Here's my situation. I have always wanted to play flute but my mum wanted me to play piano and since she was footing the bill that's what happened. I did over a decade in the ivory gulag and hated every minute of it. I also played clarinet and tenor sax in junior high and high school but I did not keep up with either of those instruments after graduating 15 years ago.

Now, I have decided to take up the flute. I really miss music and it was a large part of my life for so long. Someone gave me an old Artley and I have been messing about with it for the past week but I've had some real trouble hitting anything below G so I took it in to the local shop that specializes in woodwinds. I was going to do this anyway but I thought it odd that it was far easier to play an F if I pressed very hard on a particular part of the key so I did it sooner rather than later. The tech's opinion is that my flute needs to have the pads replaced at a minimum and he's not sure if it would really be worth it even if I did that.

While there I tried a few flutes that they had on hand. I rejected the used Jupiter 611 because I instinctively hated it. I sounded worse on that than I do on my broken Artley. They also had a used Gemeinhardt, 3M I think -- something with a solid silver headjoint, but I didn't like that one either. Both it and the Jupiter just felt wrong. Then I played a Yamaha 221 and I liked that one a lot. I felt that my fingers had good 'flow' over the keys and I liked the sounds I was able to make on it. Lastly, I tried a Pearl 505E and I liked that one quite a lot too. On both the Yamaha and the Pearl I was able to play everything from middle C (piano term) to C above the staff easily. With the Jupiter and the Gemeindhardt hitting the highest notes in my amazing two octave range was difficult. I think that I have a slight preference for the Yamaha.

So here's my question. Should I try any more flutes or should I just get either the Yamaha or the Pearl? I have found one store that sells Emersons but mostly places here sell the Conn-Selmer brands and Gemeinhardt. Or should I wait until I get a flute teacher and ask my teacher to help me shop for a flute? My musical goals are not lofty. I will be playing strictly for fun but I would like to take part in a community band when I am good enough. From what I have read here I think I would be fine with the Yamaha but I'd really like to get confirmation before making such a large purchase.

One last thing. The Yamaha 221 was selling for $495 and the Pearl 505E for $550. Both are new. Are those good prices? I would like to buy locally if I can.

Thanks for taking the time to read all this.

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Oops. Emerson _is_ a Conn-Selmer brand.

In case it makes any difference I prefer warmer tones. Some of the girls in band always sounded so darn shrill.

It's never a bad idea to play more flutes if you can. Most beginners haven't got any idea how to pick a flute that matches them out of all the flutes that don't so you're ahead on that count. I would definitely encourage to try Emersons, as well as Trevor James and any others that seem to fit your budget and needs (as well as a few more models from brands you kicked out of the running...every flute is different, and you may find that the ones you tried just weren't good for you), but I would suggest waiting until you have a teacher to make a purchase, if at all possible. One reason we have teachers is that through their years of experience, they can hear things we might miss, so perhaps you like the sound of the Yamaha and the Pearl (both of which are great flutes, by the way), but maybe there's something that one does better than the other that should put it out front, or there may even be something amiss that you couldn't catch. The prices you got on those two are excellent, though. New Yammie 221's usually sell in the 800-900 USD range, and the discounted price you get from major flute sellers is about where that Pearl usually sells.

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Also, tone is dictated far more by the player than the instrument. The tone hierarchy goes thus (from most, to least important): Player, headjoint, body. What flutes we find it easiest to produce a warm tone on (or any other kind of tone, for that matter) will not necessarily be the same ones you like.

You really can't go wrong with the Yamaha student model. That is a GREAT price too! I would go for that if you like it. Later down the line when you progress you can always look for something else if you want, but I will tell you, I am always happy to use a student Yamaha as backup to my pro flute. They are very good!

As an adult beginner myself I recently bought a Pearl 525, same as the 505 but with a silver lip plate. Quality wise I don't think there's anything between it and the Yamaha (which I've also played for well over a year and a half), but the Pearl has a warmer tone.
Coincidentally I shared a lesson with a fellow student of mine yesterday, who is also planning on getting a new flute, and we compared my pearl the her rented-but-new Yamaha 211 (likethe 221 but with e-mechanism). The Pearl had a nicer tone, whichever one of us played it, well centered and full. She is also considering an Azumi btw, in Europe you can get a model with silver lip-plate only, which puts it in the same price range.
incidentally, at the end of this link you'll find a bit of a review I did for my Pearl.
http://www.8notes.com/f/25_207392.asp

Fantastic price for that Yamaha though.

For the money, used, Gemeinhardt makes the best flutes for the beginner. Why? Because with the exception of the very topmost model, most pros don't like them/use them. So they suffer very harsh depreciation.

Bad for the original purchaser, but good for you.

Here's a typical example:
Ebay Item number: 320159721156

I don't endorse this specific flute, but it is a typical example. $600-$700 is usually what this sells for. It's not a bad flute, actually. All silver, decent headjoint. And very common to find for sale used.

Most students would be hard pressed to exceed its capabilities until they reached a solid advanced intermediate level. I've seen people in college using flutes like this as well, since skill and technique are easily 75% of the equation.(and many students as a rule aren't blessed with $3K to spend on a professional flute, either)

Shoot, I managed to get through high school and audition for several spots in a few orchestras/college classes with a Gemeinhardt 3 series(basically the above without the fancy options/gold plating or open holes), so it's more than adequate for a beginner.

Oh - I personally like Yamaha more(upgraded to one in college - but it was $1600 back then - about $2800 now), but it's literally 6 of one, half dozen of the other at this level.

