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flute-boy09
(1 point)
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Hi all,
I am very distrought because all of these threads say that gemeinhardts are awful flutes pretty much. You say that they will last anyone through a rigorous college experience. Just to let you all know, I attend the Juillard School as a flute major and I currently play on a Gemeinhardt 3SB. It has no prior upgrades and nothing has changed since I bought it four years ago. It is the best flute I have ever tried.
My proffesor made me try all of these flutes, because according to all of you, I need one. So I tried the Powell Handmade Conservatory, the Haynes 14K gold, The Burkart 95-5 flute, the Sankyo and Yamaha wood flutes. And to be one hundred percent honest with all of you, my gemeinhardt played better then all of them.
I did not decide to upgrade. I kept my gemeinhardt 3SB, and I most likely will until these company's start stepping up their game and truly come out with a good product.
You speak of the company as a generality. And generally speaking, Powell and haynes are better then Gemeinhardt. But you dont know every single flute that is out there. There are some truly brilliant Gemeinhardt flutes out there. You are giving them a bad reputation because of generality.
You really need to think before you go and tell people they are the "worst flutes on the market". Its okay to give advice, but dont go telling people that it wont last them through college. Because I am here to tell you that you are wrong. You do not know all of the circumstances involved.
A little annoyed,
flute-boy09
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Account Closed
(3248 points)
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Is this some kind of joke? I am sorry if I have a hard time believing that you are going to Julliard and you think that your Gemeinhardt is the best. Who is your professor?
<Added>
Sorry, I spelled it wrong. It is Juilliard. Funny how you also spelled the name of the school wrong and you supposedly attend that school. Hmm...
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Account Closed
(3248 points)
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Well, I think that my Simba is better than your Gemeinhardt. lol!
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flutechick101
(70 points)
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I think he has a point... You really don't know all the flutes a certain brand makes. I agree that it's unfair to say that everything in a certain brand sucks. I mean, I own a Gemeinhardt piccolo and it's doing just fine. I mean, it's not like spectacular but what piccolo is? I think all flute-boy09 is trying to say is that it's not fair to say that everything in a certain brand is awful. I mean Pearl is one of the greatest brands out there and I'm sure they have some crappy models. So, let's try to stop being so rude to one another, shall we? It all depends on personal taste and opinions. If you can't respect it, then maybe you shouldn't respond to these posts at all. It's kind of disappointing to see that kind of immaturity over a flute forum by someone announcing their personal opinion. Just saying.
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Account Closed
(3248 points)
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You obviously didn't get it that the whole post was a joke and written by a troll. We are just joking along with them. Chill...
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mbrowne1229
(491 points)
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a few things to say
1. A Gemeinhardt does NOT compare to a crappy, out-of-adjustment, needs a pad job Muramatsu at any time.
2. Pearl is not considered the "best" brand
3. There is no way that kid got into Juilliard on a Gemeinhardt, There would be too many hand problems, embrochure problems, and breath support problems for either Carol Wincec, Jeff Khaner, or Robert Langevin to deal with. And even if they accepted him, they would've required him to purchase a new flute before the school year started. No college would want their student to be playing on a piece of Gemeinhardt, especially when they can take out student loans.
<Added>
Oh, by the way, there is no way a Gemeinhardt is better than any handmade flute. Reason why: any handmade flute has a handmade mechanism which will most likely have a better pin system. The Gemeinhardt flute has one of the worst mechanisms I have seen in a long time. So unless someone rebuilt the mechanism on his flute, there is no way he likes his Gemeinhardt better than a Powell. Oh, and the headjoint? Punched out by a machine. Compared to a handcut headjoint? Much easier to play. Better tone because you're not forcing the air in an uneven area. Feels like youre blowing into a wall.
This kid is crazy and needs to face reality: he probably doesn't even know the difference between a Gemeinhardt and a Sankyo anyway. Probably saw those names on the board. And wanted to start and argument among our posters. Well, kid, we all agree with each other. Go away, and finish your pre-algebra homework. Mommy doesn't want you to get a D.
