I am thinking about purchasing a silver alto flute, and I need some help in making a decision. I don’t have the link to the silver flute website that is often mentioned when questions about silver flutes come up on C & F.
Here are two lower cost alto flutes that are available. Can anyone help me with making a decision between the two or perhaps another flute?
ebay ad 1
ebay ad 2
Best wishes,
Doug Tipple
I’d be afraid to recommend either of these two on ebay, since they are by virtually unknown brands. For a really nice altoflute, nearly as good as the true professional altoflutes, I recommend Juputer Demedici http://www.jupiterflutes.com/jbi_instruments.aspx?cId=19&lId=5&sId=1 (These are an upgrade from regular Juputer flutes). I rarely play altoflute, but needed to have one available for those times I do. I bought the Jupter Demedici, and have compared it to professional altoflutes. It’s not as nice, but it’s close.
I’ve played several “cheap” altoflutes, and wouldn’t recommend them. Their scales can be atrocious, and the mechanisms are often quite unreliable.
Dana
Listen to Dana 
ain’t no sense in buyin’ one that isn’t worth playin’
Dana didn’t say that the ones on EBay didn’t play well.
Both sellers have splendid feedback.
A more expensive flute is not an indication of higher quality.
If there is a return policy Doug would have nothing to lose.
A flute by an unknown maker could still be a great flute.
Curious. Why an alto flute, Doug?
…perhaps I should attempt to write in full sentences and expanded babel
Doug,
From what I remember of the last two or three alto flute threads on the flute forum…
Jupiter has been mentioned quite favorably by all and slammed by none.
While it is not the best of breed it does seem to be the price point performer chosen by most posters. (The posters being mostly professional flute players and a few semi-pros.)
The mechanics have been well spoken of also. (Altos being more prone to adjustment issues over time)
I did attempt a search of the forum…the horses need to be feed however and it wasn’t going well.
Sorry…that’s about as lmuch time as I have right now to say
They’re feed… 
One an other note!
The Chinese are taking over the low end instrument market.
Many of the repair techs will not work on these flutes.
The mechanism is either breaks and must be replaced (getting parts can be an issue)
or is too soft and will not stay adjusted.
I’ve never heard of the first brand, so I couldn’t tell you. Venus is a not so great brand that makes a lot of beginning band instruments and the like, so I wouldn’t recommend that. (but I personally don’t like Jupiter flutes either, so it all depends.) I play on a Gemeinhardt silver alto and those are generally thought of as the best brand of student / amateur silver flutes. I don’t know how much a new one would cost off hand. I got mine used. good luck finding one!
cheers,
Sara
What does Sarah Allen of Flook play?
Poisonnally…I’d look for a used Armstrong…
BUT..if you just want to play w/ one for awhile I’ll send you my old PARROT to fuss with…
Edit: see also http://cgi.ebay.com/ARMSTRONG-ALTO-FLUTE-WITH-CASE_W0QQitemZ180045253418QQihZ008QQcategoryZ10183QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Another good brand of alto flutes are the flutes made by Trevor James. I’ve played a few & a friend just got one of his silver-plated altos (i.e. the Masters series). Not an inferior instrument by any means! It’s one of the best alto flutes I’ve played.
You might also try putting a wanted ad up on usedflutes.com (but use an email address where you can handle getting ridiculous amounts of spam…) I’ve seen a couple of Trevor James altos listed for sale there, & I’m sure others have been sold through this site as well.
Good suggestion. I’ve heard good things about the Trevor James alto flutes, although I’ve never had the opportunity to play one.
Dana
I believe Sarah Allen plays a Trevor James. I haven’t played one myself, but I don’t play alto all that much. they have a good rep though.
cheers,
Sara
Thanks for the suggestions. Both of the ebay flutes that I referenced are made in China, and the Jupiter Instrument Company has their headquarters in Taiwan. I have no doubt that the Jupiter Demedici alto flutes are good performers, but the price is more than twice what I had hoped to pay. I am not a professional flautist, and I merely enjoy playing for my own enjoyment. I have a standard Venus concert flute (ebay price @ $150), and, believe it or not, I think that it is a pretty good flute. All of the keys work smoothly and seal well, and the low C is easy to blow. It certainly is good enough for me, so I am inclined to go with the Venus alto flute, thinking that it will most likely be of similar quality. I have owned two Yamaha flutes for comparison.
