Made in America??

[nialmac]

I posted this question in another place on this site but perhaps it will get more attention here. Are Gemeinhardt flutes still made in the USA? If not, when did production move elsewhere? Thanks
Nial

[pied_piper]

First, please post your question(s) once only. Redundant postings are not needed as all topic areas have equal visibility.

The answer to your question is that for many companies, today it's a world market. Your question is similar to asking "Is Toyota a Japanese car maker?" Toyotas are built both here in the U.S. and in Japan. The lines begin to blur because many companies are taking advantage of cheap labor overseas while performing final QA on their products here in the U.S.

Today, Gemeinhardt is still headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana but was sold to Angel Industries Co. Ltd of Taiwan in 2011. Gemeinhardt and Angel Industries have been associated for a number of years and during that time, production has gradually changed. According to Gemeinhardt's website, they make some parts here, others in Taiwan and China. Final assembly is done in Taiwan and China, then quality checks are done in the U.S. before shipping flutes to stores.

All this information and more is readily found with a Google search and on Gemeinhardt's website:
http://www.gemeinhardt.com/ourstory.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemeinhardt

[Thunderlily]

Hey, I'm working on a Gemeinhardt flute in class right now. For the last 10 years or so the Gemeinhardt flutes have been made in China. They used to be made in USA, but now they make the parts in China and assemble it in the USA (that's why the barrel says USA, and the body says China). I have a great photo of this on my blog.

The barrel
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_xDYOD6MbIE/U ... M_0609.JPG

The body
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XWrEZRKoUQo/U ... M_0633.JPG

[pied_piper]

Are you in a repair class? Where?

[Thunderlily]

Red Wing, Minnesota

My blog is:
http://www.happybiradventuretime.blogspot.com

[pied_piper]

Red Wing has a good reputation.

[pied_piper]

Thunderlily - I sent you a private message - Check your Fluteland message inbox.

[Thunderlily]

I know, it's one of the many reasons I chose this school
Being in the program is just amazing. I get to hang out with band people all day, look at instruments and discuss/learn about instruments every day. The instructors are really good too, they teach us the best way to do things, what not to do and what to look for. It's a community college (technical too), so we have all kinds of people, but I look forward to going to school every day

[mirwa]

Good to see thunderlilly, I have some good friends that graduated from Red Wing.

Your adventure and documentation looks good.

Steve