I had a very bad experience. I sent them my flute in the hope they could sell it. They did a good job at refurbishing it. However, they kept it for well over two years and every time I called to get it sent back to me the woman said it was out on loan and yet it never sold. I find it very hard to believe it was actually out all those times. She also never asked for my name so I'm sure that is the stock answer they always give, "It's out on loan". Then when I finally insisted they return it, it came back without the solid silver cleaning rod and the original sales slip! I would never recommend this business! read more

Just wanted to give a quick review to the amazing Kristen from FCNY who went well above and beyond in helping find my boss BB her step up flute. We landed on the Yamaha 462 flute since she's been using a Yamaha 211 and the knowledge of Kristen being able to identify a few good candidates through the flute trial program definitely made it an easy purchase. Very easy process and extremely nice staff. Fully responsive as well. Thank you Kristen!! read more

I recently purchased a new head joint for my flute. Took it to Dale who did a superb job in making the adjustment to make it fit properly. Tested it out and was perfect. The FCNY is THE place to go if you are flautist. Repairs, instruments, books and more. A wonderful facility. I will definitely return there again. Highly recommend! read more

Flute Center - Head joint needed adjustment. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - New York, New York

Whether you are local to NYC or not, FCNY is a must-consider seller if you are in the market for any kind of flute, used or new, professional or beginner. They have such an exhaustive inventory that you really will have a hard time NOT finding the perfect instrument for you. Even if you end up being so picky that they don't have what you want in stock, they will contact the manufacturers if they have a specific model that you're interested in. Other sellers will push you to buy only what they have on-hand, but FCNY bears that extra cost of overhead so that us buyers are not limited in our choices! Over the past year I've trialed dozens of flutes and purchased two Brannens and a Song headjoint from Flute Center of New York. I was not studying with a teacher at the time so it took me a bit longer than most to finalize my first pick, but Agata and the rest of the FCNY team were more than generous with both the in-store and at-home trials. Even after COVID-19 lockdown and all the logistical difficulties that came with it, they continued to still send flute trials and I actually made my second instrument purchase post-lockdown. So even if you cannot make the trip to NYC, don't rule them out because you can also do everything via phone/email. They also JUST overhauled their website and instrument catalog so you can now search and filter based on really specific criteria like drawn vs. soldered tone holes, trill key/roller options, tubing thickness... I'm fairly certain no other seller has their inventory cataloged in a way that customers can search with such specificity. Besides their instrument inventory, they also have the best collection of flute sheet music, accessories, cases, bags, etc. Combine that with their repair and maintenance services, their entire staff's expertise and willingness to help musicians of all levels, and you get the magical, next-level one-stop shop that is Flute Center of New York. I've ventured and trialed with various other sellers this past year, both large and small, but in the end I only made purchases with FCNY because of the extent of their inventory and ease of setting up trials. You don't have to take my word for it though, you'll soon find out for yourself I'm sure! read more

Flute Center - Brannen all 14k - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - New York, New York

I remembered when I first visited the FCNY in 2016 (Before auntie rona) I was greeted by the staff with the utmost respect and hospitality. I came there just to tryout some new flutes. I started with some bass flutes and the instrument in the picture was the first one they brought to me. In the outside and inside I was crying because it was a perfect fit. But at that time I was not in a financial place to spend that type of money. However fast forward through the years I had the opportunity to borrow this flute from a friend of mine and it kept solidifying that this was the instrument for me. So as of July 24 2021 I gave birth to Prince Endymion my new baby. (My labor pains were minimal) I'm grateful for the FCNY staff; thank you for all of your professionalism. You have a return customer read more

See all

I would give these guys six stars if I could. The internet sales are managed by Alex, who is incredibly helpful. Their "try before you buy" program made for a long selection process, but ultimately successful. Alex can recommend models for you to try, or you can pick them. In any case, the flutes arrive in pristine condition (all brand new), you have a week or so to try them out, and if you want to buy one you just keep it (return the ones that you are not buying) and they send you a bill. I picked 3 flutes, they shipped them to me, and I didn't care for any of them, so I shipped them back. I told Alex of my experience with the instruments and he shipped me three more, two of them were sensational! I selected the Yamaha 422 and I've been happy as a clam! Thanks, Alex! read more