To answer Jim’s question about why I might be interested in an alto flute, my reply is for the same reason that wooden flute folks get the urge to play a low Bb flute: we like the low notes. The silver alto flute plays a low G. I also like the curved headjoint, so I don’t have to get tendonitis in my shoulders just to hold the flute. Lastly, musicians, like my cat who has to check out anything new, are inherently curious. We are never satisfied with a few flutes or other instruments. There is something within our psyche that is searching for a new sound, something different.
Here’s another voice -
I bought a used Armstrong on eBay less than a year ago. It was poorly presented (including no photo), and therefore went for a cheapish price, <$600 for a solid silver head model. I took it to my local repair guy for a quick tuneup, and he pointed out 3 things:
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there’s one internal tuning quirk, at least in the older Armstrongs - I think it’s the “E” equivalent - which is off. Certainly workable.
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mine turned out to have a solid silver body as well as head, though not foot joint. (arrh?) He suspects somehow a factory mistake, as I am third in a short line of owners, and would think they’d have known if it had been sold as such.
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Verrry nice tone!!
I would add that it playes like a dream as well, once I finished the rack sessions to stretch my arms. If you have issues, definitely go for the curved headjoint option!
Also, alto flutes are wonderful training devices for nearly all aspects of playing - do a workout on the big boy, and swapping back to a “regular” flute (wooden or otherwise) feels like dealing ice cream with a red-hot scoop!
Enjoy!
Linda
On off-brand crap, the action (which is a real deciding factor on a huge linkage like an alto - as long as a tenor sax) is either ugly, clunky, or nonfunctional. Take it to a technician, and a bad one will do a half-assed job and a good one will turn you away.
If someone had a problem with one of your flutes, you would (and have, I hear) do everything to remedy that problem. No such luck with Jade Garden Alto Flutes ™.
Jupiter/Yamaha/Yaginasawa makes makes great axes with less frustration. Also, I’ve had 3 Armstrong flutes (a C, an Eb, and a time with a Bass), and they’re solid, a little crude, and infinitely adjustable. A friend of mine was stuck playing her ‘marching flute’ in a major Canadian orchestra, and it worked surprisingly well. An Armstrong.
Pleeeeeese, buy a real instrument.
This rant has been brought to you by a band-teacher who thinks that Doug is a quality guy and that he deserves a quality instrument. Chiffed has never tried Masons or Internationals, or Tingly Jade Palace alto flutes.
Since I alreaady owned the Venus concert flute, I went ahead and followed my own judgement and purchased the Venus alto flute with gold plated keys and two heads for $895 on ebay. I have been making and repairing instruments for a good part of my life, and I have to admit that I am impressed with the Venus alto flute. It blows easily throughout its range, and the French pointed keys work smoothly.
For the sake of comparison I thought that it would be interesting to lay four different flutes side by side. From top to bottom the flutes are a low D flute in ironwood by Mark Hoza, a special-edition Tipple 3-piece low D flute in gray pvc, a standard Venus concert silver-plated, open-holed flute, and a Venus silver-plated alto flute. Not pictured is the curved headjoint for the alto flute. Not accustomed to playing an alto flute, I was immediately struck by how large it is in comparison to the standard concert flute. After playing the alto flute for awhile, picking up a low D flute feels like a piece of cake in terms the air that is required to play it.
Notice the white pearl finger keys on the alto flute. When holding the flute, the two hands are much farther apart but the fingers are close together. What you can do with keys! Please click on the photo if you want to download the photo.
Congrats, Doug. I hope the new flute serves you well.
Yer a braver man than I (and you have an alto flute while I do not, and I’m jealous).
Now you can play along with some Flook! tracks, too!