Forum of the Saxes

tenorsaxman · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 52 Location: Indiana

What brands of flutes do any of you play? I have a Gemeinhardt 2SP serial #G69781. Imight upgrade to one of the Pearl flutes(or at least an open holed flute) I've been playing for a year.

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Tenorsaxman!

Currently playing:
alto/tenor saxes
Bb clarinet (LeBlanc rocks!)
piccolo
flute
oboe
piano
organ( vintage Hammond M3)
electric/acoustic guitars
mandolin

tenorsaxman · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 52 Location: Indiana

Can anyone give me some suggestions please? Twisted Evil

_________________
Tenorsaxman!

Currently playing:
alto/tenor saxes
Bb clarinet (LeBlanc rocks!)
piccolo
flute
oboe
piano
organ( vintage Hammond M3)
electric/acoustic guitars
mandolin

JPSaxMan · Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 11:26 am Post subject:

I'm about ready to throw a Bundy out in the road to be hit by a truck Twisted Evil

. Not the flute, the player, but it's just EVIL!

Geimenhardt, Pearl, Emerson, are all good names I've heard of. There, now go get a flute or whatever! Wink

_________________
JP
Student of Saxophone
Music Education (BME) Major-2011
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Kym · Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Posts: 35 Location: England

Flute being my first instrument i might be able to help you, if your looking to upgrade to an open holed flute go with Yamaha, there flute range is extremely good, and theyre very reliable instruments. If your feeling brave go with the inline flutes as oppose to the offset G, theyll help you in the future, also Pearl flutes are ok but theyre harder to get repaired if something was to happen to them. Myself i'm currently playing on a Selmer flute which i love to pieces, but im upgrading to a proffesional Yamaha model later this year, once i find the £2000 to buy it. Another thing i wil say is if your first instrument is Sax, make sure you find a flute with a Split E Mechanism, this will benefit you in the top register, especially on an open holed flute. Good Luck!

saxfreak · Joined: 08 Aug 2005 Posts: 5 Location: No. Hollywood, CA

Your flute choices will vary depending on what level you want/need, and how much you can spend. I just attended the National Flute Association convention and played on lots of flutes. I was playing the high-end models, and I was really impressed with the Miyazawa brand, but they range from about $2,500 to $9,000. Other great handmade flutes are Powells, Brannen, Altus, and Burkhart.
For less money, Yamahas are good (I play a 581). I've heard good things about Pearls. You might also consider Jupiters - especially the di Medici models. Prices go up on all the brands depending on the materials (the more silver used the more it costs - other materials like gold or platinum are even higher), extra features, and the amount of handmade workmanship. It's probably good to get a silver headjoint and the rest of the flute could be plated.
As a general rule, the modern flutes from reputable brand name manufacturers will probably be pretty good, or they wouldn't sell. Off brands, or cheapies on eBay are probably a bad idea. Also, really old flutes could be a problem for pitch because they might be built to the old scale. Flutes within the last 15 years or so should be using the current modern scale.