Bass Flute Review / Comparison

In Jan '06 I decided to get a bass flute. Why a bass flute? First, because I love the sound of the lowest register on the flute. The bass is a full octave lower, so it's even more of a good thing. Second, because the bass flute is in the same key (of C) as a regular flute, I could play a score written for flute or oboe. This is quite helpful in the small local groups that I play with. The alto flute is in the key of G, so it makes this more difficult.

I chose 2 bass flutes from 2 manufacturers and had them sent to me via mail from Woodwind and Brasswind online. They had the best prices anywhere - their "new b stock" instruments compared in price to used ones on eBay. And they have a 45 day money back trial period. According to WWBW, "new B stock" means a brand new instrument with a full warranty, that has minor cosmetic blemishes but is in 100% new playable functional condition. I was unable to find any blemishes or problems on either of the two flutes I ordered. For a savings of thousands per instrument it is definitely worth it - even if you paid twice as much for a brand new instrument, once you play it just a couple of times it would be in "new B stock" condition anyway.

The first flute was a Jupter 523S for which I paid $1,635, full retail price being $2,850. The second was an Emerson B2 with the solid silver Robert Dick headjoint at $3020.00, full retail price being $5,300. Both had a C foot, though the Emerson is available with a B foot.

The Emerson has a solid silver headjoint and a smaller, oval shaped blow hole. The Jupiter has a silver plated headjoint with a larger, squarish blow hole.

The Emerson costing about twice the Jupiter skewed my expectations. The Jupiter is the least expensive bass flute you'll find anywhere. In fact, even at twice the price the Emerson is still considered a budget instrument! Many bass flutes sell in the $5k - $10k range, the Kingma goes for around $20 grand. But still the difference between these "budget" bass flutes was significant - for the price of the Emerson bass flute, one could buy Jupiter bass and alto and a decent piccolo!

Jupiter

Good stuff:

  • Intonation - no major intonation issues with any note. The upper registers tend a bit sharp but can be bent down easily and predictably.
  • Comfortable and stable - the adjustable crutch rests in the "V" web between the left thumb and forefinger. This is very stable and comfortable.
  • Forgiving and predictable to blow. The headjoint is designed such that the embouchure is not demanding. This flute inspires confidence during performance.
  • Consistent voice - throughout the entire range of this flute the voice or tone has a consistent character.
  • Sonorous bass - the lowest register is really fat all the way down to low C.
  • Packaging - it has a professional double case with a wooden cleaning rod.
  • Price - about half the price of the next cheapest bass flute.

    • Bad stuff:

  • Response - the response time of this flute was just a tad slower than the Emerson - not for keywork, but for tone.
  • Keywork - the "D" key (right hand ring finger) is angled from the action bar which causes the back of the key to lift up off the tonehole if pressed down too hard.
  • Trill keys - this flute does not have any. You can still hit high B and B flat without them, but I miss the Bb toggle key.
  • Tone - the tone of this flute is not as clear and focused as the Emerson in the midrange.
  • Assembly - one of the keypad screws came loose and fell out while I was playing. While this was easy for me to fix, most people would have to send it back to the repair shop and it shows poor attention to detail at the factory during assembly.

    • Emerson

    Good stuff:

  • Keywork - all keys ran 90* from the action bars which was nicer than the Jupiter.
  • Trill Keys - this flute has them all.
  • Tone - this flute has a more clear, focused beautiful sound than the Jupiter in the midrange and highs.
  • Response - the response time of this flute was just a tad quicker than the Jupiter - not for keywork but for tone.
  • Quality - unlike the Jupiter, no parts fell off while I was playing. : )

    • Bad stuff:

  • Intonation - The upper registers are more sharp than the Jupiter and harder to bend down.
  • Unforgiving - required a more precise embouchure and was more likely to squeak if a note was not blown just right.
  • Anemic bass - the lowest register was weak and thin sounding, which was especially noticable due to the contrast from its beautiful midrange.
  • Inconsistent voice - the voice or tone changed significantly from the midrange to the bass.
  • Uncomfortable - the non adjustable crutch must rest on the palm knuckle of the left finger, which is more precarious and uncomfortable than the Jupiter.
  • Packaging - it has a student type single case with a cheesy flexible plastic handle.

    • Tone and Flexibility

    I must have a separate section here because what I have to say doesn't fit into a bullet point. Part of the Jupiter's forgiving flexbility was that if I blew a note to bend it or change its color, it was predictable. Before the note jumped up or down, tone colors progressively appeared until they "took over" the note and sent it up or down. On the Emerson, this didn't happen. For example overblowing a low note did not give more volume & color, but only made the note waver in amplitude before jumping up to the next octave. In the midrange, the note would squeak or go silent instead of changing its color. This made the Jupiter more predictable, flexible and forgiving, and also more confidence inspiring during performances.

    Regarding tone, the Emerson had a nicer more focused, less wispy sound - but only in the midrange and highs. But in the highs it went very sharp, more than I could correct with embouchure. I even pulled the cork all the way (screwing down the crown to increase the distance from the cork to the blowhole) which helped, since this flattens the top register. But even this extreme setting did not bring the highest notes back in tune. I had no such top register problems with the Jupiter, which played with the headjoint cork in the right position - which BTW is a good thing, because when the Jupiter's cork is in the center position that is the maximum adjustment distance it can go. If (for whatever strange reason) you wanted to increase the Jupiter's cork-blowhole distance you'd have to get out your hacksaw!

    Overall

    Both flutes play A=443 when in tune with themselves. Both flutes feel like they use a Cooper or Devaux scale. I'm used to the old fashioned scale in which middle "E" is flat, C# is sharp, etc. and one has to compensate by bending the notes. But these flutes play each note more neutrally, which took some getting used to. Both flutes have relatively quiet, solid easy to play keywork. Both flutes played right out of the box, but both needed minor adjustment to align the keywork properly. The inside of the Emerson's headjoint was coated with brown goo that I had to clean out with isopropyl alcohol. All very minor issues, but worth mentioning - perhaps related to "new B stock" condition.

    But reading all of the above, it's not hard to see which flute I preferred overall - the Jupiter. I can narrow down my choice to 3 key reasons - most important first:

  • Performance confidence inspired by its more predictable, forgiving and flexible headjoint, combined with its more stable comfortable crutch.
  • The lowest octave projects more sonorously - after all, this is a bass flute so let's hear some BASS.
  • Its voicing is more consistent throughout its range.

    • Even though its midrange is not as clear and focused as the Emerson, the Jupiter is still pleasant sounding. Even if they cost the same, the Jupiter would be my pick. But the fact that it is about half the price means I'll have enough money left over for an alto flute and a decent piccolo!