you to be able to get any of thier intermediate used flutes for less than 1000 dollars.
Professional flute makers: Muramatsu, Haynes, Powell, Brannen, Miyazawa, Tom Green, Nagahara, Sankyo, Hammig (wood), Yamaha, Pearl (people really debate these because of the mechanism design, but I like them okay), Sonare (kind of in between intermed and pro. but be careful with these *good headjoint but cheap body*), Williams, Louis Lot (very good) Trevor James (sort of like Sonare I guess, but I dont like them), and many more makers.
These above mentioned makers have been around for a long time (like Powell and Muramatsu etc.) Some are relatively new in the flute world (Sonare and Trevor James etc.). And some aren't made anymore (Louis Lot *I dont think they make these anymore*). So for the used market you can get some that are 60+years old, or some that were tried out two days ago by a little girl but didnt like it so now it has to be sold as "used".
Some flutes retain thier resale price pretty well (pro flutes mostly b/c they are hand made) so you might still have to pay a fortune for some of these names. The intermediate flutes however, sell pretty cheaply once used, and are still good quality (not a pro flute, but if you just want to play for fun, then they are great).
Try every instrument you can. Read some of the posts around here to get familiar with different flutes and thier various problems (but take all debates with a grain of salt * For example: some people hate pearl, but you might love the pearl better than all of the others you tried*).
But try them all, and find your new friend!
Good luck!
I just saw on www.usedflutes.com this morning two great-looking used flutes--an old Muramatsu (I play one of these), and a Yamaha 581, now discontinued, by always a good deal. Each was under $2000 USD. 
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flutepicc06
- Posts: 1353
- Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 11:34 pm
Just a couple tips if you go the usedflutes.com route: Set up a junk e-mail to do business through, as spam is a big problem through this site. You might also consider using an escrow service (depending on the amount of money in question, you might be more or less inclined to do this) to be sure you don't get scammed.
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BlackSakura
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:19 am
I have another question then, I know flute conventions are held from time to time and I guess those are a good place to look and try various flutes. Lol, when and where are these held!!?? Where/what would be a good way of just trying out flutes, other than the local music store which never has anything!!
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fluttiegurl
- Posts: 882
- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:05 pm
Fluteworld.com will ship flutes to you for you to try. Many other companies will as well. Check to see if your state has a local Flute Club. If so, they may have a yearly convention. The National Flute Association has a yearly convention that is held in Aug. You can find info at www.nfaonline.org