OK - Now that the database error has posted my message 4 times but with a blank screen, here the message as written…
I’ve finally convinced the keeper of the bankbook that I’m worth $200 for a flute (this deal also involves selling unused guitars, mandolins, etc…), but I’m not sure what would be the best flute for the bucks.
Just curious what advice folks have in this higher price range than I’ve considered before…
Thanks in advance!
Don’t know so much about flutes,
but it seems plain that the
Olwell bamboo D is a winner at
under 100.
The Olwell D cane flute is probably your best bet, given your money situation. But, honestly, I think you should sell more guitars and go for something better right up front. $200 is a bit low for almost any flute by any maker, and you won’t find one worth having – unless you luck into something that breaks the rule – for under $5 or $600. In that price range and up, there are many decent keyless flutes to chose from.
On the other hand, $200 is a fair deposit for something you might have in 8 months to a year, if you can wait that long and/or scrape up the rest in the meantime .
I agree with Gordon that spending more money is well worth it, however I also understand having to set limits and stick with them (not that I’m very good at this myself mind you…)
If it were me, I’d got with a 3 piece Dixon Polymer flute from The Whistle Shop - cost, $189.
The Olwell sounds fantastic, but personally I find Bamboo flutes very uncomfortable to play - the fixed hand and embouchure postitions just don’t work for me. Even your Pratten Style one piece body section bothers me a bit because I like to be able to rotate the left hand section away from me quite a bit, which you obviously can’t do with the standard Pratten.
So anyway, for comfort, and function (how far in or out you can roll the embouchure relative to your hands and arms) I’d prefer anything with three separate joints for head, right, and left hand sections - Hey, if it’s not comfortable, how much are you going to practice? But again, that’s just me, others may have no problem at all with these issues - I do have back and shoulder and elbow problems after all.
The other reason I’d choose the Dixon is for durability and portability. The Polymer is virtually indestructible, and the flute breaks down into three pieces which will fit easily into a bag, briefcase, or backpack for travel. Bamboo flutes by comparison are rather fragile, fairly large, and hard to pack well enough to keep them safe during travel.
The Olwell probably sounds better though…
Loren
Did just look at the Dixon three piece
polymer on The Whistle Shop website.
Big picture of it. Looks quite nice.
Any more info about how it sounds,
more than that it doesn’t sound
as good as the Olwell bamboo?
I’ve played polymer flutes and
not liked them so well, but
it may well have been my
virtually non-existent
technique at the time.
What Polymer flutes did you try?
I should clarify that I’m making a very rare exception to a rule I have set for myself in general over the years, which is “Don’t comment on instruments you haven’t actually played” Normally I stick to this quite tenaciously, because I hate it when someone posts “Oh I think you should get a such and such because I’ve heard they are wonderful”…
However, in this case, enough people that I know and trust have given me their feedback that I feel comfortable saying that the Dixon might be better for reasons other than tone and playability, of which I have no first hand knowledge, though I’m sure others will jump in regarding those issues.
It should also be noted that the Dixon, being a truly Conical bore instrument, will be close in feel and likely tone, to a conical wooden flute, while the Olwell is going to be a bit different as Cane flutes have a different sound and feel just by the fact that most are cylindrical, even though the Olwells are slightly conical, which helps them out a bit.
Loren
Having played both the Olwell bamboo and the Dixon, I think the Dixon is the way to go. The finger spread and hole sizes are much more comfortable than the Olwell, and as Loren mentioned, you can customize the set-up by rotating the joints. I think that the tone is quite good on the Dixon. It plays and sounds much like a conical bore wood flute. While I no longer have mine (I play classical flute, and Irish flute ultimately just weirded me out, so I play whistle now), I got it the day after playing a bunch of wood Olwells at Patrick’s shop, and I was not disappointed in the Dixon. It’s not the same as $1000 flute, but it holds its own and offers real bang for the buck.
Micah
I have also played both the Olwell and Dixon and I would go with the Dixon. I think the Olwell is fine for someone who wants to enjoy the sound of a bamboo flute but I find it to be too far from a traditional flute. I like the sound of the Olwell but I think the 3 peice Dixon is more fun for me to play. The small tone holes make learning ornaments fun. It’s also close to indestructable. I don’t see myself selling it even after I get my keyed flute. I use my Dixon for bus-stop/Office practice and my Copley for home and weekend practice and playing.