We attended a post concert reception here and had a great time. The space was a bit small bud yet it was very intimate and the Hors d'oeuvres and drinks were amazing. I loved the pomegranate margarita with a splash of champagne. read more

Flute Center - Pomegranate Margarita - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - New York, New York

Order #3715 invoice #164053 I am certain had I purchased a professional flute instead of an inexpensive student flute the sales team lead by sales director Caity Massoud under the direction of owner Phil Unger would not have dropped the ball on my order, they would have put forth more effort to communicate with me as to the status of my order and I would have been able to choose a different brand or would have been able to order from a different source and receive my order in time for my nieces graduation celebration. Mrs. Massoud after learning of and admitting to her teams failure stated that FCNY only had access to partial inventory due to the pandemic and I am sure that partial inventory only included flutes with a price of $10,000.00 or above. Never mind the little people they do not order flutes. FCNY could have just listed the Trevor James flute as "not available at this time" during the checkout process or at the very least could have notified me of the situation after having received my order and I could have been spared this emotionally painful and shameful experience. I read an article online published by "Untapped New York" dated 02/14/2020. The following paragraph appears in the article. The flute center has also worked to increase its clientele diversity by trying to increase sales on student flutes for young musicians of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Rose noted that while the store prides itself on its very high-end flutes, the center also tries to market people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Especially in such a competitive industry, Andenmatten noted how the flute center aims to "be a space where people are coming to learn and to share ideas," people from all around the world from all different backgrounds bonding over a shared love of music. I am a member of that "lower socioeconomic" clientele that FCNY is supposedly attempting to attract and welcome into the FCNY community. I call bull_hit on that meaningless marketing propaganda. Again had I been able to purchase a $15,000.00 - $30,000.00 Powell or Haynes flute instead of a $1,000.00 Trevor James student flute and had I not been from nowhere North Carolina I am certain that I would then have been welcomed into the FCNY community. FCNY's attempt to diversify its clientele by welcoming someone such as myself from a "lower socioeconomic background" was a complete failure and resulted in the opposite intended outcome. If anyone reading this review finds themselves in the unfortunate situation as being identified by FCNY as "people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds" please spare yourselves the embarrassment and do not attempt to infiltrate the current FCNY's community the community according to an article published by "Untapped New York" Noted how the store has seen basketball player David Robinson, opera singer Andrea Bocelli, and many famous actors and actresses buy flutes for themselves and their children. Additionally, renowned flute players from countries like Uruguay, China, and Indonesia fly to the United States exclusively to buy a flute. Other famous flutists like Jasmine Choi, Juilliard School professor Carol Wincenc, and the New York Philharmonic flutists all make regular visits to the store. These are the people that are welcomed members of their community not those of us purchasing inexpensive student flutes and not those of us from as FCNY's refers to as "lower socioeconomic backgrounds". I attempted to be welcomed and was overlooked and emotionally injured in the process. Please stick with purchasing a flute less than $10,000.00 from your local Walmart or better yet your local pawn shop. Order #3715 invoice #164053 read more

I would like to say huge thank you to Caity Massoud, who helped me with purchase of my new flute! She has great knowledge of instruments FCNY is selling and superior personal skills! Also would like to mention wonderful service provided by FCNY They let me try 4 flutes, promptly sent it to my address. It helped me a lot in choosing flute I bought Thank you again! Great job! read more

I really appreciated the expedient and quality service, all-around, from servicing my instruments to purchasing a new one, to shipping instruments to different addresses. FCNY offered a lot of assistance when choosing my new alto flute, and all my instruments had wonderful assessments and work done to them to make them look and sound as good as new. Highly recommend. read more

I have purchased my last 4 flutes (2 Concert Flutes, Alto Flute, and Piccolo) from them and they have been NOTHING but helpful and willing to work with whatever requests I had! Would HIGHLY recommend them for any of your flute needs! Each flute I get has been in great working order right out of the box! read more

Flute Center - My Alto Flute - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - New York, New York

See all

The trial program has launched me to a whole new level of flute playing and enjoyment. Flute Center of New York's arrangement is easy, sensible, and incredibly considerate of flute players who want to move up to a better instrument, but don't have access to stores which stock a good range. The 2-day shipping is a breeze, with a broad choice of brands and models. Genial phone assistance, every time. I'm so grateful to FCNY for offering this service. Also, check out the FCNY-sponsored videos on You-Tube for a lively introduction to terminology and options. Thank you Phil, Kim, Emily. read more

