Unbiased Instrument Purchase Guide

When does Brand name matter? What type of instrument should you buy? There are many opinions on whether or not a name brand makes a difference when purchasing a quality musical intrument. The best advice is to use common sense. Things to consider are: who the purchase is for, how long is the instrument going to be used, what is the instrument going to be used for? Most musical instruments are usually purchased for children. When making a purchase you should keep in mind the temperment of your child. For instance if you know that your child rarely stays focused on a hobby for any length of time then you are not going to want to invest a great deal of money into the purchase of an instrument. However, if you have a child who has already been in band for a couple years and you forsee that they will likely continue playing for many more, an instrument is an investment and you will want to purchase a quality brand instrument.
As an instrument player myself I know the difference a quality instrument can make. I was in band throughout middle and high school and played flute, piccolo, and clarinet. When I first started band my parents purchased a used no name flute. There are a lot of things that make a difference in the way an instrument sounds and while I did learn to adjust to the inadequacies of my flute it made learning that much more difficult and was at times very discouraging. In a lot of children this sort of obsticle could be enough to make them want to give up.

Brand Name?

Chances are that many instruments you have heard of are not actually made by the companies that have their brand-name stamped on them. For example, some Vito flutes and saxophones are made by Yamaha. Yamaha student brass clarinets are made by Leblanc for Yamaha. Bach tubas and other background brass are made by Yamaha. Many of these "major and famous" manufacturers have their student instruments made in Taiwan and even China. Student and intermediate Buffet flutes, clarinets and saxophones have nothing to do with Buffet company in Paris, France and are made by other companies around the world and just have the Buffet brand stamped on them. Keilwerth the manufacturer of some of the most expensive professional saxophones have student and intermediate saxophones made in Taiwan by a variety of different manufacturers who stamp the Keilwerth name on them. There is a big difference between no-name instruments and OEM instruments. No-name or "off-brand" instruments are marketed by stores and import companies that search out the cheapest and thus worst products made by companies who are not necessarily instrument manufacturers. Many of these instruments are made by factories that have no or very little experience in the design and manufacture of musical instruments.
To be fair, some of these large manufacturers produce reasonably good products that are competitive with some produced in Europe and North America. For example the Jinyin and Eastman factories in China use solid tonewoods for their violins that are at least finish carved by hand, albeit in production lines. Many of these instruments are sold by reputable dealers in the US as inexpensive student models.
On the other hand there are many less scrupulous manufacturers who produce decidedly inferior products.  With violin family instruments, this is manifested in the form of shoddy materials, poor finishes and cheap "pot metal" keys that break easily and are badly aligned. Instruments of this kind can be ordered wholesale by dealers with any brand name they choose. Most often a name is used to give the products an air of European respectibility. They are sometimes sold with exaggerated descriptions, using terms like "German Engineering" or "the original", suggesting that their brands are made i the manner of traditional craftmanship and that they are copied by lesser quality manufacturers. This is pure hype. This kind of advertising is not false, but is definately misleading.

The Flute

My expertise on what makes a quality instrument is grounded primarily in what I am most familiar with, the Flute. With any instrument the primary concern is air flow. The shape of the instrument and the seals that form a contact with movable parts are places where air flow can be lost and therfore alter the quality of the sound that the instrument produces. If an instrument is made of a low quality metal that bends easily then there is a higher probability that theinstrument will get dents and in the case of extremely shoddy workmanship even holes. Small dents can alter the pitch that is produced by an instrument and while there are ways of compensating for such loss this can make tuning the instrument all the more difficult. On the flute each key has a pad that makes a seal over a hole, if the pad is worn or damaged the seal is not complete and it can become difficult if not impossible to get notes out of the instrument. Craftmanship can make a difference in not only the quality of the pads on the instrument but also whether the keys themselves are properly aligned. The rods that hold the keys have to perfectly straight in order for the pads to align properly over the hole. As was the case with my flute, simply placing my instrument improperly in the case was enough to cause the intrument to bend and make it unplayable. (This is why I'm not overly fond of the new trend of soft cases!) While it is possible to repair problems like this you have to weigh the pros and cons. When my flute became warped I took it in to have it worked on and straightened. This alone cost a hefty $80 (this was well over 10 years ago) and shortly afterwards the screw on the end of the rod came loose, again I took it to be repaired because it wasn't just a matter of tightening the screw it no longer stayed in place even after tightening. Even after the subsequent repair I continued to have the same problem which resulted in my keys constantly shifting and a proper seal over the holes was hard to obtain. Even though I did not become a professional flutist, I did make it a long term hobby that brought me a lot of joy. With 7 years of band (concert and marching) and I still have my flute to this day (after nearly 10 yrs after graduating) which I still pull out on occassion.

