Do you want a flute with an excellent tone? Do you want it to last a relatively long period? Then you need to buy a flute from the best brands in the business.
Now that you have picked the flute as your preferred instrument, there is only one thing left — getting the perfect flute. However, this is easier said than done. After all, there seems to be a ton of fluting options out there. But, the truth is you only need to know a few brands. In light of this, we have made a comprehensive compilation of the best flute brands that you should know.
Understandably, sifting through all the advertisement noise in the music world can be a hassle. But how else can you make a choice and buy an excellent flute? Fortunately, that is where we come into the picture. We’ve done all the heavy lifting in terms of research on top-quality flute brands. Now, you can read our findings.
In the next few paragraphs, we will present you with a concise list of some of the music industry’s best flute brands. Remember, it does not matter whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or expert. We’ve done our homework, and these flutes will work for you. Keep reading to find out the top flute brands we recommend.
The Top Flute Brands On The Music Scene
Picking and buying your first flute, or even your next is always a big deal. Therefore, it is essential that you get it right. One of the crucial steps to getting to buy the perfect flute is to shop from a well-established brand. Otherwise, you may purchase a subpar flute. In light of this, here are the best flute brands available to flutists.
1) Miyazawa
Miyazawa is a famous music instrument company that has its base in Japan. Misashi Miyazawa founded the company in 1969, and today, they are renowned for their handcrafted flutes.
One thing is certain with a Miyazawa — you’re getting a top-notch flute. According to the founder, they have carried out extensive tests and upgrades on the flutes to ensure their customers get only the best quality. Besides, the fact that they hand-make their flutes means they take even the smallest details into account while fabricating the instruments.
The brand offers you a range of options for the metal and head-joint of your flute. So you do not only get a flute with a beautiful tone, but it also looks the way you want. Interestingly, the flute brand also offers some enhancement parts if you want to customize your instrument.
Finally, one unique characteristic of the Miyazawa is their commitment to ensuring consumers get their perfect flute. In light of this, their flutes always feature the Brogger system. The system came into existence courtesy of Johan Brugger, a flute maker.
The Brogger system allows flute players to perform specific adjustments on their flutes using a pinless mechanism. You can also regulate the spring tension on each of your flute keys. In others, playing your flute becomes much more comfortable and less exhausting.
2) Yamaha
If you’ve been on the music scene for a while, you’ve undoubtedly seen or heard about Yamaha. Well, their popularity is not unfounded. Yamaha is the largest manufacturer of musical instruments, including organs and pianos. However, they are behind on their flute game too. This brand is also a first-rate maker of flutes, which boasts excellent tones and an extensive pitch range.
If you are looking to buy a flute as a student, a Yamaha model may be perfect for you. Their student flutes feature lip plates, which help beginners master the correct breathing techniques. The positioning of their keys also ensures excellent balance in terms of flute balance and promotes stress-free playing.
As an instrument manufacturer, Yamaha was one of the first back then in 1887. They started with the reed organ and pianos. Today, they have expanded into more than musical instruments and now produce home appliances and even sporting equipment. However, this is not to say they have lost ground on the instrument scene. They are still as vibrant as ever.
There is a saying that with age comes wisdom. Yamaha undoubtedly resonates with the truth in this statement. After considering the duration of time Yamaha has been in existence, it is safe to assume they know their stuff. Furthermore, since their instruments and equipment are in massive demand, we can conclude they genuinely do.
A Yamaha flute is decidedly an excellent choice for beginners and experts alike. They have considerable experience in flute-making, and they channel this into making their every instrument a musical perfection. So, if you want good value for your money, here is one way to achieve that.
3) Gemeinhardt
Next on our list of the best flute brands, we have the Gemeinhardt. This brand takes its name from its founder, Kurt Gemeinhardt, who created the company in the mid-’40s. Today, Gemeinhardt has established itself as an excellent manufacturer of high-quality flutes.
One of the primary perks of buying a Gemeinhardt flute is they are generally more affordable. However, this is not to say they compromise on the quality of their instruments. Indeed, they have one of the best sounds out there.
So, they are perfect for someone who’s just starting their career with the flute. You can enjoy high-quality flute tones without breaking the bank. Moreover, Gemeinhardt flutes require little maintenance, making them ideal for the student flutist just finding their feet (or their hands).
An interesting fact about Gemeinhardt is they are the world’s largest flute manufacturer. So, while Yamaha is the foremost manufacturer of musical instruments, Gemeinhardt holds the dice on the flute front. This exciting fact should allay any previous fears you had about this brand.
Now, let’s learn more about the Gemeinhardt flute brand. The founder, Kurt Gemeinhardt, learned from his father in Germany, where he received acclaim for his spectacular flute-making prowess. He then moved to America in 1928 and started making flutes in Indiana. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, every flute his company makes bears his name.
A point worthy of note is that the Gemeinhardt brand makes their flutes in several varieties. There is the alto flute, the bass, student flute, and of course, the professional models.
Still wondering why you should choose Gemeinhardt? Well, their flutes are of impressive quality with rich tones. The keys on the flutes are also optimized for stressless playing times. In terms of durability, they also come out ahead as their flutes feature a long lasting silver plating.
Finally, if you live in the US, here’s a perk for you. The Gemeinhardt brand has its base in the United States, which means that accessories will cost less than imported brands.
4) Brannen Brothers
Here is another flute-making brand we confidently recommend for flute enthusiasts. The Brannen Brothers company have their HQ in Woburn of Massachusetts, US, and are famous for manufacturing custom flutes. The company came to life in 1978, and till today, they make each of their flutes by hand. However, the brothers sold their company to new managers in 2007.
As a brand, the Brannen Brothers manufactures and markets 15/85 Brögger Flutes, Brögger Flutes, and the Kingma System Flutes under the umbrella of Brannen-Cooper.
