What does the heart of a flautist yearn for? We offer something for everyone and their requirements: our offer includes flutes, piccolos, alto-flutes and bass-flutes from Altus, August Richard Hammig, Phillip Hammig, Powell, Muramatsu, Sankyo, Trevor James, Yamaha...Traverse flutes from Thomas Fehr, Jan Hermanns, Martin Wenner...Recorders from Stephan Blezinger, Ralph Ehlert, Küng, Moeck, Mollenhauer, Helge Stiegler, Yamaha...

Werner Tomasi's approach to flute head construction has not been acquired through training with a large flute manufacturer - he first came to the art as a player. The logical consequence for him was to attempt to unravel the secrets of various flute tones with the help of scientific research. In this way he learned the effects of the individual parameters, such as form (from Konus, embouchure hole and lip-plate) and the characteristics of metal, especially the alloying and structure of metal, which are to be specifically attuned to tonal characteristics. His aim today is to find custom-made solutions based upon his experience as a flautist and flute builder - in the sense of the ideal player/head-joint combination - for his customers. With the aid of a form of "modular system" the head-joints are virtually custom made: a detail such as the carat content of the riser (see glossary), from 14 to 18 carat, can make all the difference in the world to some players…

Werner Tomasi head-joints are available in the following models:

Tube-wall thickness: silver 0.4mm, 14-carat gold 0.3mm, 18-carat gold 0.3mm, 22-carat gold 0.3mm, platinum 0.3mm.
All head-joints are available with a straight or curved lip-plate to choice.

Curved lip-plate	Straight lip-plate

Due to its lovely tone and flexibility the flute is very popular among children and young adults. Those who come later in life can also easily learn to play the flute, especially if they already have some knowledge of music. Nevertheless, the beginning is often difficult for hobby musicians because instruments for beginners still cost several hundred Euro! To ease the burden we offer a reasonably priced hire system, which greatly reduces financial risk:

The "safety net" offer for beginners!

If you are not convinced that the flute is the right instrument for you or your child, you can still make a start - without risk! If things do not work out you can simply return the instrument. It all works as follows:

• You hire a new flute
• The hire period is six months (cannot be extended)
• Hire costs and deposit are to be paid at the start
• If you purchase the instrument we deduct the hire costs and deposit - which means that the hire costs are nil!
• You pay only the outstanding hire costs when you return the instrument (unused hire-duration costs are reimbursed - together with the deposit).
• You are absolutely assured with our (optional) extended guarantee: all damage, loss or theft during the hire period is covered!

Curved head-joints for children

Due to special instrument developments, elementary-school children can also begin playing the flute. Curved head-joints make a problem-free start possible for children from the age of six. You can hire such a head-joint for six months, and the hire period can be extended as required.

Send us an E-Mail so that we can make you an offer!

• Silver-plated flutes
• Flutes with silver head-joints and silver-plated bodies and a silver-plated mechanism
• Flutes with a silver head-joint and a silver body and silver-plated mechanism

These flutes are manufactured in a similar way by mass producers (Jupiter, Pearl, Trevor James, Yamaha...). That means that all parts, including the entire mechanism with aisles, posts, ribs, etc., are machine manufactured. A manual finishing for a 100% exact fit, as for professional flutes, is impossible. These flutes are therefore not suitable for continuous use (played many hours daily).

Further characteristic furnishings are cylindrical mechanism screws and no French pointed arms (see glossary). In respect of price and tone quality, the material (silver or silver plate) is actually secondary!

Because the pupil or hobby player seldom places the same demand on an instrument as a professional, these differences are hardly noticeable. But for the money paid for one of these silver-tube flutes with a silver-plated mechanism made in this way, one receives practically a "beginner's model" from Altus, Muramatsu, Sankyo, Yamaha...which for quality, however, is to be placed within the next category.

Links: Yamaha Austria , Trevor James, Azumi

• Handmade silver head-joint with silver-plated bases and mechanism.
• Handmade silver head-joint and silver tube with a silver-plated mechanism.
• Handmade silver head-joint and silver tube with a silver mechanism (solid-silver flute).

  These "handmade" flutes have the following characteristics:

  • Handmade head-joints of various "shapes" are sometimes available to choice.
  • Keys with French pointed arms (see glossary) raise the stability of the mechanism and also positively influence tone quality (through a changed resonance)!
  • The mechanism is exactly fitted by hand, which significantly raises durability! A perfectly fitted mechanism is the requirement for pads that cover well (see glossary), and these directly influence the response of the flute.

