TubeNet

Contrabass flute ...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mC9_GqP ... re=related" target="_blank . What the hell would you ever use this for ?

The 'mine's bigger' factor.

Someone who plays a trumpet is a trumpet player; someone who plays a tuba is a tuba player; someone who plays an instrument shaped like a 4 is ... ummm ... hyperventilating?

Yeah...that doesn't do any justice for one. I believe there's a recording of a piece called "factory" (or something like that) that's pretty cool.
Contrabass isn't big enough...how about sub contrabass?

She's already been one-upped: http://youtu.be/S8p_Qv7UXKs

bloke wrote:true.

The alto flute is more the "F tuba of the flute studio"...

...' paid for by taxpayers...' used a couple of times/yr. on gigs.

' occasionally disappearing from inventory after several grad. students have come and gone.

In my (one) experience, it was the Eb clarinet that behaved in this way. I believe "our" alto flute was a personally-owned instrument. Or perhaps it was just treated as such so convincingly I didn't know any better. Yes, this seems more plausible.