I took my flute with low c not sounding right, Flute Center said they could fix it. When I received my flute back, the entire lower register did not produce any sound (I am a life-long flute player, its the fiddle, not the fiddler). In sum, this store charged me $125 upper west side dollars to break my flute. So, if you are interested in new instruments, please take your instruments in need of repair to this store (note sarcasm). Unhappy customer. read more

The Flute Center of New York, as overseen by Phil Unger is the Mecca for all flutists! The inventory is not equaled anywhere and the experienced and patient staff make the whole experience of choosing a flute quite remarkable. I am very inspired by and excited about my new flute and piccolo that I purchased today. The flute center is the place to be! Thank you to Phil and the entire staff for giving me such a wonderful result in my quest for a new flute and piccolo. Bravo Tutti! Sandra Church Associate Principal Flute New York Philharmonic read more

Great and fast service at the flute center. He repaired a dent in the flute and did the yearly service. Very satisfied and cheaper than the other place I previously had my flute serviced. read more

It really does not get any better than this. If you are serious about your music and your instrument you need to visit the flute center. Great feeling, great people and 100% serious about getting you the best instrument for you. Plus it is so much fun to go there, quintessential New York. Everyone is great but ask for Emily if she is there - very knowledgeable and helpful. read more

Comprehensive, intelligent, welcoming to ALL levels of flutists. Generous terms, amazing collection. No question the most important dealers of flutes and flute music in New York. read more

I just bought my new Miyazawa flute !!! It's a really great experience to buy instruments in Flute Center of New York. They were very friendly and made me felt comfortable to ask many questions. They also suggested me many different brands as well as various head-joints to try in a cozy individual rooms with plenty of time. It is a professional place to buy the advanced flute. Thank you guys! read more

The time had come for me to upgrade to an intermediate level flute. I had very unprofessional interaction with a flute center in Boston (where I live) so I wasn't going to give them my business. Luckily my job takes me to NYC periodically. I called and made an appointment in May. I brought a list of flutes I was interested in trying out. The Flute Center of New York was extremely professional and made the experience easy. They set me up in a small practice room and I spent about 90 minutes playing the various flutes. I narrowed my choices down to 3 flutes which I took home for a 10 day trial. At the end of the trial, I found my flute and sent back the 2 I didn't want. The transaction was smooth and easy. No matter where you live, the trip to NYC is well worth it to find your next flute. read more

FCNY is the best place to buy a flute whether you are there in person, or asking for instruments to be sent to you try before purchasing from outside of New York. Their trial policies are fair, prices reasonable, personnel responsive and all of their dealings are honest. I have bought at least five flutes from them over the years and probably sold as many through them. I unhesitatingly recommend Phil Unger and his able cohorts to you! read more

This was my first time having extensive work done on my Muramatsu DS. My fault - I had not had a total overhaul (just local first aid) since I bought it 15 years ago! My flute was with them for about a month (busy place . . .) after I had shipped it to them, but I went to NYC to play test it when it was done. I was amazed at the improvement! Things I had been blaming in my own playing, were so much easier! There was one little tweak that Claude did for me as we waited, and now that I am home, I am getting acquainted with what is essentially a new flute. Their warranty is good for a year, so if I need anything else regulated, after I have lived with the flute for a bit, I knew that the wonderful folks there will indulge my requests. The entire procedure was smooth, professional, and v at the highest level of care and craftsmanship. Although I will not wait another 15 years for serious work, I know that they are they for me and my flute(s). Pauline Mancuso read more

I contacted the Flute Center of New York regarding an estimate for a clean/oil/adjust and polish of my professional flute, for which they quoted $200. When the work was reported as complete and the final total invoiced was $235, I assumed that the work that was performed was "clean/oil/adjust and polish" and I remitted payment based on that assumption. After ignoring the shipping instructions and sending my flute to the wrong address, once I received it it was clear that the clean and polish were not in fact performed. I contacted the Flute Center about this, and the owner confirmed that the work was not performed and would require an additional $100 to perform, and that he would do me a favor by not charging for it. As far as I am concerned, these should have been done for the quoted, invoiced and paid amount of $235. I would never allow any instrument to be serviced by the Flute Center of New York again. They did not perform the work that was requested, they did not follow written instructions regarding what work was to be done, they did not honor the request to provide a written value estimate while the instrument was in their possession and they did not follow a simple instruction as to where to ship my instrument in return. read more

