I’m looking to upgrade my flute from a plated Gemeinhart to something nicer. I’m an intermediate player, but since I expect to have my flute for a long time, I’m thinking of getting an open-holed instrument.
One of my local music stores has an Armstrong 800B on for $850, down from somewhere around $1000. I asked him why, and he said that it was mostly because they’re a Yamaha dealer, so people don’t come to them to buy Armstrongs. I’m sketchy, but I can’t find any reviews of this particular flute.
Has anyone had experience with Armstrong instruments? Any flute-buying advice in general?
Unless there’s a real flute expert here, you’re going to want to find a flute discussion board.
I think you definitely want go to open hole.
Gemeinhart was (is it gemeindhart?) was my first flute. Then. . .ye, I can’t remember, but it was an open hole. You might want to look for something used. Even $850 isn’t going to get you an instrument that you’ll keep forever if you become a serious musician. If you’re looking for something to play in marching band in college, I’m sure its fine.
If you’re going to be auditioning for concertos, that’s a whole other thing.
But, I don’t really know anymore. I haven’t played my flute in years, and haven’t bought one since like 1992.
Yeah, I’m an intermediate musician playing on my own, so I’m not quite at the very-expensive-instrument level. Used might be a good idea. I think I’ll hunt down a flute discussion board.
My wife’s a jazz flutist. She was trained classically but got tired of the frilly decorative role flutes have in most classical music. She now gigs a little here locally for small pay, no recordings, no pretentions to the Symphony. If they got ambitious, her group could certainly record & sell CDs at their gigs. Her comments:
Used for sure. They don’t wear and you get more bang for your buck. Do plan to spend $100 getting it freshened up (new pads, etc) after you buy it.
Most of the Gemeinhardt & Armstrong line are school instruments. Armstrong has pretentions to go higher, but they don’t deliver.
Try Miyazawa. Better quality & a good price.
Each manufacturer has a distinctive syle, but the model-to-model variation is surprising. What works for you may be very awkward for another player. The only way to know what fits you is to try them. Embouchure, tone, key feel; all are different.
The manufacturers are amazingly willing to let you try before you buy. Call them up & have each one send you an instrument. You’ll put down a nominal refundable deposit and have to pay return shipping. I think we had 20 flutes flow through our house before she bought the last one. Yes, that adds to teh cost, but getting the right one is a lot cheaper than getting the wrong one.
Open hole: A pretentious load of crap invented by overzealous college flute professors struggling to justify their existence. The practical value is small, the additional opportunity for off notes is large. Open hole is to flutes what megapixels are to cameras: a feature that’s easy to tout, popular with the self-appointed ‘experts’ who aren’t really, and ultimately all but meaningless. Note that she has very small hands, so reaching for the far open holes is a challenge for her and there might be an element of sour grapes here. But if you also have small hands … Bottom line: closed vs. open is not toy vs. pro.
Small hands definitely isn’t an issue. I really appreciate your taking the time to give your advice, and will take it into consideration as I look to buy my instrument. I might just get in touch with instrument manufacturers.
My Armstrong is the 303, purchased used from a Minnesota Orchestra flustist around…25 years or so ago. Armstrongs, when you get into the quasi-professional ones, can have a nice deep sound. I still use it as my everyday flute and has treated me well. It IS a good intermediate flute. I have not had any problems ever with my Armstrong, despite using it for hours every day through my moody musician teen years.
My Miyazawa is the model PA-402. I still remember my Gramps buying it for me 21 years ago- he was a TOTAL spendthrift who winced at spending a quarter for a newspaper - yet he was peeling off hundreds like nobody’s business. The high tones on this flute are heaven. Very sweet and pure. The lower register can get mushy. The only problem I have had with this flute is in pad replacement. You cannot take this flute to any ol’ music shop. I probably would not recommend Miyazawa’s for intermediate players unless you plan on pursuing music at a higher level.
I’m also a huge fan of Haynes, but they are also on the higher end of price and play level. I’m most familiar with their piccolos, but have played some of their professional models and the tones are deep.
Buy used - you save $$. Look at the for sale ads at the music shop, or even call your area symphony/orchestra to see if anyone has anything to sell. Try many models and brands. You’ll know when you find THE one. Yeah, that sounds silly, but it’s true.
My daughter upgraded her flute a couple of years ago when she graduated from HS, to major in music ed (flute and piano) in college. I’m not exactly sure of the brand or price - I believe it is a Powell and we paid around $3K new.
It seemed to us that there was a major price point somewhere north of a grand. Anything around a grand was essentially a student model, and there was a noticeable improvement with the more expensive models/brands. And if you plan on playing for some time, you would hate to spend $850-1000, and soon wish you had gotten a nicer instrument. We felt this particular $3K model compared favorably with those much costlier. In essence, it seemed like the bottom tier of the next higher level instrument.
I don’t know what dealers you have near you. We were fortunate enough to be able to go to a place that had a wide variety of flutes in stock covering a wide price range. She had spoken with her instructor about how to try them out. IIRC, she said some sounded far better than others at one or the other end of the scale, but there were fewer that she liked throughout the range. Playing the same scales/exercises on several flutes one after another was really the best way to tell. If you lack access a dealer where you can try several flutes at one time, you should figure out how to keep notes in a meaningful way, to rate/compare the various elements you find important.
Then, when she decided on the couple of brands/models she liked best, she tried multiple versions of each. According to her, there were subtle but noticeable differences between some of the same model flutes.
My daughter plays open hole, but I don’t know why or what her views are. I believe you can buy plastic plugs for open hole flutes - so if you buy open hole and wish to play it as closed, you can insert the plugs. But if you buy closed and wish to go the other way, you can’t.
I know she has also demoed flutes at band/music conventions and competitions. So you might want to check out if any of them are being held that you can get to. She had played some really pricey ($15K+) flutes that she says are a dream, and others that she doesn’t like as much as hers.
Me, I just pay the bills - and appreciate hearing the result.