FLUTE DETAILS

The least expensive flutes are usually made from nickel-silver. Nickel-silver actually has no silver in it at all- it is an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel. If well made and properly cared for, a flute of this type can last a very long time.
Student flutes are plated with a layer of either nickel or silver, to help resist corrosion. Silver plating lasts longer, gives a smoother less metallic tone and is less slippery to hold and can be reapplied when it wears out. The only advantage to nickel plating is that it stays shiny with little maint. Since the extra cost is small, the silver plating is preferable to the nickel.
Silver metal has  slightly deeper, richer tone and slightly better response. Since the influence of the material is mainly on the head joint replacing it with one made of silver gives the flute basically the same characteristics of one made entirely of silver.
Many times someone selling a flute has no idea what it is actually made of. Usually a flute will say on it if any portion of it is silver. Above the all-silver flutes are the handmade flutes. Most of these are made in silver, but gold and platinum are also available. Gold gives a warmer, richer sound with somewhat less carrying power. Platinum theoretically make the best flute material but is considered to have a "cold" tone.
Wood Flutes
African blackwood (grenadilla) is the most common wood used. Pieces for the less expensive flutes are sawed from the log, while for the most expensive models they are cleaved which exposes defects in the wood that can be rejected at an early stage safeguarding against cracking in the finished flute. Student models are sometimes made from ebonite, a hard-rubber compound resembling ebony, which is moisture proof but not heat proof.
Because of the greater resistance of the wooden flute body it requires a more muscular blowign style (more advanced players) usually produces a rich solid tone.
Various comprimises between the wooden and metal flute are available. Wooden flutes are made with thinned bodies and/or head joints to provide some of the tonal properties of wood with less resistance. Both wooden and metal flutes can be fitted with head joints of the other material.
(Open holed Flutes are for EXPERT/PROFESSIONAL USERS! Because of the difficulty in proper finger alignment that is required for complete coverage of the holes.
What to Look For:
Curved lip plate makes for easier blowing. The walls of the holes should be raised directly from the body of the flute, instead of being soldered on to reduce chance of having air leaks. Screws allow the flutist to make basic adjustments to the flute mechanism, decreasing the need for professional attention.

Repair Prices:
Repair costs vary from shop to shop and depend on the type of flute you have as well, with better quality flutes costing more to repair. General maint. and cleaning prices can be costly. Most places will charge a bench fee and hourly rate on top of costs for parts. An average hourly rate is around $45-$60, cleaning and tuning can be $150 on up, pad replacements are expensive and range around $200-$400, and a total overhaul can cost $300-$500 on up. These are important considerations if you purchase a used instrument! Keep in mind these prices are generalizations, local individuals who do repairs may charge far less than taking your instrument to well-known music stores or manufacturers. Here is a pic of my flute and you can see the visible wear and discoloration of the pads especially the one in the middle! This causes severe air loss and therefore poor tonal quality.

Flute BRAND NAMES
(While which brand is the best is a matter of opinion, the general consensus is as follows:)
Top of the line/Professional
Gemeinhardt (brand of my piccolo), Jupiter diMedice, and some Yamaha (US and European)
Intermediate
Armstrong, Haynes, Emerson, Selmer (flute I currently own), and Blessing.
Beginner
Windso, Harmony, First Act.

The Trumpet

For my daughter who is 9 yrs old, after a friend introduced her to the trumpet she became intensely interested and was unrelenting in her requests to own one for well over a year. Even though she isn't old enough yet to be in band at school my own love of music compelled me to make a purchase. First Act is a reputable company that makes student instruments and I got a great bargain on Ebay. At 1st my daughter was thrilled and she practiced frequently. However, as time passed her interest faded and at one point I found her trumpet left on the trunk of my car! Of course I knew my daughter can be irresponsible and that she is a bit young to even own an instrument, which is the primary reason that I didn't fret much over which brand to buy. I'm uncertain as to whether the many minor dents and dings on her trumpet are the result of weak metal or her carelessness but I rest easy knowing I didn't spend several hundred dollars on the purchase! If you are in the market for an instrument band teachers are usually very willing and able to help in purchasing decisions. They know which companies offer the best quality and which ones are the most economical. For a beginner I would advise shooting for something in between, not the cheapest item on the market nor the most expensive. Something sturdy yet affordable.

I hope the information I have provided is helpful, good luck and happy bidding. NOTE: I do NOT sell instruments, I just play them ;)

*All Subject matter contained in this guide is a matter of my opinion, I assume no responsibility for the results of your purchase, repair, or any other decisions.