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suzie
(569 points)
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From the viewpoint of someone who has been researching Gemeinhardt for 10 years I can honestly say that I'm very familiar with 99% of their flutes & company and have tried most of their products. I am quite displeased with their newly produced flutes of all models due to their lower quality of manufacturing however can tell you that nothing produced by Gemeinhardt is comparable to the quality of their flutes when they were just starting out at the Elkhart-based shop in the 40s. The 100% handmade ORIGINAL Kurt Gemeinhardt flutes, however, with soldered toneholes, etc. although I've never had the opportunity to play one of them I'm pretty sure that they've NEVER been able to produce such a high quality instrument at the Elkhart location. Here are photos of an ACTUAL handmade Kurt Gemeinhardt flute from Markneukirchen prior to the Elkhart, Indiana facility, courtesy of my eBay flute photo collection vault =) :
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/foreverwoodwinds/gemeinhardtflute_wayold.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/foreverwoodwinds/gemeinhardtflute_wayold2.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/foreverwoodwinds/gemeinhardtflute_wayold3.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/foreverwoodwinds/gemeinhardtflute_wayold4.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/foreverwoodwinds/gemeinhardtflute_wayold5.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/foreverwoodwinds/gemeinhardtflute_wayold6.jpg
I believe this flute sold for about $1200 on eBay a few years ago and is the first I recall seeing of this quality. Believe it or not Gemeinhardt gives the option of custom ordering a flute from them made in gold which I MAY have seen once (from fluteworld) but never in person as it seems quite redundant. There are some older folks I've chatted with in regards to Gemeinhardt's products including a good friend who used to work there in the 80s and he also agrees that nothing popping out of their assembly line OUT OF ALL OF THEIR MODEL OPTIONS is like it was from the 80s and before then and I agree wholeheartedly!
If you (or anyone from this forum) have ever had the opportunity to test back-to-back a vintage model to a current model you'll see the difference. Oh well, just my pence worth!
<Added>
I'd also like to add that I DID find some photos of a 9kt GOLD (yes, I said GOLDDDDDDDDDD!) Gemeinhardt in my inbox from 2007 - courtesy of FluteWorld's flutes for sale (they'd privately emailed me photos of the flute):
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/foreverwoodwinds/MVC-010F.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/foreverwoodwinds/MVC-008F.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/foreverwoodwinds/MVC-009F.jpg
FluteWorld called this flute a 9kt Limited Edition model by Gemeinhardt. I don't know about any of you folks here but it looks just like a gold-made model of a casted-key 33SB to me (with flatter style open hole keys)! Actually, the French-pointed keys look a bit Chinese-y to me! The photo showing the left side of the inside of the case (footjoint, etc.) appears as though the toneholes were rolled if you look at the reflection of the F# tonehole (to the right of the F key in the photo). That G# is a killer, too - whew! LOL!
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Luze
(7 points)
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I own 2 Gemein. flutes, after playing an artly for 30+ years. I relly like them both. one is a 2sp, the other a 3shb. Have no complaints.
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Plekto
(362 points)
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The same could also be said for Haynes. Some of the very early models that were made by Haynes himself were and still are amazing.
As for quality slipping, usually this happens when the founder dies or a company decides to go from a small time operation to a larger one(witness Pearl's low-end offerings and quality ever-so-slowly eroding)
Gemeinhardt makes *one* good handmade flute still 9K or 14K gold, entirely handmade, but it's pricey and I've never seen one in person or for sale. Supposedly it's as good as any other "professional" model out there. It's not even listed on their website, though they do make it as a special order.
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vampav8trix
(427 points)
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I dissappear for a week or two and miss out on all the fun.
I just got rid of a 2sp. I have had all of the other models at one time or another. None of them can hold a candle to my Muramatsu. They can't even hold a candle to the old 1970 Armstrong 80 B that I have laying around.
Anyway if Gemeinhardts are so great, why doesn't the rep get on here and defend them against the pro handmade flutes?
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Micron
(1758 points)
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Some Gemeinhardts play very well, but these are few and far between. I could not recommend sending a kid out to buy a Gemeinhardt, because there is just too high a chance of getting one with a really unresponsive, "fuzzy" sound.
And perhaps it needs to be pointed out that Gemeinhardt piccolos are generally regarded to be of a higher standard (for producing good sound) than their flutes.
I rather suspect that when one of their flutes is good, it is because the embouchure hole accidentally got cut differently, and happened to be a much better configuration. Or perhaps an embouchure hole improving expert like Joe Butkevicius turned the cut into a more pro style, after-market.
However, mbrowne, especially in his/her last statement is unnecessarily rude and condescending.
A student Gemeinhardt, well adjusted by a good technician, is robust and reliable. It may have a bit more resistance in the mechanism than a typical pro flute, but there is nothing that a player used to it, cannot overcome. The keys will all lift and close as fast as the player can lift his fingers, and that is the fundamental requirement. For heavens sake, any pro clarinet or sax has far more mechanical resistance and finger ergonomics issues etc than a student Gemeinhardt. So the condescending snobbishness is not really necessary.
If a player has a fully functional student Gemeinhardt, which just happens to have an embouchure area that he is used to and does not let him down, and that player turns up to a Giulliard audition playing incredibly well, then what exactly is the problem with the instrument? Is not the problem the snobbery of whoever makes an issue of his flute?
To my surprise I have heard student Gemeinhardts and Artleys played impressively well. A different flute does not necessarily suit those players better.
But I repeat, most Gemeinhardts are pretty darn disappointing for tone/volume/response.
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