Chiff and Fipple Forums

I'm tempted to invest in a Hakam din baroque flute. Anyone know anything about these instruments?

A-a-a-r-r-gh

Bob

If you want a proper baroque flute for a few hundred pounds/dollars/euros, head straight for one of Vincent Bernolin's resin models:

https://traversos-bernolin.com/english/index.htm

Pakistani-sourced instruments, particularly flutes and bagpipes (both GHB and Uilleann), have a poor reputation - I have personal experience with Pakistani-made flutes to back this up, and their GHBs that I heard were appallingly bad - so Pakistani-made instruments are probably best avoided unless you don't mind spending money on a gamble. It is sometimes said that their flute quality seems to be improving, so there might be exceptions, but AFAIK it's still hit-or-miss at best. Hakam Din seems to be the Big Name in Pakistani distribution of late, but I'm not convinced that they are as invested in vetting their makers as they would have us believe; at those prices, there's little incentive to bother. I'm all for giving someone an even break, but Pakistani makers have so consistently and for so long done so much damage to their own reputation among informed fluteplayers that the country's name has become a byword for bad flutes, and raises alarms. One wonders if they'll ever be able to live it down no matter how much they improve. If they improve.

I would recommend you save your money for something reliable.

I have a Bernolin and it's a good flute. I would stay away from Pakistani flutes. If you want an ok wooden baroque flute for an ok price, you might want to contact Luc Verhoeven in Belgium.

Kr,
Peter