My kids friends are all taking flute/clarinet next term. Which one should they buy/rent?

They were told to buy Yamaha 211/Pearl 501?

Which one do you recommend or are there any others just as good but cheaper? Any one tried the Venus flutes they come in some amazing colours but are they any good?

Any help with clarinets also greatly welcome.

Cheers

Pearl Flutes are fantastic student models. i rented the PF 521 model and its getting me through just fine. Clarinets, Buffet, Selmer and Leblanc are your best bets, Vito if you want budget clarinets. Jupiter and Trevor James are not terribly good

I have not had any personal experience with the Pearl, but have read good reports. The Yamaha 211 is usually recommended because of its reliability. Cheaper models will often go out of adjustment more frequently and need to spend more time in the repairers. In the long run, taking into account repair costs, the Yamha often works out cheaper.

The other advantage to having a flute with a reliable mechanism is when the time comes to upgrade. It is possible to upgrade just the headjoint, thus creating a flute with a professional sound for much less than it would cost to buy a step-up flute.

Yamahas are probably the easiest flutes to sell secondhand because of their repuatation. It may be possible to buy one secondhand to reduce costs, but they go quickly, and it's worth getting the flute teacher to try it out first, especially if buying privately.

If you decide to go for a cheaper new option I would suggest Trevor James (from experience).

I thoroughly recommend the Armstrong 200E, and that isn't just because we sell them! They play as easily as Yams and the tone is better, they're a bit cheaper too. Yamaha (at the RRP) are very overpriced and I think they will have passed their popularity peak soon- it is so competitive in the music industry, and mark-ups are so low, that even now there are dealers who have to be selling Yams as loss leaders since nothing else can explain the ridiculously low prices some are charging (assuming advertised prices are correct). That is a situation that can't continue for long.

For a cheaper option, there really are some Chinese flutes out there now which are not at all bad - Selmer Prelude and Jinyin spring to mind but there are others too: basically if a reputable maker will put their name to the flute then you can have some confidence in it. Avoid odyssey and the like (I imagine Venus are in the same league!) In fairness I must say that the comments about Jupiter are out of date. The thing everyone needs to bear in mind is that instruments made in Taiwan and China are improving in leaps and bounds all the time. There's no question, I'm afraid, but that in 10 years time they will dominate the woodwind and brass markets in the way they dominate the violins market now.

For clarinets, and we don't sell these because we can't, look no further than Hanson - absolutely impossible to beat. They are only available online. We used to sell them but found it impossible to make any profit when the maker himself kept selling direct online, often with special offers. We stuck with it because the clarinets were so good, but eventually we realised our website was selling far more for him than it was for us - people were finding our website, taking our recommendation, and getting on the phone to order one direct from the maker because we weren't much cheaper and they felt safer buying direct from the maker So we don't sell clarinets any more apart from the occasional trial model. If we ever find a brand that competes with Hanson at a similar price, we will stock it. Alastair, if you ever read this, you owe me one

The point about repairs is this: some shops charge so much for repairs and overhauls that cheaper instruments just become disposable. We have been quoted £250 for an overhaul of a flute or clarinet (can't remember which) which actually had very few obvious problems. This is about four times the price we usually pay - we were trying to find a repairer nearer to us. Needless to say we didn't use that one! Bear in mind that any teacher is well able to do minor adjustments and will expect to do so on a regular basis.

Liz

Id go with the Yamaha 211 every time -trusty and reliable - 3 of my pupils have changed their crusty old flutes for Yamaha 211s in the last year and have all been amazed in the massive change in their tone. They all had random fltues Id never heard of that were realy quite dodgy and as they were approaching Grade 5 i suggested that they needed to change - their old flutes just werent helping them.
PS My Yamaha 211 got me to Grade 8 and I got distinction every time! They cant be that bad!!!

A pupil of mine who had been using a music service instrument on loan was bought a new flute in June for her birthday - a Stagg flute of which I had never heard (have since looked it up on the web and you can buy a new one for £150).
I had given advice to this pupil about reputable makes yamaha/jupiter/trevor james etc/possibly getting a 2nd hand instrument etc- but the parents obviously didn't take this on board. In July the keys started to not close at the bottom end and overall the flute had taken on a tarnished appearance and looked about 10 years old. I recommended she take it back to where she bought it from and loaned another instrument in the meanwhile.
I really don't think that parents appreciate that woodwind instruments are mechanical objects and that you get what you pay for. Cheap instruments won't last and should be avoided if at all possible (especially the funny coloured varieties! )
BTW the parents of this pupil are both working and in well paid jobs (mum is a headteacher).
I would recommend spending as much as you can on your first student instrument (obviously look for your best deal) and it could last you for years or at the very least have a reasonable resale value.

