I’m on a crunched budget right now, but I’m wanting a boehm flute real bad. I like the Irish flute a lot, and will continue to play and build them, but I think I’m more of a boehm person deep down inside. I’ve never actually played one, but I play a lot of Jazz and classical (on the guitar), and I really love my enharmonics. Not to mention, I like the bolder tone of the boehm.
All this has lead me to believe that I will simply die of something awful if I don’t get a boehm flute.
The problem (aside from a sever lack of flute funds): I know nothing about the flute. I would like to get one off ebay, but I don’t want to get junk. I have a budget of $200 max, but I can’t tell where it would be well spent and where it would be waisted.
Please help this idiot find a bang for the buck boehm flute.
-edit-
well, I bought one it seemed pretty good. The seller said there was a loose pad, but that sounds like that’s the only important defect. I assume it’s not difficult to get fixed.
I just bought one of the $49.99 boehm flutes on ebay and am surprised at how good it is. Granted it may break in a month, but it seems to be well constructed. I have found that I prefer the sound of nickel plated flutes to silver. I play jazz and rock and nickel has a sassy kind of sound that I like.
This flute is closed hole, but I think they are available in open hole. The brand is “Sky”.
You should be able to find an open-hole Yamaha or Gemeinhardt on E-bay. I would go for at least a silver headjoint, if you’re in this for the long haul. It might be better to check with local music shops because there you could actually try the flutes before you buy one. YOu might find out which brand and model you prefer.
I would avoid $49.99 flutes–you get what you pay for! The WoodwindBrasswind company has some less expensive flutes that would even be new ( www.wwbw.com ). Also, Flute World has a service, I believe, where you can try a few flutes before you decide on one. (I think it’s www.fluteworld.com)
The reason I might switch to open hole is that you can slide off the note (up a tone) easier than with a closed key.
I myself prefer the offset G key (as opposed to in-line) for ergonomic reasons.
Nice older Gemeinhardts are in your price range. I don’t have any experience with Yamaha, but have heard good things. I’ve been lusting after a handmade Haynes, but that’s way out of your price range (and mine too).
My first flute was an ebay Gemeinhardt and I bought it brand new from a music store that was selling them on ebay for around 200. It was the open hole student model. I thought it was beautiful, sturdy, and certainly good enough for me!
I would definately recommend them.
M
I think it’s a tough spot to be in. A $200 flute is certainly better than no flute at all, but a flute that goes out of adjustment often and leakes a lot might be worse than no flute at all. Maybe. Definitely go used.
Another possibility is to go to a music store and rent one for a while. Parents of 5th grade kids do this all the time. A few months’ rent is less than $200, and can give you some time to (1) see if you really like this type of flute, and (2) save money for something a little more durable.
Good luck. I’m very fond of both the Bohm, and the keyless flute.
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Excellent idea. You might ask the school music instructors if they know of someone who might have an extra or currently unused flute available for loan.
I’ve loaned out my original student flute (a pretty dreadful Bundy) a couple of times to save friends from committing to an instrument they weren’t sure their child would stick with. Each kid decided they did want to keep going with flute, so I then helped them find one of their own.
I’m not sure you’re going to find an open-hole Boehm flute is going to be able to “bend and gliss” like you think it is.
When jazz flutists do that, for instance, they do a lot more with their embrochure and airstream then they do with their fingers.
There are some advantages to the open holes:
–they enforce proper hand position from the start
–they enable special fingerings for multiphonics and sensitive notes
–they tend to give a flute a higher resell value
And some disadvantages:
–they can be much harder to learn to play on
–flutes with open-holes cost more but don’t necessarily play better dollar-for-dollar (less bang for the buck)
–open-holed flutes usually have an inline-G which is less ergonomic
The material of the headjoint and the cut of the embrochure are going to have much more to do with a flute that plays really well.
That said, if you want an open-hole flute, there’s nothing wrong with that. But, for what it’s worth, if I were looking for a flute right now I’d probably look for a plateau model, myself.
Almost all of the Boehm flute makers now make open-hole flutes with off-set G as an option–even the top of the line makers like Brannen, Haynes, etc. have that as an option. More and more flutists are recognizing the importance of good ergonomics.
Very true. Professional flutes with offset G are now outselling inline models, as far as I know. It’s also much harder to sell a used professional flute with inline G. Most people are looking for offset.
I have read you whole website, and I to think you opinion is respectable. I will do whatever the heck you tell me to. I just wanted an open hole flute because I thought you could bend with them, like a trad flute. If you can’t use them to bend, I don’t really care about the other stuff so much, and the offset G sound pretty important. I’m working on the warning signs of tendonitis
I’ve adjusted my posture for all my instruments, as well as typing, and it’s getting better, but in any case, I think going for ergonomics is the wisest thing for me to do at this point.
If you are set on an open hole flute at $200, I would definitely recommend YAMAHA, YAMAHA & YAMAHA. Mechanically they are the strongest at this level. The instrumentnts are also much more evolved than Gemeinhart, Armstrong, Bundy etc. A model 265 or 261 is an offset g & open hole. (if the 2nd number is 6 it denotes offset G; 8=inline) The 300 series has a solid silver head but generally goes over your budget. Bidding is very competitive for these instruments and you might consider using the softare SNIPE to assist. -C.Westcott, flute repair tech in Seattle
Nooooooo! This flute comes with a Yamaha care kit, but doesn’t seem to be a Yamaha flute (deceptive advertising, if you ask me). I would never buy a flute that was advertised as a “16 hole flute”.
