Advise for buying a beginner flute

[Judy]

Hello! I'm trying to decide which flute to purchase for myself, a 36 year old beginner. I've narrowed my choices down to Gemeinhardt 22sp, Armstrong 104 (both of which I can get used for $200), Yamaha 225 s11 (I'm looking on ebay for one that's around $200), or possibly even an Emerson student flute.

The Gemeinhardt and Armstrong both seem to be plentiful on ebay, but the Gemeinhardt seems to hold it's value better than the Armstrong.

The forum seems to have high praises for the Yamaha, so I'm kind of heading in that direction, but I can only find a couple on ebay and I need to stay around $200.

My sister is just started renting an Emerson, and I just started renting a Gemeinhardt 2np, and it seems that her Emerson is easier to play than my Gemeinhardt.

I want a flute that is of good quality and tone that will be easiest to play and hold it's value the best (in case of upgrade). I also heard that the yamaha needs the least maintenance, and that is an important consideration too.

Please, any help would be much appreciated. I want to get my flute for Christmas, so I need to act rather quickly.

Thank you so much!

Judy

[woof]

I have been playing a Gemeinhardt 2sp now for a year and have found it to be pretty good. I have had no mechanical troubles with it and it seems to be fairly in tune for the first two octaves and bit sharp on the 3rd octave. I can play along with flutes on CDs and seem to be well enough in tune that it sounds OK. I have trouble holding 3rd octave notes especially above E and getting really nice sounds at those levels but I don't know whether it is me or the flute that is the problem. The 2sp is a student flute, it is relatively inexpensive so it will not offer the quality that a more expensive Yamaha will- you get what you pay for........ But it has been good for me as a starter. One day I will definately upgrade but I have lot to learn before then- I am a much older beginner than you!!

[fluttiegurl]

I don't deal a great deal in student flutes, but I do agree that Gemeinhardts and Yamahas hold their value far better than most brands. The four that you have selected are very common student flutes. Most of my students begin on Gemeinhardts (mainly because of price). I have noticed that the ones that start on Gemeinhartds tend to have better tone production quicker than with Emerson or Armstrong. I have only had one student in 25 years start on a Yamaha. I think this is simply because they are quite a bit more expensive. I have, however, noticed that they tend to be great flutes in general, and I don't think you could go wrong with one. A word of caution, ebay is not the greatest place to buy flutes. The cheapest maybe, but not the safest. You are already on the right track with the brands that you are looking at. Be careful of sellers who have poor or no feedback. also be sure that sellers have some kind of return policy. Once your flute arrives, take it to a local music store to have it checked out. Hidden problems are common with ebay flutes. Good luck!