I’m searching for a new flute. I’m currently using a Gemeinhardt, but everything I’ve read online about them says that anything above a beginner flute in that brand is not recommended. So I have no idea which brand to choose. Right now I’m looking at an Armani, so I was also wondering if anyone has used that brand before and if they would recommend it.
Giorgio Armani makes quite expensive stuff.
ya might do better over here http://www.8notes.com/f/forum25.asp
not many of us play Boehm flute… we’re more of a stick with holes in it crowd.
No harm asking here. But you may have better luck at one of the sites below. The focus of this forum is on Irish-style timber flutes, not Boehm system silver flutes.
http://www.fluteland.com
http://forums.fluteportal.com/
http://www.8notes.com/f/forum25.asp
FWIW, I used to play a Gemeinhardt 3SB - solid silver, open hole, B foot - and was quite happy with it. My flute playing was a different story …
[ Crossed with Denny. ]
With respect and in a spirit of helpfulness, I think you may not realise you haven’t quite landed in the right place. Very few of us here play or have expertise in modern metal Bohm flutes. You may get some help here, but we are mostly involved with wooden simple system flutes. There are places online where you can get the kind of advice you seek from specialists, but I’m afraid I don’t have any links to give you.
Ah, another cross-post!
there’s too much echo here…
someone haul the sound man off for a talk 
Sound man? SOUND MAN? We don’t got no stinkin’ Sound Man. We’re strictly acoustic around here!
Bob
I am not sure what you would class as “intermediate”, but I really like my yamaha. They make good instruments which are just as good second-hand and I’d recommend unreservedly.
amateurs with day jobs 
Well, thanks for at least pointing me in the right direction.
My advice is to get a Trevor James, nice flutes, well made.
Standard Yamaha could be ok too, but the more you spend, more you’ll be happy.
I’ve noticed that ebay has often semi-professional model for fair prices.
good luck!
I play primarily Böhm (Boehm) flute, and also started on a Gemeinhardt student flute (2sp). I recommend you look into the Galway Spirit flutes in addition to the info above, everyone has their favorite brands, so “best brand” will vary. My pick for the most affordable best-bang-fer-yer-buck (or quid!) intermediate flute is the Galway JG-3 made by Conn-Selmer. With all bells and whistles it tops out at around $1300, and performs as well as many flutes twice that price.
One thing you can look into is getting a step-up Headjoint instead of an entirely new flute. You can get “Gemeinhardt Custom Series” Solid Silver headjoints on eBay for usually around $100 and they will fit right on a standard cheap Gemeinhardt student model flute body. There is nothing “custom” about these HJs though, they’re just different cuts to the embouchure, so you can “customize” your flute by picking the cut you like. My Gemmie has a “Custom” S-cut HJ on it and it really does outperform the standard HJ in every aspect. I don’t have all the cuts memorized, but the S-cut is for a thick, honking, reedy low end and a balanced transition between octaves, which is exactly my cup of tea, especially since I enjoy a good wooden simple system flute as well!