Handmade silver flutes (tube and mechanism in solid silver) are offered mainly in three different construction forms:

• The lightest - and generally most reasonably priced - construction has the following characteristics: cylindrical screws, adjusting screws, drawn tone holes, no French pointed arms.
• The next level is equipped as follows: with conical screws, without adjustment screws, drawn tone holes without French pointed arms.
• Next to the equipment characteristics given in point 2, the heaviest model has soldered tone holes. This not only increases the weight of the flute, its resonance is significantly influenced.
• Additional to various carat-gold tubes in gold flutes one also finds many different combinations of metals (silver and gold). For example: a silver mechanism and a gold tube, or 18- and 24-carat gold flutes, a mechanism that contains less gold (14 carat, 9 carat).
• A speciality are gold-plated or platinum-plated silver flutes: a layer of gold or platinum is applied in a galvanising process, which has the effect of enriching the characteristics of silver with the special characteristics of gold or platinum.

Links: Muramatsu , Altus Amerika , Sankyo Japan

We stock instruments for school use as well as those for solo and orchestral use.

• Piccolo flutes are available in the following models: in synthetic materials with a silver-plated mouthpiece and mechanism, in grenadill with a silver-plated mechanism, a grenadill tube with a silver-plated head-joint and mechanism, a grenadill tube with a silver head-joint and mechanism, all models are also with highwaves mouthpieces in grenadill and silver.
• Alto flutes: in brass, in silver plating, with silver-plated tube and mechanism, with a silver head-joint, a silver tube with a silver-plated mechanism, and in solid silver.
• Bass flutes: silver plated

These are copies of historic models from the Baroque period. The traverse flute is the forerunner of the modern Böhm flute and is offered in various wood varieties: pear wood, European boxwood, rosewood, grenadill…

There are various models, e.g. with various middle pieces (often additional for fine tuning with a register foot) for various tuning.

It has only one (to eight) keys.The tuning is in C, the deepest tone is d' (sometimes C).The traverse flute is much appreciated by lovers of Ancient Music and makes possible the interpretation of baroque flute music in its original tone.

Link: Thomas Fehr

• Soprano recorders in a synthetic material, or with a mouthpiece in synthetic material with a wooden base, are to be recommended for smaller children of pre-school and elementary-school age. There are also kindergarten flutes of a pentatonic tuning for the very small.
• Simple models in wood (soprano, alto - tenor and bass are also possible) with a wide wind-channel have been specially conceived for tuition. They are offered in maple or pear wood, and occasionally in harder woods such as tulipwood, rosewood or cherry-wood...
• Industrially produced recorders manufactured according to historical models, e.g. after Rottenburgh, Denner,...are also suitable for advanced players and fulfil the higher demands of tone and playing characteristics. Sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor and bass recorders are available.

Links: Küng, Moeck Musikinstrumente + Verlag, Mollenhauer

These recorders are mostly accurate copies of original historical models and generally handmade. They are occasionally made in the workshops of mass producers (see above), but generally in smaller master workshops.

One can allocate the instruments to various epochs:

• Renaissance and Early Baroque
  Reconstruction of instruments from the historic music collection in the Wiener Hofburg or after Kynseker, Ganassi,…the entire Renaissance Canon of Garklein, to diverse bass recorders of contemporary (440 Hz) and historical tuning.
• High Baroque
  After Denner, Bressan, Steenbergen, Rottenburgh, Stanesby...the most used baroque recorder is the alto recorder, copies of sopranino, soprano, tenor and various bass recorders are also manufactured. Tuning: 440 Hz and of historical tuning.
• The present day
  To be able to realise the Romantic, Modern and Contemporary literature on the recorder, the development of the recorder found a revival after a pause of 200 years. The possibilities of this instrument were extended with the help of changed methods or construction (e.g. with additional keys).

Links: Blezinger, Stiegler, Aesté - Recorders English

These instruments are manufactured in various wood varieties:

• Maple: pale yellow to brownish, medium hard, not prone to splitting
• Pear: medium brown, soft, not prone to splitting
• European boxwood: pale yellow, hard, prone to splitting
• Rosewood: dark brown, hard, prone to splitting
• Ebony: black, hard, prone to splitting
• Grenadille: black, very hard, robust

See also wood varieties in Mollenhauer