Vintage Flutes

The Flute Center classifies flutes made by European makers including Louis Lot, Boehm And Mendler, Rive, Bonneville, and Carte (among others) as "vintage." We also consider Powell flutes and piccolos made before Verne Q. Powell retired to be vintage, as well as Haynes flutes and piccolos with serial numbers lower than #36000, which encompasses the “Golden Age” of Haynes.

What's special about vintage flutes?

Playing older flutes is like stepping back in time. Antique flutes offer a sweetness and purity of sound not often found in modern flutes. The approach to playing these special flutes is intrinsically different than the way one blows into a modern flute; they have more resistance and smaller embouchure holes. The happy result is the glorious tonal colors found in these flutes, hence the intense interest in these by those who have discovered the "secret".