NFA New Orleans

[JButky]

Who's going?

Look forward to seeing you if you are going!

[fluteguy18]

Unfortunately I will not be in attendance this year. I will be in the middle of moving to Minnesota for school. All things considered, I think that's a fair trade.

PS: I hope that after this year I'll be going every year. I really liked going as an exhibitor last year.

[flutego12]

Next year maybe? Somewhere scenic would be nice...
Does anyone know where next year's will be held?

[cflutist]

Here is the NFA Convention Schedule.
http://www.nfaonline.org/Annual-Convent ... tions.aspx

Joe, won't be seeing you this year, but perhaps either DC or San Diego (has to be where hubby wants to go too)

[pied_piper]

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this year. My wife and I just have too much going on right now to get away.

[MissyHPhoenix]

I'll be there!

[flutego12]

I'll be there!

Good on you MissyHPhoenix. Could you fill us in.
We shall benefit vicariously perhaps through your presence =)
Be keen to hear the highlights.

[JButky]

I look forward to meeting anyone going. Come see me at the Altus Booth. I always like to put faces with the names!

[flutego12]

I look forward to meeting anyone going. Come see me at the Altus Booth. I always like to put faces with the names!

If I get the chance to visit one day, your booth shall be the first I'd beeline to

Wondering if you'd share with us. How does the system work?
Do you put up your best and fairest or would Altus have a fleet of the best still in the vault somewhere.
Is it wise to pick up ex demos or are they unsold leftovers?
How do these flutemakers pick their demos (I'd imagine one that impresses?)

I should rephrase, what's the best buying strategy at the NFA?

[fluteguy18]

I look forward to meeting anyone going. Come see me at the Altus Booth. I always like to put faces with the names!

If I get the chance to visit one day, your booth shall be the first I'd beeline to

Wondering if you'd share with us. How does the system work?
Do you put up your best and fairest or would Altus have a fleet of the best still in the vault somewhere.
Is it wise to pick up ex demos or are they unsold leftovers?
How do these flutemakers pick their demos (I'd imagine one that impresses?)

I should rephrase, what's the best buying strategy at the NFA?

Having worked at a few conventions (NFA being one) for a flute retailer, here are my observations though I'm sure Joe has information to add as well.

Generally exhibitors choose their lineup of instruments to display based on the inventory they have available. The instruments displayed usually showcase the broadest configurations available so that potential customers have the opportunity to see a wide variety of options available. All of the instruments are of top quality and have been thoroughly tested to ensure that they are immaculately adjusted as well. Beyond that, 'quality' is in the eye of the beholder because what I feel might be the best flute in the lineup may be what you consider the worst (based on playing styles and tastes alone).

So generally you are seeing 'the best' and there is also a whole inventory of 'the best' nearby to pull from in case you don't see what you're looking for. It is not very common to see instruments discounted because they are 'demo' instruments. Until they've been purchased they're considered new and are sold as such. You will usually only see a flute discounted as a 'demo' if it has been sitting in inventory for an extended period (more than 2 years or so) or if it had damage from a customer trial that could not be reversed (like deep scratches and scarring from dents). The saying goes: with flutes, they're not like a house or a car. The price is the price is the price.

Best buying strategy: if you find what you think is THE ONE, buy it IMMEDIATELY. Have the funds ready for immediate purchase. Do not wait, don't think you'll get a special deal if you try to get an identical instrument from another dealer. The flute won't be the same and makers and dealers don't undercut each other. It is rare that you will get a special deal on a flute on the last day. The whole 'they don't want to take it home' thing doesn't apply in this case. I have seen COUNTLESS mistakes where people waited to try to get a deal on the last day and the flute had sold. One of them was a $60k 19.5 karat gold flute and it was bought by the girl's best friend. Don't be rushed to find 'the one' at a convention, and always try to have a private appointment if you can. But do not ever EVER EVER hesitate if you have the funds in hand and you know it is the flute you want. At the end of the day all that matters to vendors is that the flute sells, not who buys it. If you walk away (even for a minute) the flute is available to sell to another client. Purchasing an instrument at NFA is ruthless and cutthroat.

[cflutist]

I'd like to add to FG18's NFA story.
We both have a mutual friend who searched long and hard for THE ONE, the one that was perfect for him.
He already had a 14K Brannen headjoint (that was paired with his Haynes).
He found the flute of his dreams (a 14K Brannen with 14K tone holes/rings and silver keys).
He wanted that very flute body, not one that Brannen could later make for him.
Since it was a demo at the Brannen booth but they would not let him take it home until they made a replacement
for it. So they sent him "glamour photos" to look at (that he sent me to drool over) while they took 4 months to make a replacement flute body.
He now is extremely happy with his flute, it was the flute for him.

