Used Musical Instruments

What model/brand of flute should I buy?

Q: I have been playing for about 4 years, and am an intermediate player who also plays in an orchestra outside of school band. I take private lessons too. Currently playing on a closed-hole Yamaha.

I'm thinking about getting a new flute - open-holed with a B foot at the minimum, preferably with an offset G. Which brands would you recommend? Please include which brands have good tone, prices (if applicable), durability, and general recommendations.

A: Hi, I own a Jupiter flute and personally think it has a very nice tone. This flute was actually chosen by my first teacher, and he said that it suited hobbyists, and it lasted the last three years without much damge to tone and pitch.

Heaps of people play on Yamahas and supposedly it is hand-adjusted by pro musicians and teachers to suit the instrumentalists.

I don't recommend Pearl, but many pros play it. I play in a flute ensemble and the pearl flute is always out of tune, esp on the middle A.

Try to let your playing suit the flute, not vice versa.

Array

Used Pearl Flute Demo, Silver Lip and Riser

How good are pearl flutes?

How good are pearl flutes? Do pro. flutes improve your quality of sound compared to a intermidiate flute? (I fully understand it is the player that is good not the instrument) Do holes in the fingers do anything for a flute player?
Stefani

Pearl flutes are a very good brand. They are well-made, of good scale design, and superior construction. The headjoints are all cut well, and have excellent response. They hold up well - you OFTEN see 501 or similar models for sale on ebay; I have bought quite a few for students, and have them COAd (clean/oil/adjust) and they were definitely wroth the investment. Many intermediate flute students want open hole flutes, and have no idea WHY. Yes, they demand excellent hand position, which will help with the fluidity and velocity of your technique, but unless you intend to use rim-only fingerings for shadings, etc. - something I have found VERY LITTLE use for in all my years in the business - then you do not need them! A B foot is another story - you use that far more often/ Ditto for some kind of E modification like split E key, donut, or RF (Ray Fabrizio) modification, to facilitate E3. A C# trill key is also handy - you WILL use that!

The biggest improvement in your sound as you step up is to move to at LEAST a silver head - a silver head and body, even better. Keys can be plated - the metal content of them has no effect on the sound - they just better not leak!

As you move up through quality and price of flutes, you will fine the biggest improvements at the lower/medium ends. When you get ot the TOP - and are wondering if the move from a $14,00 silver flute to $35,00 gold flute is going to make a difference in your playing - only if you are WORTHY, and are in the maybe top tne players in the WORLD. There are people with lotsa $$ who make the big expenditure - and find they are disappointed. It is STILL more cattle than hat - the PLAYER and their skill is more important than the instrument. IN a previous similar question, my response said that I can rip a passage in a lesson, and my student will say "Sure, it's you on a $10,00 flute!" So I say "Gimme yours . . " and as long as the flute works, I can still rip it. A better instrument is more responsive and makes the hard stuff easier, and the near-impossible, now possible - but it's the player.

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