One small edit:
While the Gemeinhardts are good for the money, used, you might also consider getting that Pearl and later on upgrading to one of their handmade headjoints. (about $500-600 used is common). The only real difference between the various Pearl models until you get into the Dolce range is how much silver it has. The Coda are all very similar sounding, IME. So a Coda for now and a Dolce headjoint (or another custom headjoint) might be he best option.

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sorry - it seemed to have turned this into two posts. Oh - I meant the 505 for now and a better headjoint later on. I'd personally get the 505 with the split E(nice to have), offset G(easier to play), B foot(again, nice), and open holes(why not - same price). This should run about $650-$675. Pretty much their intermediate flute with plated instead of a silver body(very little difference, to be honest - mostly silver is for looks and profit instead of sound)

I have to disagree with you on several points, Plekto. First of all, the assertion that Gemmies are the best flute for beginners. Aside from the fact that there is no "best" flute at any level (as we've discussed innumerable times before), most Gemmies have a boxy mechanism and a headjoint cut that makes switching brands later (as well as dynamics and tonal changes) more difficult. If you're looking at instruments from a purely financial standpoint, Gemmies certainly can be found cheap, but considering that there's a good bit more to buying an instrument than price, it hardly makes sense to claim Gemeinhardts as the best, IMO. I also have difficulty in finding the logic behind the claim that Gemmies are good for beginners because pros don't like them. First of all, pros come at all levels of musicianship and cover all styles of playing....If you're making money, you're a pro. Even at the beginner level, it's best for a student to have the best flute they can comfortably afford, so why not get something that a pro wouldn't mind using if all else is equal? Most pros wouldn't touch a Venus or Cibaili flute (unless they wanted a lamp), but that doesn't mean that they're good for beginners. I also disagree with the idea of a beginner having a flute with a Split E. It's my philosophy that one should learn to play without all the fancy add-ons (and let's face it...Any flute of decent quality and in good repair can be made to play an E3 without a Split E if the player is willing to work for it), and when upgrading, if the student so desires, they can purchase whatever options they want. In this way the Split E becomes a helpful tool rather than a crutch.

I didn't say that they were the best choice of all for a beginner so much as when we are talking used, they represent the best value for the dollar. And as beginning flutes they are just fine, really.

Gemeinhardt angst and hate that seems to fairly ooze anytime someone mentions the name here aside, their "pro" models are pretty good student choices IME. If you want a basic flute that gets the job done and can handle beginning and intermediate tasks for a rock bottom price... a used Gemeinhardt should be on the list.

That Pearl, though, would likely be my choice. $650 or so. Drop on a headjoint from their $3000 model later on and enjoy - no resizing, no worries. The split E seems to be standard on the Pearls with the offset G. No biggie if it's no extra cost, IMO. I'd recommend the offset even considering that - it's by far the primary concern, IMO.

First of all thank you to everyone who responded. This is a very friendly forum.

I think I managed to find a solution that takes a bit of advice from everyone. Today I went and tried some other flutes and brands at another shop. I didn't have a clear favourite but I definitely have clear dislikes. I don't think that Gemeinhardts suit me personally. I have to work to produce a sound that is not as good as what I can achieve without really trying on the Yamaha or Pearl so I have ruled them out. After trying a number of flutes I decided that I would rent the Yamaha for two months while I look for a teacher. When I have a teacher I will ask them to help me choose a flute and hopefully also to try a few different flutes of the model we decide on to get the best of the bunch. I decided to do this so that I could make a decision that is not rushed and also so I can have fun playing in the meantime. For me it is worth the two month rental fee so that I can have the advice of a professional and be sure that I'm getting the right flute for me. My only concern is that I don't know if it is asking too much for a flute teacher to go through a selection process with an adult, hobbyist beginner.

I got the names of a couple of teachers who give lessons at the shop around the corner and will contact them but if anyone here has a recommendation for a teacher in San Diego I'd gladly receive it. Right now my interests are folk music, mostly Celtic, but I like jazz a bunch too.

Again, thanks for taking the time to reply so helpfully. I've learned a lot here.

when we are talking used, they represent the best value for the dollar.

Not necessarily. You may be able to get more options or silver in them for the same price as a different brand, but if the flute doesn't suit the player, no matter how cheap the flute, it's not really that great of a deal. As I mentioned above, there is far more to consider when buying a flute than cost alone.

Gemeinhardt angst and hate that seems to fairly ooze anytime someone mentions the name here aside, their "pro" models are pretty good student choices IME. If you want a basic flute that gets the job done and can handle beginning and intermediate tasks for a rock bottom price... a used Gemeinhardt should be on the list.

How high on the list will depend on age, though. Modern Gemmies are okay, but older (perhaps as recently as 15 years or so) student models were sub-par (IMO), and I would not encourage anyone to play such a flute. In any case, you shouldn't have to shell out $1500 (a pretty good deal for a "pro" Gemeinhardt) for a student level flute. This seems to conflict with the idea that they give the most bang for the buck.




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To Sep, that sounds like an excellent plan, and I hope you have a good time with that rental flute until you manage to buy one. Pretty much any teacher (even at the student level) should be willing to help you find a good flute for your needs, so don't be at all concerned about asking. At the worst, you'll get the same advice we've given here. Good luck with your playing, and be sure to stop in now and again to let us know how it's going!

i have got a unbranded flute which plays fine for me, but it doesn't realy play well for my friend so it realy deppends on your needs, but i do recommend getting someone with a large knowledge on flutes to help you

In any case, you shouldn't have to shell out $1500 (a pretty good deal for a "pro" Gemeinhardt) for a student level flute. This seems to conflict with the idea that they give the most bang for the buck.
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That's new. I've seen their solid silver models going for $500 or $600 used. At that price, it's a fine beginning choice.

Of course, YMMV - some people just don't like certain flutes or they don't work well in their hands.