I am looking to buy a new flute and I have a few options in mind. My price range is 4,000 dollars, and the flute needs to have:

offset G
C# trill key
Split E mechanisim
Sterling Silver headjoint, body and foot
Pointed key arms
Open holes

I am looking at the Haynes Q2 Classic, the Yamaha 675HCT, the Pearl 765 Quantz Coda, the DiMedici 1011, the Trevor James Recital 2, and the Brio! B2.

If anyone has any other choices and has any feedback on any of these names, I would like to hear from you.


Thank You,
Spencer

I would have to say the Yamaha because I like the easyiness of it or the haynes because the sound was what i was looking for. You really have to try for yourself. I found the Trevor recital to be to dark for me but our 1st chair sounds really bright on it though.

try them all...

The Pearl Elegante Coda has the features you want and it is handmade and well within your budget. There is also the Lyric 2BP that has the C# trill and split E as available options. I haven't played either model so I can't comment. But do as Patrick says and try them all!

correction: the pearl isnt handmade. the pearls dont begin to be handmade until the cantabile model (i believe).

personally, im not a fan of any of those models, but you should get your ahnds on any and every flute you can, regardless of whether or not it has a split e or a c# trill.

good luck!

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also, i dont think you should buy a flute solely based upon the silver content. a plated muramatsu ex is a million times more flute than a silver gemeinhardt.

dont dismiss a flute because it has a plated body or keys or something. play all of them!

Okay I will give you my personally opinion. Please, don't get offended if someone plays on a brand I don't like. I don't mean it personally.

Haynes Q2 Classic - Nice, good even scale and nice tone.

Yamaha 675HCT- Nice but I don't like the scale or Yamaha headjoints.

Pearl 765 Quantz Coda- Don't like. Tinny sound and mechanism clunky for me. Again, I don't like the headjoint on this flute.

DiMedici 1011- Okay, I haven't played too many of these.

Trevor James Recital 2- Don't like. Cheap feeling, don't like the sound at all.

Brio! B2- Should I even go there??? I feel that they are falsely advertised. Gemeinhardt claims they have a Sheridan head on them when in fact, they are nothing like Sheridan heads.

If you have to have solid silver then I would pick the Haynes in the list you have and Yamaha second.

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What about the Lyric line made by Miyazawa? I would put that on your list. They are fantastic!

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"also, i dont think you should buy a flute solely based upon the silver content. a plated muramatsu ex is a million times more flute than a silver gemeinhardt."

VERY TRUE!!! The EX beats all the above in that list in my opinion except maybe the Haynes. I would have to try the Haynes flute with the EX I have to do a proper comparison though.

if your budget is $4,000, you can find an older instrument and then opt for a better headjoint if you so choose, personally, I have never owned a new instrument at the pro level...as has been said on this forum many many times, check out flute world, winds101, yourfluteworks.com, flutefinders.com, flute center of ny, etc...most of these companies will send flutes for you to try..

My statement about the Elegante being handmade is based on the info on their website.

Quotes are taken directly from Pearl's website.

"The Elegante series has consistently been one of Pearl's best selling instruments.
The reasons: handmade workmanship, precise intonation, and a brilliant
and projecting sound. This series has been in the Pearl line for
over a decade and has provided countless flautists
with unrivaled confidence... The CODA options for both the Elegante and Dolce series bring elements of handmade professional instruments into the mid-range budget. CODA instruments offer 10K Gold lip, C# trill keys, B footjoint and D# roller all as standard-another industry"

and

"The Dolce series is built in the same mould as the Elegante. The continued commitment to
accuracy of pitch and flexible articulation is maintained. This beautiful
instrument will allow more aspiring artists than ever to
experience the joy of owning and performing
on a Pearl handmade flute."

Hi,

Personally, I would go for a higher end used flute. You will get more bang for your buck. If someday you may find that you need to sell it, you won't take such a huge loss. Plus when you are talking about the higher end flutes they have usually been played by people who take excellent care of their instruments. You hardly ever see a banged up Powell.

How about a Muramatsu?

I like Altus if you can find one.

I tried a DiMedici. It was okay.

I have never played a higher end Yamaha.

I don't like the Brio or the Trevor James.

Flutes are very personal.

