There are a lot of things to think about when shopping for a flute that’s been previously used, rater than buying a new one, but a good reason is wanting to avoid throwing money down the drain. If you keep looking you will eventually find a superb flute for a great deal if you know how to properly to shop for one. Listed below are some ideas that can assist you in determining whether or not the flute is in a good working condition.
If this is your first time buying a flute, begin looking at a student (beginners) flute, which is the cheapest to start out with. Search for one that’s silver-plated. A silver-plated flute is slightly more expensive, but it has a way better tone, and is definitely worth the extra few bucks.
Next check out the parts. A metallic flute has a top joint, a body joint and a foot joint. Examine the cork within the head joint. It should not very loose, but a little is okay. Look for nicks on the mouth gap or dents within the head joint.
Now examine the pads (these are inserts within the keys). These pads shouldn’t be dry, frayed or torn. Also make sure that there are no places for air to leak in-between the pads and the tone holes. The flute probably has leaks if you have to press down harder on the keys to get a decent tone.
Pressing on the keys you should make sure that they can move free, and that you hear no clicking sounds. The springs must be robust enough to a point where keys snap again easily to their resting place, but at the same time make sure they aren’t hard to press down on. The spring pressure needs to be consistent going from key to key.
Now take notice to how the joints sit in palce. They should fit together nice and snug, but not overly tight
I hope this helps, and good luck!