Too Many Flutes (7): Solid Gold Cadillacs and Copper Tubing

The price of flutes rises steeply depending on the metal they're made of, from silver-plated nickel through solid gold and platinum. The influence of the material on the sound of the flute is a matter of debate. Jennifer Cluff, a Canadian flutist who posts a great deal of valuable information on the web, sheds some clear light on this matter, as does a paper by Gregor Widholm and others.
I had the feeling that flute makers were charging disproportionately for the metals they use, so, out of curiosity I weighed my Sankyo silver flute on an admittedly not absolutely accurate kitchen scale. It weighs just about 500 grams. Assuming that it is sterling silver (it isn't - it's a special alloy developed by the Sankyo company), the silver in the instrument would be worth $230. So, let's say, $250 to give Sankyo the benefit of the doubt. That's not a large proportion of the price of the flute. Assuming that flutes made of other materials weigh about the same, a 14 karat gold flute would contain about $12,000 worth of gold, which goes far to explain the high cost of these flutes. Platinum is a bit more costly. But, if it doesn't make a noticeable difference in the sound of the flute, why pay so much more for a gold or platinum flute? (Or, for that matter, a solid silver flute as opposed to a silver plated flute?)
Looking at it another way, if the metal in a silver flute doesn't cost more than, say, a maximum of $500, given the different types of silver used by the best makers, why should a Brannen flute cost $13,000 or more? Obviously, it's a matter of the workmanship, and if I had a huge amount of spare cash, I would be very tempted to buy one. But still...
Saxophones, which are much heavier than flutes, are generally not made out of silver, though manufacturers do make silver neck joints for them. Some musicians I know use these silver neck joints, and they claim that they improve their sound. That's possible but also very subjective. A wind instrument sounds different to the player than to the listener. The musician's body is essentially part of the instrument, and their ears are not a few meters from the production of the sound. It's impossible for players to judge their sounds objectively, because they are part of the sound.  If the material of the flute or neck joint or whatever makes the instrument sound better to the player, regardless of whether the listener notices the difference, that's an important justification for paying more. Making music on a high level is extremely demanding, and every psychological edge helps the musician.
All of this is by way of justifying an unjustifiable purchase. After I donated my Armstrong student model flute, which needed some adjustment, to a music school, I had only (!) one flute, my expensive Sankyo flute. What if I brought it with me on a trip, and it was stolen? What if I dropped it and had to have it repaired? I persuaded myself that I needed, as it were, another, less expensive flutes.
A Taiwanese company, Guo, makes flutes out of plastic, but they didn't appeal to me. Then, one day, I searched for "copper flutes" on the web, and, lo and behold, I found one, made by the Schiller company, a defunct German manufacturer, which was revived. The Jim Laabs store in Wisconsin markets Schiller instruments (and, apparently, has them manufactured in China). It wasn't outrageously expensive, so I bought one. I was a bit depressed at the time, and I decided to cheer myself up by buying myself a present.
The pleasure of getting a gift was soured a bit because it took a lot longer to arrive in Israel than I had expected, partly because the store had the instrument adjusted before it shipped it, and partly because Fedex sent it back to America because they didn't have my phone number. It appears to have been made by people who were trying to produce something decent, and it is. Not as good as my Sankyo, but, considering that it cost about a sixth of what the silver flute cost, it's an amazingly good buy.
So now, in addition to all my folk instruments, I own two Western flutes, which is definitely twice as many as I need. But I enjoy playing on the copper flute. It's a bit harder to play than the Sankyo. The low notes don't come out as easily and as clearly, so playing it is a bit like running with lead weights on your ankles. When you take them off, you're lighter on your feet.