i tried out a gremlin pratten-style wooden flute today (selling for about £140 Stlg)
i was surprised at how strong a tone it gave - the bottom d was fairly hard even for an inexperienced player like me
does anyone else rate these as a good-quality starter flute?
I MAY be wrong,but I believe that the Gremlin flute is made in Pakistan.Now the Gremlin might be a good instrument,I don’t know I’ve never tried one,but it seems that the general concensus of opinion on Pakistani made flutes is pretty low.
I would do an archive search on Pakistani flutes if I were you.For another Tenner,you could have a Dixon conical three piece,which wouldn’t crack on you six months down the line, or whatever.Just a thought.
Hopefully someone on this board has first hand experience of Gremlin flutes-hopefully they don’t live up to their name!
P.S.- The Dixon is more a ‘Ruddall and Rose’ type flute,by the way.
I would strongly recommend against buying a generic flute like the Gremlin. It might give you a hard low D, but chances are that’s exactly what the maker aimed for, knowing that’s the ‘test note’, especially among beginners. It in no way guarantees, or even indicates, that the rest of the flute is any good. Use your own judgement but take caution.
Best,
Chris
Hi John,
I bought what I assume is a Pakistani wooden flute from a local music shop, £120 I think, I find that its ok. The biggest problem I would say is consistancy between flutes. I got to try 2 and there was a world of difference, I took the one that had the strongest 1st octave. It could be a problem if you’re buying mail order. I’ve had mine since July last year and it’s still ok, I oiled it with Flaxseed oil from a health food shop. That said, you won’t go wrong taking Kevin’s advice regarding Tony Dixon’s Polymer 3 piece flute, it always get’s good reviews.
Cheers, Mac
Hi Mac,
A guy at work ,whose into body building ,bought some flaxseed oil to take last week-Just watch your flute doesn’t GROW into a Bb! 
Gremlin is the house brand for Hobgoblin Music (get it? gremlin and hobgoblin are somewhat similar folkloric creatures). Much as Tandy/Radio Shack used to call their items “Realistic,” or Wal-Mart called theirs “Equate,” or Sears-Roebuck called theirs “Kenmore.”
They’ve tacked the name Gremlin onto various instruments, imported from different places. I’m pretty sure this is what they do. You can compare the so-called Gremlin items, and find that they are sold as generic instruments by other retailers.
As for the matter of the Pakistani flutes (these are imported in the United States by http://www.mid-east.com , who are renowned for selling on eBay), it would be wonderful if you found a good one.
If one knows something about flutes, and can try it out, and finds one to be good, then surely it’s a worthwhile investment, as the cost is much less than most other comparable flutes. But their reputation is such, that it doesn’t seem like it would be a good idea to order one sight unseen.
Walden
