If your child is intelligent, motivated, and if his/her teacher approves, acquiring a fine instrument for them to play can be an excellent investment that is sure to appreciate in value. Over the years two manufacturers have produced most of the superb flutes that can be found on eBay. William S. Haynes and Vern Q. Powell are two Boston flute makers who produce the world's highest quality instruments. Limit yourself to these two brands of flute to be assured of your child's success and of the safety of your investment.

There are fine Japanese flutes being sold in America, mostly silver plated brass, but many in solid silver and even gold. The world's greatest flutist, Sir James Galway, plays a Muramatsu, for instance. Your young player will have plenty of opportunity to investigate Japanese and fine quality Chinese flutes, too, for that matter. Generally speaking, Haynes and Powell are superior in tone and playability. Prices of Asian flutes will continue to fall, so let the kiddos have their fun when that time comes.

Haynes has produced ten times as many flutes as Powell. Powell has historically priced their instruments $50 more than Haynes and this has paid off today with Powell commanding a premium because the brand is so rare. . (Apparently, $50 more was too much more most of the time.) Thus, my general suggestion is to buy the Haynes Flute because the price for used Haynes instruments will be lower than Powell for the foreseeable future. Sometimes it pays to buy Powell, but of that we will speak later. Meanwhile, become familiar with the Haynes logos. Get the serial number of the flute being listed on eBay and check to see if it has been stolen from the Larry Krantz stolen flute list. William S. Haynes (and Powell, too) have serial number tables where you can find out what year your instrument was produced. Take a copy of the listing and save it to your computer. Check to see the serial number in the photograph in the listing. Telephone Haynes to ask about the serial number, too. They will tell you to whom it was sold and when. Avoid any instrument with engraving on it other than the Haynes logos, especially USMC, U.S. Navy, etc. While it is gratifying to know that a Haynes flute could be in constant use by America's military bands for many decades, avoid them. These instruments may still play well, but they can have other problems (such as completely worn-out keywork or even cracked keys) that can be prohibitively expensive to repair.

Check seller feedback, but beware of sellers who have earned their feedback by selling DVDs or other cheap items. Music stores are generally safe. Buying from people here in America has been successful for me, but buying overseas has not been. I bought a Haynes flute from an Romanian seller who never shipped and even though he was caught by their police, I've never been reimbursed at all and it has been two years. My keeping such good records assured the theif's capture, but it is doubtful that I will ever see anything. Stick with America. We have the real bargains here, anyway. Telephone the seller and get the full story on the instrument and use your best judgement. Sometimes they will provide a letter for your records, even letters from Haynes. Instruments played by famous musicians or in famous ensembles (often by saxophone doublers) are a plus, but refrain from paying celebrity prices.

Haynes flutes were originally sold for only a few hundred dollars, but money was more valuable then and the brand's reputation for quality has kept most of these fabulous instruments in the hands of adults or, better, in safe deposit boxes. Haynes flutes with dents can be easily repaired by skilled instrument repair workers, but usually, there are no blemishes or very few (except for military band instruments, of course). Even dents on the embouchure plate (mouth piece) of the flute can be repaired by a highly skilled worker, but this service is not available in most towns, so skip any flute with a damaged embouchure, especially if the blow hole is affected.

One way to estimate the use to which the flute was put is to look at the case. Most of the time, the leather hinge has torn or been replaced, but an intact case usually indicates less than severe service. A case with the Haynes label inside in excellent condition is a fairly good indicator that the flute will be a breeze to overhaul. William S. Haynes can replace a bad label, too.

Expect to overhaul the Haynes flute. When you get it, take it to the private flute teacher you have hired. You must hire a qualified private flute teacher for weekly lessons for your son or daughter to get the most out of their musical experience. (My own teacher was Juliard trained, but ask your child's orchestra or band director which flute teacher's students are more successful in local and state contests. Often he or she is a symphony player.) The teacher will be best qualified to advise you both as to need and he/she can recommend the best technician in your area. I have had great success with just one eBay-listed flute technician. Mr. Hearn in Pampa, Texas, did an excellent job, especially on commercial model Haynes flutes (the ones with adjusting screws for the keys, mostly closed hole flutes without "pointy" keys.) Search on "flute overhaul" to find him. If you have bought a handmade Haynes flute that your teacher suggests needs major repair, send it back to the Haynes factory. They do miracles there. Have them fit you a new case, too, if need be. It is best if they have the flute there to fit the case, since Haynes flutes have varied slightly in size and shape over the years. It may take them awhile

So many Haynes flutes show up on eBay, which one should you get? Silver. Be sure it is a William S. Haynes, first of all. George Haynes made some good instruments, but the metal was debased by many lower quality instruments. Don't buy the wooden flutes, since most of them are low pitch anyway (the ones made before about 1920. The new woodies are extravagantly priced, but they may be worth it for a professional studio musician. Only buy C flutes, no Db flutes--specialized slightly shorter instruments for military band. You should probably exclude any flute made before 1930, too. Peak production for Haynes was 1935. Although most Haynes flutes made in the twenties were A=440 pitch, not all of them were. Modern flutes play more precisely in tune with themselves, but Haynes and Powell flutes are NOT out of tune. Alto flutes are often very nice, but band and orchestra parts are scarce. Wait to get one for college when alto flutists are sought after for ensembles. Do not buy a Haynes flute with an open G# key. Offset G keys are generally easier to play, particularly if one has small hands. Drawn tone holes vs. soldered tone holes: both are fine for Haynes. Drawn holes are cheaper and more robust. The best years for commercial model Haynes flutes are the fifties and early to mid sixties, the so-called "golden years" because the quality was so consistently good. Of course, all Haynes flutes are consistently good now, but newer models are relatively much more expensive. It is easier to "track" (play exceedingly fast) on a Haynes of this period because the keys were all forged rather than cast or (gasp) machined keys. I suggest that you avoid a flute with a retaining ring on the headjoint (to limit insertion of the headjoint into the main body of the flute), purely because they sell for less.

Handmade vs commercial model Haynes flutes: Generally speaking, the commercial models have better tone than the handmade instruments (with open holes in the keys and soldered tone holes). The advantage of the handmade Haynes French model flute comes to the fore when rapid octave jumps are needed. The extra venting of the open holes in the keys allows the fastest musicianship here. If your fingers are long enough, and you intend to play in college, or you compete at the highest levels in state contests, you can elect to go with the hand made. The extra thousand dollars you spend will be there when you sell it. However, in high school, it is tone more than technique that earns highest praise, so for most flutists, a good Haynes commercial is the way to go. Without 'pointy' keys, they're more reasonably priced.

This advice all changes with Powell flutes. In general, do not buy a used Powell flute older than 1982. Powell flutes were in tune before then, but most flutists still don't think so. Expect to pay much more, too. Get only the best grade of handmade instrument, but certainly do not pay more than list price for it. A C# key and an Eb roller are wonderful. Gizmo keys are standard on Low B foot instruments. Low B foot flutes are fine for Powell, but not for Haynes. (Powell's upper register is so superb that the extra length won't bother it.) Avoid Powell's Sonare not because it isn't a great instrument with a great sound, but because it may depreciate. Ditto for Haynes' Amadeus brand.