I’m a new fluter but really love my Dixon 3-piece polymer. I second everything Loren said above. The ability to rotate the joints is a big plus. I haven’t tried the Olwell yet (I guess Pat is still whittling mine).
I think a person could go a long way with a Dixon and when you’re a great flautist and ready for a spendy wooden flute you’ll still have the Dixon for an indestructible travel flute.
I think the tone quality the Dixon is capable of is really excellent. Having said that bear in mind that I’m not an experienced player but I AM an experienced listener. The thing sounds really good…tremendous bang for the buck!
I have a Wooden Doyle which I like very much and it sounds better but it ought to for the price.
The thing I love about the Dixon is it is zero maintenance. I often have ten or fifteen minutes between appointments (I’m a vet) that I can toot my flute. It isn’t worth it to play the wooden flute for that short of a time (swabbing afterward, taking it apart, putting it away etc..) but the Dixon is perfect for a quickie.
Doc
Abiding by Loren’s rule 
, I can’t comment on the Dixon other than to say that many people I know recommended it as a starter flute, though went then to M&E and Seery (the next step-up polymers), rather than heeding sane advice and getting a real flute (just kidding!).
I think this thread moved on to something after I gave my half-cent’s worth. The cane flutes do sound good, but they are not good for getting you used to a conical bore flute. The Dixon seems to fit that bill, so if you REALLY must stick to a $200 budget, I have to jump on board. In spite of having never played one myself.. 
Just to be absolutely clear: I wasn’t taking a swipe at anyone in particular - that annoying habit of saying “I’ve never tried one but…” is just so common over on the whistle board, and don’t like being a hypocrite, so I added that bit in my post.
Loren
No, Loren, I think you’re quite right. We all fall into the hearsay-as-fact trap sooner or later. Good call.
Sometimes, though, we do know of enough people who have had experience with a flute enough to at least say its an option, even if we didn’t go that route ourselves.
Yay Dixon! Micah knows what I mean because I’m playing his Dixon.
Cheers,
Aaron
The polymer flute I played and
was unenthusiastic about was
the M&E. I played one in a local
music store quite a few times.
However my low estimate may
have had more to do with
my rudimentary embouchure than
the M&E–I thought it was
pretty heavy, too.
Is it right that the Dixon
is thought to be a step below
the M&E? It does sound as though
if you’re going to play
flute on the street
in bad weather, a polymer
is plainly the way to go.
I bought my first flute last year and I was very fortunate to get one used from my flute teacher. I have a Casey Burnes Rosewood Keyless. I love it. I paid $425.00 Canadian for it, so since you are in the States, and that’s where they come from you might be able to find one. I’m with the other people, better to spend a little more and get something you’ll love than only a little and want a new one in a year. Tell the keeper of the pocket book that you get what you pay for. Good luck to you!
I can’t recall exactly, but I think I payed $225 for my Ralph Sweet Rosewood (tenon between head and body, no slide) and about $275 for Seery Polymer (Seperate head and foot, silver slide), both used, both coming with their respective manufacturer’s cases. I love them both, though I’m somewhat more partial to the Seery, however, the Seery is -very- heavy compared to the Sweet, or indeed, any wood flute that I’ve handled. Polymer just weighs more than wood, even blackwood. If you have any joint strain issues, or have small hands that may lead to joint strain issues when playing a flute, you may not want something so heavy.
The Sweet flutes I’d not recommend unless you buy them in person at a show or at the shop; they are pretty low end flutes, and you’ll really want to try them for one that you like because they aren’t all winners (though, they’re all playable and reasonably in tune, it’s just a tone question, really, and a little bit of issue with the embouchure cut making some easier than others).
Anyway, from one beginner to another, they’re both good beginner flutes. You’ll have to haunt the used market longer or bargain harder than I did to get them in your price range (I took the offered price on both of them, which in both cases gave me, essentially, the flute for its cost but the case for free… not a huge savings, obviously! But I was making money then…)
–Chris
I’d buy a Copley, or better yet an Abell Boehm system…wait…$200 is all I get?? Oh poop…Olwell Cane it is, then! They always seem to get good reviews. Unless you find someone selling an Abell for $200, and if so, please call me because they’re probably dangerously unbalanced and the flute should be removed to a safe place by a health-care provider such as myself. I have a Sweet for sale, but I’ll bet the Olwell is a better “player”, any opinions?
Dave