Good Luck and Happy Shopping.

agreed on the idea of a split e.

i dont like them. many people dont like them. i would suggest a donut if youre looking for somehting that makes a high e come out "better" (I use that term very carefully).

i dont like the yamahas. i think theyre nothing but overglorified student flutes. i honestly cant tell a difference between a student yamaha and a 600 series yamaha when using the same headjoint except for one has open holes. some may disagree with me but oh well.

im sure joe can help decide where the handmade pearls begin (if he sees this). but im like... 98% percent positive that the handmade-ness begins at the cantabile.

something else to consider (but doesnt have the C# trill) is the dean yang. nice intermediate flute. then again, that is what youre looking at, right? considering the flutes youve listed. the lyric is also a nice flute. i know of some people who play on them and they sound fantastic.

i would look into the japanese companies if youre interested in a professional model. these professional flutes are more flute than these "solid silver" intermediate flutes youve mentioned. try a muramatsu (the gx model has plated keys but has the C# trill option) or a miyazawa (they have the same options but with more plating than the muramatsu. still a great flute, however).

as i said before, i HIGHLY ADVISE YOU NOT to buy a flute based upon silver content! i think this is a misconception among many young flutists today. "more silver the better!" even when theyre not taking the design of the instrument into consideration. im nearly offended!

good luck though. there are many nice flutes out there. TRY USED AS WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alieannie, perhaps you need to re-read my post. Not once did I state any personal opinions, I merely quoted what Pearl says on their website. I did not tell anyone to go run out and buy a Pearl flute, I even stated in an earlier post that I have never played one so I couldn't comment.

I realize that a lot of what is said from all flute companies is sale's puffery. But if a company states a particular product is handmade, semi-handmade,has french pointed arms, or has gold springs those are facts and not sales puffery.

Statements saying that an instrument is exquisite, has a gorgeous sound, or it will give you new confidence in your playing constitutes sale's puffery. I have been a consumer long enough to distinguish sales hype from fact.

But, if a company is going to market any aspect of their product to be handmade then it better be handmade. My quotes from the Pearl website are were just to indicate to mbrowne1229 that Pearl is advertising the Elegante and Dolce lines as handmade or semi-handmade instruments.

they can say whatever theyd like. like when reading about gold bonded flutes (such as aurumite, "gold on silver" and gold plated flutes) many manufacturers say that this warms the tone. in my experience, NEVER has a gold plated flute sounded any different than a silver flute (when using the same headjoint). example: a golded plated lip plate has NO EFFECT on the sound. i HATE when manufacturers say otherwise because tis not true. gold riser? sure. despite the arguments, i will say that yes it does have an impact on the sound. PLEASE DONT ARGUE WITH ME, I KNOW WE ALL HAVE OUR OPINIONS. JUST LET THEM BE.

i wouldnt believe a website that "brags" about tone or build until youve experienced it for yourself or someone else trustworthy has as well. you wouldnt buy a new car if the crash test ratings are low even if the company says otherwise, right? (bad example but you get the point)

i would try alll the ones within your buget but blind folded then choose the one you like the most, becuase afterall doesn't every one say a choice of your own flute is very personal

I have a Yamaha 881 flute body, that I use with 3 different pro headjoints: a Prima Sankyo NRS-1, a Miyazawa M-5, and a Powell Philharmonic-cut wood.

I bought it used, in new condition, on eBay, for $1800. It had a handcut CY headjoint that was asymmetrical, and weird. I sold the headjoint and love the new ones on it.

The flute has a REALLY nice, light action. It is sooo quick. It also has soldered toneholes, and has not needed any adjustments outside its usual clean, oil, adjust.
It has an inline G, which works ok for my hand conformation.
It has a c footjoint, which I prefer to the heavier B foot.
It would probably be nice if it had a c# trill, but it is such a nice playing instrument that I'm not fussed to go get another flute.
My Juilliard-trained flutist buddy prefers this flute body to her handmade Brannen, though she does really well on her own headjoint.

Look at some used flutes, you can get a lot more flute for the money.

I recently bought a used Muramatsu EX III (conditional indistinguishable from new...got from winds101.com for $2000...tell Liz I sent you if you call her). I continue to believe that modern flutes (like saxophones) really are better than the older designs (like the Haynes). I am traditional and a dedicated doubler, so I searched until I found a plateau, C foot, offset G, and it came with split E. The split E is great and is one of the easier mechanisms on a flute to keep perfectly tuned, so why not? It does make the high E sing better than a donut, IMHO.

Also, a good reason to buy a plated flute is that it is substantially lighter, and if you are going to play several sets, it saves wear and tear on shoulders and elbows...maybe only important for geezers like me.

The flute is totally awesome!!!