I did mine on a battered old emperor. Only got a merit though - and I didn't deserve that, I can tell you

Liz

That gave me a lovely mental picture.

Did my grade 8 on a very cheap chinese flute which was the most my parents could afford - the flute in the shop that I really wanted cost 3 times as much - still I've made up for it since!

I got Grade 8 distinction on a second hand Yamaha 21. It was bliss after my first flute, a Regent (couldn't aspire to an Emperor!).

Yes- there are some dogy flutes out there- I dont even know why they bother making them if they fall apart so soon!

I got another yamaha (open holed in line) for my 18th and that got me into music college and lasted for a couple of years but then it was suggested I get something better. I got an awesome Miyazawa for my 21st and although it got STOLEN (along with my piccolo) I got a replacement and a new picc and they both sound great! I dodnt even have to do much in the way of warm ups to get a decent sound! Very chuffed Thanks ma and pa!!!!

My local and EXTREMELY good repairer gave my flute a full overhaul - keys off, cleaned up, everything reset etc so it was almost like having a new flute (it hadn't had any attention in 3 years) - AND took out a dent in it so that you can only tell very slightly on the inside where it was... and the whole shebang, leaving me with a flute that feels like it's almost brand new, cost a grand total of £35...

yamaha 211 excellent i have had no problems

I have had a Pearl flute since I was 9, a 521 series (equivalent to the now 501 series I think) I am now nearlly 18 and my flute is still working and has got me through grade 8 and auditions and everything, so I would definately recommend a pearl flute! I've always managed to get a good tone out of it too.

You'll have to try both flutes and see which is better.

My sister plays a student Buffet model and it has been nothing but trouble... me and her are forever wedging bits of papar in it to make the pads seal properly!

It's difficult to say until you've tried them, but when I was learning I stuck with a Yamaha until Grade 8. No problems.

David

Yamaha 211 every time!!!

I love the Trevor James student flutes, but tend to find it mkes my students roll the headjoint in.............not sure why but they all do it. Anyone else had this problem with TJ flutes?

Just to back up someone else on clarinets.....Hanson clarinets are great. The cases are like mini rucksacks that you can have on your back, they come with a short and long barrel and quite often a front fastening ligature which helps free up the sound

right I will let everyone know that yamaha 211 and Hanson Clarinet

Thanks everyone

Both the Yamha 211UK and the Pearl 501 are really good instruments ideally suited to grade 5-6 level, although they will cope with higher grades if they are well maintained. (above grade 5 you may consider getting a solid silver head intermediate flute......ooooh sooo goood)
They are both good performers in tuning and tone. The Pearl has some really good build designs that the yamaha doesn't have which won't mean much to you, but it basically means that repairs and adjustments are easier (and therefore likely to be cheaper) in the long run that the Yamaha. Saying that though, the people that we get Pearl flute from are stopping doing them so if you are going to get one, get one soon as there may be no more!

"Roll the headjoint in?" Do you mean the headjoint tennon bending in? if this is the case, it will happen on most flutes if they are not lininf up the headjoint and main joint properly before putting the instrmuent together. Rotating the headjoint as they put it together will also keep the joints round and correctly fitting.

The most likely explanation for the TJ rolling in is that the mechanism is heavier. I don't know whether this is the case, but it would explain the phenomenon. Using the modified Rockstro position would help: this is where the flute body is played with the rods on top and the RH thumb positioned on the side of the flute nearest the palm, pushing the flute away from the player.

However, TJs tend to be flatter than other flutes anyway, thus giving the impression of being rolled in. I took my TJ away with me on holiday last week, and it was a pig to get in tune. I think I might risk my Powell next year.

The YAMAHA211 will be suited for the beginers of flute!

I would always recommend yamaha, I have always played on them (although when I upgrade this time it will not be with yamaha) and they are reliable, durable and give a nice sound.

Never had any playings on a Pearl however so I can't really compare them for you. But Yamaha's, for me, are the way to go - I get them for all my own students.

Yamahas tend not to be the most exciting of flutes, but good quality, and have great resale value - they reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hold their value because they are so popular. I have a Pearl and I love it, but having said that I haven't played a basic one and I haven't a clue how they compare to a basic Yammy. I would think that a Yamaha 211 will hold its value very well so you will be able to get a decent price when you choose to upgrade.

i have the yamaha. It is a really nice flute.
vicki x