wooden flutes from china (ebay)

[crookedtune]

@Doug_Tipple

However, the owners of the music stores who sell the flutes do know better. They know that their advertisement copy about the flutes is untrue. This amounts to deceit and the victimization of the public, IMHO.

Yup, and if we keep biting our tongues real hard, they can remain unnamed. I’m glad to say, I resisted the temptation, but not by much.

[DaveAuty]

Here’s the persons website. http://stores.ebay.com.cn/musicinstrumentworld

It looks okay, although personally I would never buy a flute without playing it first. I was just wondering that’s all.

Cheers,

Dave

[Guinness]

I bought a Chinese-made dizi dirt cheap (~$12) in Chinatown and it plays quite well actually. However the bore wasn’t laquered so it cracked from the swelling, but it still plays.

[fluti31415]

@Doug_Tipple

@fluti31415

@The Whistle Collector

Jon, those Pakistan flutes do suck real bad! what a waste of money, those guys dont know what they are doing.

or maybe they DO know what they are doing. I admit to having bought one Pakistani flute, just to see how bad it really was (it was B A A D). And then there are the millions of people who don’t know enough about flutes or music to know any better.

However, the owners of the music stores who sell the flutes do know better. They know that their advertisement copy about the flutes is untrue. This amounts to deceit and the victimization of the public, IMHO.

That is an excellent point that I had not thought about. Thank you!

[azw]

A Chinese flute might be worth considering, but I didn’t see any Irish flutes on that eBay dealer’s page.

For what it’s worth, I recently bought a Rogue guitar made in China. It’s incredibly good for the price. It sounds great and stays in tune better than any other guitar I’ve ever owned. I’m very happy with it, but maybe my ear isn’t as sensitive as some.

[anniemcu]

I have a lovely one I got off of ebay… lovely to look at, that is. As for sound… hah!

[redleaffly68]

because i dont’ think china gets wooden flute, most of ours are made of bamboo, because it’s a culture, and wood can’t reach the effect of bamboo. so please make it clear.

[withak]

Yeah, it’s not the nationality (Pakistan vs. China vs. whatever) that is the problem with the flutes in question. It’s low quality, factory-produced flutes of any nationality that people around here get worked up about.

[Loren]

@rh

@jim stone

The chinese flutesmay get good.

Indeed, you can see a number of good-quality musical instrument lines coming out of China. Eastman mandolins, for example, have a good reputation at an attractive price point. They are also pretty responsive to the market. A few years back, it was not very common to see any lower-end makers putting out oval-hole mandolins; once they started to become popular, Eastman was right there, filling a niche market for people who may have spent their wad on a high-end F-style and were looking for an inexpensive-but-good-quality oval hole. So i wouldn’t be surprised if within the next few years we see good-quality economy-priced timber flutes aimed at beginning players or Boehm or sax doublers who might be looking for something that won’t set them back too much but isn’t a piece of junk.

Being at the hub of the Boehm flute making universe (Boston) and having toured and interviewed at several of the “Big Name” flute making operations here, I can tell you that Chinese made flutes are already quite prevalent - Powell, and Haynes both have Chinese made flute lines.

Here’s an interesting little tidbit, and something to keep in mind when you next consider an Eastman Mandolin, or any chinese made instrument for that matter:

The Eastman company bought the William S. Haynes flute company, started making and importing their import line of flutes, then a little while later, fired all their U.S. flute makers and shut down U.S. flute production entirely. Those familiar with the history of Modern flutemaking will realize what a travesty this is.

Sadly, this has become commonplace, the: Chinese companies buying marque names in order to attach the big name prestige to a low cost import line, often to the detriment of the U.S. based company and employees.

I’d say think twice before purchasing any Chinese made products, if the above reasons are not enough, we can head on over to the rubber room and discuss their human rights record (yes, it’s even worse the recent U.S. behavior), and their environmental policies (what policies???), etc. etc.


Loren

[Nelson]

Why don’t flute makers buy the Packastan flutes, re bore and voice them? They would bound to be good flutes. They could consider the origional flute as a pre-reemed blalnk. Jon, take your old Packastanie flute and rebore and voice it and see what happens. I assume they use good wood.

Nelson

[azw]

I have a Pakistani GHB practice chanter. It’s miserably out of tune with itself and fairly crudely constructed. For example, the inside bore is rough. I’m not an expert, but I don’t think the wood is very good, either.

I don’t think Jon could fix it. I’m thinking especially about all those note holes and how some of them would likely be in the wrong places.

I don’t know this to be true, but I imagine that these instruments are made in factories where no one knows how to play them. It that’s true, they wouldn’t know how to improve them.

[Guinness]

@Loren

I’d say think twice before purchasing any Chinese made products, if the above reasons are not enough, we can head on over to the rubber room and discuss their human rights record (yes, it’s even worse the recent U.S. behavior), and their environmental policies (what policies???), etc. etc.

That’s true of many products (e.g. oil, food, etc.) in many countries including ones that are made in our own country. Whenever something is “cheap”, chances are corners were cut. By importing cheap goods, we have in effect exported what would have been our own labor problems, pollution, unsafe work conditions, rapid depletion of natural resources, and so on. Throughout industrialization, the wealth of the West has been based on this model but now globalization has made this more efficient.

We used to bash Japan or Taiwan now it has shifted to China. India’s next I guess.

[Loren]

@Guinness

@Loren

I’d say think twice before purchasing any Chinese made products, if the above reasons are not enough, we can head on over to the rubber room and discuss their human rights record (yes, it’s even worse the recent U.S. behavior), and their environmental policies (what policies???), etc. etc.

That’s true of many products (e.g. oil, food, etc.) in many countries including ones that are made in our own country. Whenever something is “cheap”, chances are corners were cut. By importing cheap goods, we have in effect exported what would have been our own labor problems, pollution, unsafe work conditions, rapid depletion of natural resources, and so on. Throughout industrialization, the wealth of the West has been based on this model but now globalization has made this more efficient.

We used to bash Japan or Taiwan now it has shifted to China. India’s next I guess.

Well, let’s be clear: I’m not bashing China for taking business away from the U.S. - it’s our responsibility not to deal with keeping work here, and there are many ways to do that - one is by not selling to foreign companies who have a reputation for doing what Eastman has done. There are many more ways.

I am bashing China for it’s human rights and environmental record however, just as I bash the Bush adminstration (as well as many past U.S. administrations) for our failings in those areas as well. China just happens to be worse, in many ways.

As for us exporting our labor problems, pollution, etc, etc. those issues don’t pertain to the specific situation I brought up, because the type of situation I described is not a matter of a U.S. company taking operations overseas.


Loren

[billh]

It occurs to me that we have at least one new forum member from China here, so bear in mind any potential sensitivity.

cheers,

Bill