FCNY is the absolute best! huge selection, awesome service, knowledgeable professionals and musicians. Expensive candy shop, haha. Thank you for helping me to find my new flute! read more

Great, friendly, reliable people and it was a pleasure meeting Phil. He did a great job with my Muramatsu! Sounds wonderful!!

Very friendly I was really happy to try gold flutes

We came to the Flute Center to try out flutes, with no thought at all that we were close to buying one. Rebecca listened to our needs and wishes, brought back nearly a dozen that matched our criteria, and we had the room to ourselves for an hour while Rebecca patiently checked in every now and then and asked if we had any more questions or wanted to see anything else. We found what we thought was the perfect flute, but knew that it wasn't in our price range at the moment. Well, Rebecca urged us to take that flute--and even another if we weren't sure--home with us and mail them back if they weren't right. We though that maybe, just maybe, we could call some friends back home and rustle up some funds for this new flute, but weren't sure. When we got home, we checked with several experts and read up on the flute online, finding out that we really were getting a good honest price on a very good flute. Still, we knew we couldn't afford the whole thing. Our flute was for a young musician who had no funds of his own to pay! Rebecca assured us that they would work with us to help this special young musician out, allowing us to pay on time as we pulled the funds together. After several emails and calls back and forth, we are now happy to say that the Flute Center of New York is our flute center! And that they are supporting our budding musician by donating $200 of the price of the flute off the top! So, I can honestly say they care more about helping spread the music and the joy than they do the bottom line. Thank you, Flute Center of New York. Someday, Joshua Paul Stine is going to come back to you a seasoned professional, and he will be trading UP! http://www.gofundme.com/3dm7ss read more

I had been to Sam Ash and I did not get the right feeling about buying a flute there so my flute teacher suggested that I visit Flute Center. I found them to be professional and refreshingly friendly. I had a very pleasant experience as Julian played some flutes for me to choose from. He was knowledgeable and down to earth. I felt confident that I was at the right place to get my flute. I recommend you give them a try before buying from anywhere else. They know their flute business and they are very nice. What more can you ask for! read more

If you are in need of a flute, repairs or lessons, visit The Flute Center of New York! They have a wide selection of flutes, do repairs/maintenance, and offer rentals, payment plans, and lessons. Mitzy, Phil & Julian are fabulous, and just downright kind! I went in for a rental, and didn't know I'd come away with a beautiful new flute of my very own! Located at the corner of 60th and Broadway. #flutes #flutecenterofnewyork http://www.flutes4sale.com/ read more

While the old, Rudall Carte wooden flute belonging to my grandfather wasn't in good enough condition for the Center to purchase, every contact with the Center was professional, immediate, thorough, comprehensive and even included a couple of phone calls out of the country. Phil Unger and staff were impressive. I knew I was dealing with a top notch high quality organization. (I have donated the flute to the Center as they will be able to use some parts.) read more

A couple years ago, I bought a flute for my daughter from FCNY. It was a hassle-free buying by mail experience, thanks to Phil's great advice and his staff's exceptional service. Recently we visited the store in Manhattan for the first time and found an impressively huge selection of flutes. My daughter tried approximately twenty flutes of various brands and prices in the comfort of a private room. The staff was very courteous and professional. We even took three flutes home for a one-week trial. Even though my daughter decided not to get a new flute this time, she really enjoyed trying so many different flutes. When it is time to upgrade, we are definitely going back to FCNY. read more

Great selection of flutes at all levels. I got a great student flute there a few months ago. It got stolen recently but someone brought it in to the Flute Center for sale as a used flute and the staff took possession of it and returned it to me. Lovely!!! These are good people. read more

I love this place. They have a wonderful selection of flutes, and the people who work there are very helpful. Phil gave me a great deal on a rental flute, and he really went above and beyond to help me. These are good people. You should definitely pay this place a visit. read more