[flutego12]

I look forward to meeting anyone going. Come see me at the Altus Booth. I always like to put faces with the names!

If I get the chance to visit one day, your booth shall be the first I'd beeline to

Wondering if you'd share with us. How does the system work?
Do you put up your best and fairest or would Altus have a fleet of the best still in the vault somewhere.
Is it wise to pick up ex demos or are they unsold leftovers?
How do these flutemakers pick their demos (I'd imagine one that impresses?)

I should rephrase, what's the best buying strategy at the NFA?

Having worked at a few conventions (NFA being one) for a flute retailer, here are my observations though I'm sure Joe has information to add as well.

Generally exhibitors choose their lineup of instruments to display based on the inventory they have available. The instruments displayed usually showcase the broadest configurations available so that potential customers have the opportunity to see a wide variety of options available. All of the instruments are of top quality and have been thoroughly tested to ensure that they are immaculately adjusted as well. Beyond that, 'quality' is in the eye of the beholder because what I feel might be the best flute in the lineup may be what you consider the worst (based on playing styles and tastes alone).

So generally you are seeing 'the best' and there is also a whole inventory of 'the best' nearby to pull from in case you don't see what you're looking for. It is not very common to see instruments discounted because they are 'demo' instruments. Until they've been purchased they're considered new and are sold as such. You will usually only see a flute discounted as a 'demo' if it has been sitting in inventory for an extended period (more than 2 years or so) or if it had damage from a customer trial that could not be reversed (like deep scratches and scarring from dents). The saying goes: with flutes, they're not like a house or a car. The price is the price is the price.

Best buying strategy: if you find what you think is THE ONE, buy it IMMEDIATELY. Have the funds ready for immediate purchase. Do not wait, don't think you'll get a special deal if you try to get an identical instrument from another dealer. The flute won't be the same and makers and dealers don't undercut each other. It is rare that you will get a special deal on a flute on the last day. The whole 'they don't want to take it home' thing doesn't apply in this case. I have seen COUNTLESS mistakes where people waited to try to get a deal on the last day and the flute had sold. One of them was a $60k 19.5 karat gold flute and it was bought by the girl's best friend. Don't be rushed to find 'the one' at a convention, and always try to have a private appointment if you can. But do not ever EVER EVER hesitate if you have the funds in hand and you know it is the flute you want. At the end of the day all that matters to vendors is that the flute sells, not who buys it. If you walk away (even for a minute) the flute is available to sell to another client. Purchasing an instrument at NFA is ruthless and cutthroat.

fluteguy18, ... love the advice. Thanks for the heads up!
But y'know its a little hard to know The One when you haven't compared enough isn't it. What if The One you encountere on Day 1 pales in comparison with The One you encounter on the 3rd or last day? I guess a veteran who has been through heaps of flutes will know but a (2-3yr) newbie? How would you know The One is The One is the Q

Has anyone told you to blog. When you start one let me know k. You can write about shopping strategy, the NFA and Red Wing!

[fluteguy18]

It's funny you should mention that... I DO blog! I started one a few years ago and abandoned it and about a month ago I resurrected it. I don't really have any specific ambitions with it. So far it's been an effort to start keeping a journal. A person's ancestry is so important and most people don't take the time to write things down. What kickstarted this project was when I found my mother's journal that she used to keep. It was from when I was born and she was kind enough to read it to me a few weeks ago. What a family treasure! It was amazing to see her struggles and triumphs as a young mother. I want to do the same so I've started blogging. I then copy and paste the blog post into a journal file I keep and flesh it out with the more personal and intimate details I'd rather keep private.

Feel free to check out what little I have posted. The link is in my signature. Life has been boring for the past few months but I'll definitely have a lot more material to add once I start school in a couple of weeks.

As for finding THE ONE.... you have to trust your gut. When I bought my Miyazawa I tried as many different flutes as possible as quickly as possible. If I didn't like the flute when I played it, I didn't come back to it or consider it any further. It didn't matter to me how I sounded on it. If I didn't enjoy playing it, it wasn't the flute for me. Then once I (you) had 3-5 flutes that were the top contenders you then try to get them out on trial and have trusted ears listen to you play them back to back to back. After that, the winner is usually pretty clear. When I found my flute though I knew immediately it was the flute for me. I just had to play around with different headjoint cuts. It just felt right and I was trying to find the right match for headjoints. It took about a year, but I did eventually find one that I thought was a good compromise between tone color and response.