Any suggestions to buying intermediate/stet-up flute?

Question

Hi, I've been playing for 5 years and have been taking private lessons.
The current flute I have is a beginner flute with Inline G and Open Hole.
Any certain flutes/brands I should buy?
I want the flute to have Inline G, Open-hole, B Foot, and at the least a Sterling Silver Headjoint.
Thanks.

Actually, my open-hole flute is actually beginner's. Its only silver-plated and such with C foot but it's open-holed just to make the player more comfortable with open-hole in later step-up flutes.

Answer 1

Your absolute best bet for a fabulous flute at a great price would be to find a solid silver Gemeinhardt flute made around 1970. They are not easy to find, but you could pick one up for about $500, have it overhauled, and end up with a real gem.

but......

That's not going to happen overnight. For years I have recommended my students who want a step-up flute to get a solid silver Yamaha, exactly as you described (inline G, b foot.) I don't know what the current model numbers are, but depending on your retailer you should get a decent flute for around $1500. HOWEVER, they vary greatly from flute to flute, so don't even think of buying one unless you have your teacher there to try out a decent selection. I have played some real dogs, and then found some that were so great I was jealous of my students! Let me also advise you that you should pay your teacher for his/her time.

Don't be taken in by "special edition" flutes with gold plated heads, or keys, or lips, or entire body. This is nothing but a marketing tool to get you all googly-eyed.

While I'm thinking of it, I've noticed that I see on the market fairly frequently older Haynes flutes. Haynes used to be "the" name in flutes, but competition and new makers sort of brought that down. The market became flooded with used Haynes flutes as people switched to Powell or Brannen or boutique makers. I've seen some of my orchestra colleagues pick up older, fabulous Haynes flutes for around $1000, but these are closed hole flutes from much earlier years when open holes weren't the rule.

anyway, a lot of this info is somewhat anecdotal. Look for a good Yamaha with your teacher, and you'll find a flute which will last you either a very long time, or until you switch to a professional instrument.

Answer 2

By and large, any open-hole flute is not considered a beginner instrument, so you're already ahead of the game. I have always played Gemeinhardts and can't say enough good things about them. SInce you don't indicate a dollar amount I don't know how much you intend to spend, but if you go to http://www.gemeinhardt.com/ and look around I'm sure you can find what you're looking for. Finally, do not buy online...go somewhere where you can try a few flutes side by side as they all sound and feel different. Good luck!

Answer 3

It sounds like you're definitely ready for a new flute and know what you want. Yamaha and Miyazawa are the best brands for a step-up flute. Gemeinhardt makes excellent beginner models, but their more advanced models are not as good as Yamaha and Miyazawa. I would go to a music store and try both brands and see what you like best.