I'm curious to see if anyone has tried out the Haynes classic range, hopefully the the Q2 one. What is the build quality like and how they compare against other flutes of the same price range??

Also,, i seen that they come with Straubinger pads,,after reading the different opinions on them,,would this be something to worry about, would you buy a flute with these pads or avoid it??

Hopefully going to look at some flutes soon, and the Haynes caught my eye,,but without trying them against other makes,well, will have to wait and see, but curious on the build and the pads..

Thanks.
Mark.

I was just at the Haynes factory a couple of weeks ago and tried all those flutes, the new straubinger pads are softer, so I don't mind them

Are you talking about the new Straubinger Phoenix Pad? I thought Straubinger had an exclusive arrangement with the Avanti flute of Conn-Selmer?

I trialed some of them at the beggining of this year at a flute fair and was very impressed. I would have bought one on the spot if I had the money then. I was very impressed with one model which was at the Haynes booth, but the others of the same model that I tried from other booths I didn't like nearly as well. That being said, they may vary as Alan Weiss did suggest to me. I was able to try the Q1, 2 and 3. It was hard to tell too much of a difference between the silver plated and solid silver model. It may be also because of the poor acoustics and a lot of back ground noise. To me the pads didn't seem any softer and felt like regular Straubingers. Perhaps they changed them after I had tried them. They may be made in China, but still I though that they were wonderful. Time can only tell as they are still on the newer side. I am not sponsored or represent the Haynes company in any way, I only speak the truth of my own findings. Do be careful of whom you speak to about certain brands and models as if they work for the company, of course they are going to tell you what you want to hear. Good luck with your flute search! If you want a review on anything else, chances are I have tried one.

I purchased a Haynes Q2 this past fall. I tried one Q1 (silver plated) with a gold riser that was terrible. And it had really wacky intonation. I tried another Q2 that was so strange it wouldn't play at 440 unless the head joint was pulled out to the point that it was about to fall out of the body. I compared the Haynes Q2 that I have now to Pearls, Yamahas, and vintage Haynes. I like the my Q2's head joint almost as much as other "real" Haynes head joints have tried.
I don't know about the pads. I have had a problem with one, but it's all good now. I'm sure it will serve me well at least for the next five years or so. Best of luck to you!

Regarding their headjoints.. I don't like them at all. I only liked the Q series when I put my own headjoint on them. Haynes has got some of the worst headjoints that I have tried out of the handmade top flute makers.

Wow..from what it sounds like,,the flutes were either not set up or there's a quailty control problem,,either way it does not sound too good,,thats really surprised me, i would have thought they would have been first class,,,something to think about,,,but i guess its still comes down to playing one for myself and seeing what its like.

Thanks for the replies everyone,, its made me think a bit more.

Kara,,can i take you up on the offer of a review,,have you tried a Altus 1007?? How would they compare to the like of the Haynes.

I guess what i'm looking for is a flute in about the same price range as the Haynes,,silver tubing, c foot, preferability closed holes,,but something that will last, hopefully so i will never have to buy another one, The muramatsu gx sounds good,,but way out of my price range,sadly..

Thanks.

I have only tried the 1107. I didn't particularly love the mechanism on it. Nice sound though. I think I still prefer the Haynes Classic over it. The 1007 is a bit more price wise than the Haynes Q-2. What is your price range? I would try looking for a used Muramatsu EX or a new 102 or 202 by Miyazawa. If you can spend the extra cash for the Brogger system I would definitely to it! They are so comfortable to play on. Of course there are always the other models like Azumi and Lyric that I really like. Avanti and even the newer Sonares are pretty nice too. Azmi is still my favorite out of the list though.

Thanks Kara.
Hopefully will be going to have a look at some flutes this weekend.
Still looking forward to trying the Haynes, and the shop has a used Altus 1007, so called in immaculate condition, so will give that a try too,,see what they sound like when i play them..lol.. The Miyazawa sounds interesting too..might just be able to squeeze to the Brogger system ones with a push.
I guess now its a case of getting my hands on them.
Thanks for your ideals.

mark.

I tried all of the classic models and the q2 is the best model.I like the flute it has a nice sound and very nice with articulation. I am not to found of the headjoint though I tried it with my armstrong headjoint.

If you can try Sankyo , or the resona by burkhart. I am getting the sankyo primo with a differnt headjoint. Also try different headjoint you might like the flute but it might not be the right headjoint