Bass Flute Review / Comparison

In Jan '07 I tried a new bass flute to see how it compares with my current flute (a Jupiter 523) and other bass flutes I've played or tried. Why? Mainly 3 reasons:

  • First, the tone quality of the 523, while big, warm and resonant, is a bit dead sounding from over 10 feet away. The slight edge to the sound seems to be evident only very close, as I've noticed in recordings.
  • Second, while the voicing of the 523 is reasonably consistent compared to other basses I've played, there are a couple of notes that sound a touch hollow - middle C#, C and B (about in that order).
  • Third, the 523 has a slow response time especially in the low register. I would like a faster responding bottom octave if it can be had.

    • I've owned and played the 523 for just over a year now. I've played it at least a couple times a week, rehearsed on it weekly, and made several performances. It is a nice bass flute - especially for the price - and I feel like I know it inside & out. So I recently got an 1123 on trial to compare it. Since I like the 523, this was mostly out of curiousity but there are few things about the 523 I'd like to improve if possible.

    Initial Impressions: The two flutes are more similar than I expected. This is in tone, key action and response.

    TONE

    An example is worth 1000 words. Here's what the 1123 sounds like - the duck from Peter and the Wolf.

    The 1123 has a slight edge to the tone that the 523 lacks. This is beneficial since bass flute can sound rather dead and can use all the edge it can. The 1123's headjoint is just a tad more sensitive and less forgiving of the embouchure, but it is still less finicky than other bass flutes I've played (such as the Emerson ). It rewards the extra care with slightly better tone quality. The differences are subtle. I recorded takes with my H4, shifting back and forth using both flutes. I was able to differentiate them by listening, but the differences were not huge. In the bottom octave, the 1123 is less forgiving but has more edge to the sound. Listening and spectrum analysis of recorded notes show it's not much louder, but the extra edge gives it a more interesting sound and may help it project better. In the bottom octave, I played in front of my SPL meter and found the 1123 to be about 2 dB stronger. Considering that the 523 has the strongest bottom octave of any bass flute I've played, this means the 1123 definitely has a strong bottom end. In the midrange, the 1123 sounds slightly less hollow or empty. This is most noticeable with middle C#. In the top octave, the 1123 retains its edge to the sound. Here I'm less sure which I prefer. The 523 is more forgiving and its slightly softer sound makes more sense up here. The 1123 retains its slight edge, sounds more like a flute, less like a mooing cow (though the 523 sounds like a *nice* mooing cow up there). The response time of each flute is virtually the same. I'm tempted to say the 1123 is slightly faster, but I need to play it more to verify [NOTE: verified - 1123 is slightly faster in the bottom octave]. On each flute, the embouchure hole has the same shape and size, and appears to have the same undercut. On the 1123, the far side of the lip plate tapers downward at a steeper angle. The 1123 riser might be *slightly* taller, but if so it's not by much. Overall the 1123 seems slightly more resistant - a breath of air lasts slightly longer, but takes a bit more precision to blow.

    Action / Build Quality

    The 1123 is heavier and the action is made of harder, stiffer metal. It will probably hold its adjustment better over time. That said, I last adjusted my 523 about a year ago and it hasn't needed any tweaks since despite regular use. The 1123's RH ring finger "D" key arm is slanted like the 523, but the metal is so much stiffer that it's not an issue. With the 523, excess pressure on this key will roll the back edge of the key off the tonehole. But this doesn't happen with the 1123. The 1123 has trill keys and a split (high) E. The trills are useful for stabilizing middle E and F. The split E is not really necessary, since lifting the RH pinky for this note not only lowers the pitch but also stabilizes it. But it's nice to have.

    Miscellaneous

    Both flutes have the (seemingly exact) same scale. Both flutes have pointed key arms. The 1123 has pretty engraved key cups. The finger keyrests on the 1123 are more concave with pearl looking insets. This makes it easier to feel whether the fingers are properly positioned.

    Overall

  • The 1123 is a better bass flute - no doubt about it.
    • It's more solid and durable, prettier, has trill keys, split E and a slightly better tone.
  • But from a pragmatic perspective of how it actually plays and sounds, the differences are more subtle than one would expect given the difference in price.
  • The difference in tone is subtle, but noticeable.
  • The difference in solidity and action can be felt. The 523 isn't bad at all, in fact it's pretty good - but the 1123 is better.
  • The trill keys are useful but essential? That depends on the player.
  • In comparison the 523 is an incredible value - it's 90% the flute that the 1123 is, for about 2/3 the price.
  • The 1123 occupies a sweet spot in the price / performance of bass flutes. The next best bass flutes (Altus, Kotato, Kingma) begin at twice its price and go up from there. Being an amateur flutist, I can't justify $7 grand on a single flute. In my experience the Jupiter 1123 is the best bass flute there is for under $7 grand, and it costs about half that amount.