However, the Brögger Flute remains their ‘signature’ piece. Unsurprisingly, the flute comes with the greatest range of options, including key styles, flute pitch, style of foot joint, and body tubing. There is also the 15/85 Brögger flute, which is quite popular on the market. This particular flute’s name is due to its material constitution of 15% in gold alongside 85% silver.
On the other hand, there is also the Kingma System flute. This came to exist as the brainchild of both Eva Kingma and Bickford Brannen. Although you can play the Kingma System like a typical french flute, it has an extra set of six keys. This means that flutists with this piece can play multiphonics and scales in quarter-tones.
All-in-all, the Brannen Brothers is a flute brand that you’ll undoubtedly enjoy. They score well in terms of tone, pitches, and of course, durability.
5) Emerson
Unlike most of the flute brands we already mentioned in this article, Emerson is full of American origin. The founder, whose name is Emerson DeFord, is quite renowned for his work as a flute maker. He also manufactured symphonic orchestra musical instruments, as well as The Lawrence Welk Show.
One distinct feature about Emerson’s flutes is that they always have that pure, rich tone we all love. The flutes also give a delightful intonation, which is a plus.
6) Armstrong
Next on our list of the best flute brands, we have Armstrong. The story of Armstrong as a flute brand all starts with William Teasdale Armstrong, an acclaimed craftsman. In 1931, William opened a humble repair shop for flutes, but that was the beginning of more incredible things. Today, that shop has grown and expanded into a new company, Conn-Selmer Inc., but they still produce Armstrong flutes.
Armstrong flutes consist of models that are ideal for both the student and professionals. The student flutes have a crisp tone, which is unique to only the Armstrong flutes. Moreover, these flutes promote easy learning and playing for students as they feature an offset Key G that conforms to the human hands’ natural mold.
One of the notable achievements of William Armstrong is that he developed an innovative scale for flutes in the mid-’70s. However, he did this alongside Albert Cooper. Before their invention, flute makers had to retune the A=435 by filling head-joints at their ends to raise the pitch to A=440. But, while this corrected the pitches on center registers, the other octaves were not in sync.
Thanks to the collaboration of Armstrong and Albert Cooper, we have flutes without those flaws. To achieve this, they made changes to the dimension of the flute holes and placement. The changes they created became the model for 102, 103, and 104 flute platforms today.
In 1984, King Musical Instruments bought the Armstrong woodwind company and then merged with C.G. Conn a year later to create United Musical Instruments (UMI). Almost two decades later, in 2002, UMI partnered with the Selmer Company to form Conn-Selmer, Inc. as we know it today.
7) Jupiter
Here is another brand that has earned its way onto our list of the top flute brands. More formally known as Jupiter Band Instruments Inc., Jupiter originates from Taiwan and came to being in 1980. They manufacture brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. This, of course, includes flutes. Also, they have an outfit in Austin, Texas.
If you’re looking for a reason to pick a Jupiter flute, we suggest you look at their mission statement, ‘A world of quality goes into each musical instrument.’ These are indeed not mere words for the company.
They produce top-of-the-line flutes with a warm, rich tone. They also have a simple intonation, which helps students make accurate and on-pitch sounds.
8) Pearl
This is another musical brand you should look out for when shopping for flutes. Pearl became a musical instrument brand in Japan after the second world war. Their first factory where they focused on hand-making flutes was in Chiba in Japan. However, they’ve come a long way since then. Today, Pearl is one of the best flute brands out there.
With Pearl, they have shown impressive levels of creativity in their flute making. Of course, this probably has much to do with the fact that most of their craftsmen have been in the business all their lives.
Indeed, one of the reasons Pearl may have gotten so popular is the convenience their student flutes offer. They used a curved head-joint, which reduced the distance between flute keys. As such, younger flute enthusiasts don’t have to strain their arms to reach the proper keys.
Moreover, the music brand also researched how to improve the head-joint and keys of the flute. Eventually, they created a pinless mechanism for which they took out a patent.
With a pearl model, you enjoy over five decades of experience and improved craftsmanship. In other words, you get a flute with generally accurate pitches and a full sound. Besides, they are perfect for beginners who just started their flute journey. Let’s not forget that they have a split E element on their flutes!
9) Altus
According to the founder, Shuichi Tanaka, this brand is ideal for musicians who are passionate about musical expressions. As a result, he emphasized how he wanted Altus flutes to reveal the player’s very personality. For him, that was the basis of Altus as a brand.
Altus have been in existence for more than two decades, and they seem to be going nowhere. In 2006, they created their Azumi line of flutes, a specifically designed model for student flutists. Asides from being easy-to-use, these models also had the advantage of being more affordable. However, this is not to say you’ll be foregoing quality for cost. The flutes remain top-notch.
Another unique feature of Altus flutes is that they come with several parts and tubing from which you make your selection. Indeed, Altus is the foremost brand with respect to its variety of tubing and other materials. They are also quite beautiful in terms of craftsmanship, durable, and offer flexibility with sound.
Wrap Up
Whether you are buying your first flute or the next one, it is crucial that you get it right. After all, you are going to spend a significant amount of time with that flute. Therefore, it’d be best if you chose a well-crafted, durable piece that produces high-quality sounds. Hopefully, this article on the best flute brands has helped you narrow down your options.
Remember, it is always better to invest in a top-of-the-line flute that will give you good value for your money rather than buying cheap variations that don’t last. All the music brands in this article fit the exquisite and top-notch criteria. So, go ahead and make your choice.
Do you have more questions about which flute to buy or where to get them? Reach out to us. We’d love to help.
Aashish says
How can I get Miyawaki or Yahama flutes for beginners?