Pearl Elegante

[Lazul]

Hello!
I've been doing a lot of research on pearl flutes. I know that newer models of Elegante and Coda are Taiwan made, semi handmade, with forza headjoint-- I recently found an Elegante, gold plated, that had engraved "Japan" and the seller says it comes with a PH-7 headjoint, not a Foza. My question is: is there a big, notable difference between these japan-made flutes and the PH7, and those made in taiwan? Are they considerably better?

Also, I have the option of getting a Yamaha 581 with a Sankyo headjoint.

Which one would you recommend? (not that I can't play test them, it's a blind choice)

Thanks!

[JButky]

Hello!
I've been doing a lot of research on pearl flutes. I know that newer models of Elegante and Coda are Taiwan made, semi handmade, with forza headjoint-- I recently found an Elegante, gold plated, that had engraved "Japan" and the seller says it comes with a PH-7 headjoint, not a Foza. My question is: is there a big, notable difference between these japan-made flutes and the PH7, and those made in taiwan? Are they considerably better?

Also, I have the option of getting a Yamaha 581 with a Sankyo headjoint.

Which one would you recommend? (not that I can't play test them, it's a blind choice)

Thanks!

Those Japan Made Elegantes are very nice indeed. They came out of the handmade shop before production was moved to Taiwan. The PH7 headjoint was the cut they made that Rhonda originally played. I have a PH7 on my bench that I use for play testing (the other is a prototype). The PH7 has a quite large embouchure hole.

All the owners I know of who have these Japan Elegantes absolutely love them.

[Lazul]

Thanks for the answer.
I still can't decide! Maybe I'll end up tossing a coin or something. Although the Pearl is in mint condition while the yamaha may require some pad replacing and COA.

One more question: any opinions on the Pearl's mechanism?

[JButky]

Thanks for the answer.
I still can't decide! Maybe I'll end up tossing a coin or something. Although the Pearl is in mint condition while the yamaha may require some pad replacing and COA.

One more question: any opinions on the Pearl's mechanism?

One of the strongest points about Pearl. You get a pinless mechanism! Feel and serviceability are two aspects in its favor.

If the Yamaha needs pad work you might as well have a conversion done on the keycup chimneys and switch over to delrin grommets at the same time. Yamaha grommets are notorious for not staying put after being removed. At the 500 level and above they are tapered. Many techs end up super gluing them in place to get them to stay. The better option is to have the straight sleeve retrofit done to the key chimneys and use oversize delrin straight grommets. Your tech should be aware of that and may ask you about having the retrofit done if it needs pad work.

[Lazul]

Thanks for answering!

One last thing is bugging me. All the older pearl japanese models I've seen are engraved more or less like this:

PEARL FLUTE
Pearl musical
instrument
Japan
PF-785

But this one is just

Pearl flute
Elegante
Japan
(and the logo, a P)

Is this possible? I've seen a similar design on newer Cantabiles, but not on older flutes made in japan. It's kind of puzzling me.
Thanks a lot-

[JButky]

That is the more recent logo of the two. It is correct.

[fluteguy18]

If you can, I would recommend trying them beforehand. They're all wonderful flutes but each flutist is different. Having tried all of the brands over a period of time, the Yamaha would probably work best for me because I haven't yet found a good match with Pearl. For other players I know, it's the opposite. I have two friends that sound AMAZING on their Pearl Cantabiles. They're all great flutes (as long as they're in good mechanical condition) so it's a matter of budget and personal style/taste.

[jazzfocus]

For those of you looking at the newest Pearl Elegante Coda I can give you a jazz doubler's perspective. I own mine from February 2011 to now (2013) and have enjoyed it tremendously. The price is much higher now since when I got it so you may have to check other competing models. I simply ordered mine online without trying any other instruments knowing I could return it if not satisfied. My 24 year old trusty Yamaha 581 still works but not as rich sounding as the Pearl. I love the Forza headjoint (10k solid gold lip plate). The feel of the instrument and action are lovely. I was playing a weekly gig at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan for over a year and the flute had so much power they asked me to bring my old one next time (the Yamaha). Needless to say, I just toned it down a little but that hardly ever happens. It's just that any flute carries through that museum into far off areas from the cafe we played at.
I play a lot of saxophone and then double on flute. Some gigs are all flute, others all saxophone. (alto, tenor, soprano). The Pearl is great for doubling in that you can pick it up quickly and get a good sound. Yes, it's made in Taiwan. I don't think it matters much any more. Taiwan is not China. It is the brain child of the biggest companies that manufacture in China. The Taiwanese make almost the same income as Japanese. Pearl has it's best flute specialists overseeing the work there so things aren't what they used to be 15 years ago. We see that almost across the board with so many products. I imagine if I checked out a lot of different flutes I would like many others also. Just wanted to give my perspective.

[Phineas]

I play a lot of saxophone and then double on flute. Some gigs are all flute, others all saxophone. (alto, tenor, soprano). The Pearl is great for doubling in that you can pick it up quickly and get a good sound. Yes, it's made in Taiwan. I don't think it matters much any more. Taiwan is not China. It is the brain child of the biggest companies that manufacture in China. The Taiwanese make almost the same income as Japanese. Pearl has it's best flute specialists overseeing the work there so things aren't what they used to be 15 years ago. We see that almost across the board with so many products. I imagine if I checked out a lot of different flutes I would like many others also. Just wanted to give my perspective.

I have a house full of horns made in Taiwan. I am endorsed by a Saxophone.com and all of their "pro level" horns are Taiwanese. I have a Chinese alto manufactured by Gulf, and it is also quite good. I will tell you, I have had saxophone snobs play on them and have had nothing but good reviews. Pearl is no different. Mine was stolen a few years ago, and I miss it. Was my work horse for years!

What is good is good. What is junk is junk. I do not read the labels anymore. I just play on them no matter where they are made.

[jazzfocus]

You are spot on. The majority of people are still hung up on "where is it made". It means very little any more with many products. Somehow though, pianos coming from China, Indonesia, and Korea don't seem to be up to par with Japanese made Yamahas and Kawais. My Pearl Elegante Coda has a really rich sound and seems to be holding up fantastically well. I am pretty careful with it since it is now approaching $5000! I get nice feedback from other musicians on my gigs when I use it so it's pretty cool. Nuff said.