Which Flute Brands and Instrument Types Appear in UsedFlutes.com Listings?

Updated

UsedFlutes.com is a free classified-ad site where sellers list flutes, piccolos, and headjoints. The site's own description names brands including Gemeinhardt, Yamaha, Muramatsu, Haynes, Powell, Brannen, Bundy, Armstrong, Sankyo-Prima, Drelinger, Arista, Nagahara, and Trevor James, and states that over 13,000 flutes have been listed. Actual listings range from vintage and restored instruments to modern handmade models, so the brand mix you see on any given day depends on who is selling.

Instrument types on the site

The navigation divides listings into three categories:

  • Flutes — the main category, covering student, intermediate, and professional instruments.
  • Piccolos — listed separately from concert flutes.
  • Headjoints — sold as upgrades or replacements, sometimes independently of a flute body.

If you are shopping for a complete instrument, start in Flutes or Piccolos. If you already own a flute and want to change its sound or response, the Headjoints category is the relevant one.

Brands named by the site

The site's description lists these makers:

Brand Typical positioning in the market
Gemeinhardt Student to intermediate flutes
Yamaha Student through professional models
Bundy, Armstrong Student instruments
Trevor James Student to intermediate
Sankyo-Prima Intermediate
Muramatsu, Haynes, Powell Professional and conservatory-level
Brannen Professional, handmade
Nagahara Professional headjoints and flutes
Drelinger Headjoints
Arista Headjoints

This is a brand list from the site's description, not a guarantee that every brand is listed at any moment. Listings are posted by individual sellers, so availability changes.

What actual listings look like

The current listings show the range of instruments and conditions you can expect:

  • A Pearl headjoint — sterling silver (.925) with a Largo cut and 3K gold lip plate, described as "like new" and unused, asking $899. The seller notes it fits most Pearl Quantz, Dolce, Elegante, and Dolce Vigore series flutes and gives the tenon tube outer diameter (about 19.7 mm) so buyers can check fit. The seller also states that even with a Pearl body, a headjoint upgrade requires fitting by a flute technician.
  • A vintage Haynes flute — C foot, inline, solid silver, serial #30579, no dents, overhauled by Flute World, asking $3,000 plus shipping.
  • A Millereau vintage French flute — recently restored and repadded, likely made before 1900, no serial number, with a linked video.
  • A handmade Burkart Elite flute — .016" sterling silver, B footjoint, offset G, C# trill, with a 10K rose gold handmade headjoint; the seller cites a new price of $28,840 and asks $21,630.

These examples show the spread: a single headjoint under $1,000, a vintage French instrument of historical interest, a rebuilt American vintage flute, and a modern handmade professional flute in the five-figure range.

How to use the brand and type mix when browsing

  • Match the category to your goal. Buying a first instrument? Look in Flutes for student brands like Gemeinhardt, Yamaha, Bundy, or Armstrong. Upgrading a existing flute? Check Headjoints for Pearl, Nagahara, Drelinger, or Arista.
  • Read the condition language carefully. "Like new," "recently restored and repadded," "overhauled," and "last COA in [year]" mean very different things for the instrument's readiness to play.
  • Check fit specs for headjoints. Sellers may give tenon diameters; compare them to your flute, and plan on a technician's fitting regardless.
  • Expect vintage instruments without serial numbers or with limited documentation. The Millereau listing is an example; evaluate these on the restoration details and any video or photos provided.
  • Treat asking prices as seller-set. The site is a classifieds board, so prices reflect what individual sellers ask, not a market index.

Because listings are seller-posted and change over time, the reliable way to see the current brand and type mix is to browse the Flutes, Piccolos, and Headjoints sections directly and read each ad's description and photos.