Gemeinhardt Student Flute Model 2SP

A long time favorite of music teachers in the USA, Gemeinhardt Flutes offer a great line of flutes for the student to the professional flutist. Typically most students will start model 2SP, (or SP2) a closed hole c foot flute with silver plating. The 2SP has a great balance of true quality, tone and performance and is the perfect choice for any student just starting out with the flute. I often receive calls asking which flute should we get? While our site offers more than a few choices starting at $15.95, I always try to answer that question from a parents view point, everybody wants to give their child a great flute but also wants to keep it affordable. Priced at only $21.95 per month with insurance included the Gemeinhardt SP2 Flute Rental is a great place to start.

Artley Oboe's - How to Date an Artley Oboe

 Hunting through the pawn shops of the northeast I stumble across a lot of musical instruments. More often than not, they are well worn and not worth the time and investment it would take to recondition them and in most cases unless it was a 100% top to bottom recon., not an instrument I would rent to a customer.  One of the most common brand of flute and clarinet I see in my travels would be the Artley models. Less popular today, they were extremely popular in the 80's and 90's and rightly so. They are solid student instruments.
On my most recent trip I was pleasantly surprised to find a 1987 Artley Oboe. It was in near museum condition, I must say and after a complete cleaning and technical run through I had this horn tooting like a bluejay! As for dating an Artley oboe, if it was made after 1983 add 50 to the prefix, e.g. 37-35984 would be a 1987. That's really all there is to it.  Happy Hunting!