Muramatsu, Sankyo, Miyazawa, or Yamaha??

sarahkang00 · Post by **sarahkang00** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 6:57 pm

I have been playing flute for about ten years and am considering minoring in flute in college. I've been feeling like I've reached a plateau in my flute playing and began to wonder if it was me or my flute.
Well, I found out it was my Gemeinhardt 3SB when I tried out some new flutes.
I recently took home a Muramatsu GX (don't remember the specs) and a Miyazawa 402 w/ split E, C# trill, C#/D# rollers, and the Broegger system. The split E got in my way, and I don't want to put in extra money for the rollers. If I got the Miyazawa, I would get it with only the C# trill and maybe the Broegger.
I noticed that the Muramatsu sounded very nice in the high register, but I liked the very rich, purple tone I got with the Miyazawa in the low register.
I have not tried the Sankyo models at home, but if I were to choose, I would get the 401.
I have been struggling over this for almost a month, and I found a website called fluteland.co.cc, and their Muramatsu, Miyazawa, and Sankyo flutes are all at least $600 cheaper than the same models sold at the music store I went to. I was wondering how reliable this website was, and also if the price would drastically increase since their store is based in Japan and would have to come through duty/shipping. I also noticed the UK sites were cheaper too.

AND THEN, I tried instrumentalsavings.com, and it had a Yamaha YFL-881H Professional for $5,999 (list price $8313), Yamaha YFL-774H Professional for $4899 (list price $6939).
I haven't played a Yamaha since my first flute, which was 10 years ago, and I want to know if they are comparable to the other flutes I have mentioned. Judging by the price, they seem like they might be considered even better, but I would like people's input on this.

Or should I consider other brands such as Powell, Haynes, Emerson, Pearl, and Trevor James? I REALLY don't want to keep playing on my Gemeinhardt 3SB after trying the Muramatsu and Miyazawa flutes. I had no idea that the keys could move so effortlessly! So, please help me.
Thank you for reading all of this, and I would really appreciate your opinions!

vampav8trix · Post by **vampav8trix** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 7:40 pm

Try as many flutes as you can for as long as you can.

I ended up with a Muramatsu. I almost went for an Altus or Yamaha.

I couldn't afford a Powell so I didn't try one. I wish that I had.

Try them all.

snowstripedmoose · Post by **snowstripedmoose** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 7:59 pm

First of all greetings,

in regard to the link fluteland.co.cc I would be very cautious they claim to be Japanese I know a lot of the Japanese retailers as I bought my last two sankyo flutes and piccolo over there I have never heard of them. The other thing about that site I would caution is that for sankyo they have the 401 on sale the 401 is not available in Japan the ARTIST is still the current model and there is a difference between the two models. When i was in Japan in august I spoke with a sankyo rep and in Japan they do not sell the models with numbers (ie 201, 201, 401). If you are serious about buying a sankyo flute I can recommend ishibashi their website maybe in Japanese but you can ring them up they have a lady that speaks fluent English.

http://translate.google.com.au/translat ... n%26sa%3DG

dolce is another good japanese retailer (the store in osaka has a guy that speaks excellent english), miki gakki is another one (don't speak english though)

In terms of other brands it is all very personal and up to you. I went to a Japanese flute fair and I tried the Miyazawa AZ i didn't like it at all, I tried the Yamaha 800 and 900 series Julius Baker models with the crystals in the keys way to sharp sounding for my taste, i like the powell's but not the price, sankyo I tried the solid silver otherwise known as the 901 loved it just not in my price range, i also tried the sankyo esprit limited edition the thin tube of .33 is a bit too shrill in my opinion.

If you are wanting to move forward I wouldn't go for an emersen.
Just remember it pays to be careful who you buy your flute from, cheapest doesn't mean the best source.

Happy flute hunting..

kiwiflute · Post by **kiwiflute** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:01 pm

All the flutes you mention are high quality instruments and I don't think you could go wrong with any of them. Try them all and choose the one you like the best.

I wonder if the "fluteland" website you mention is actually "Fluteworld" as the prices you describe for the Yamahas look very much like their current prices. If so, Fluteworld has a pretty good reputation for reliability and will send flutes for you for trial within the US.

Good luck with your search!

sarahkang00 · Post by **sarahkang00** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:13 pm

Thanks for all the info! So in Japan, they only have the 401 Artist? What exactly is the difference between that and the 401? I will try that website you recommended. Perhaps I will be able to understand as long as there isn't too much kanji. (but I doubt it...)
They say "Direct sales from Japan" but the "co.cc" country code means the website is Cocos Island, an Australian territory. That's kind of strange.

To kiwiflute, the fluteland site is actually fluteland. I have been to the fluteworld site too. I checked that site and realized that the so-called instrumentalsavings.com lists the same price. That made me wonder, did Yamaha cut their price or something? They're "on sale" everywhere, it seems.

sarahkang00 · Post by **sarahkang00** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:22 pm

Also, are Japanese brands cheaper in Japan? I could buy one when I go there or when my dad goes there.
"MIYAZAWA / LEGACY-III E BR w/ Broegger System"
Would that be equivalent to a 402?

vampav8trix · Post by **vampav8trix** » Tue Nov 25, 2008 5:51 am

If you decide to get a Muramatsu from Japan there is somthing you should know. Muramatsu America will not do any work on flutes that are not made for the American market. I don't know why this is so, but that is what they told me.

It's no big deal. Any good flute shop can service your Muramatsu. It's just something I thought that I would throw in.

Phineas · Post by **Phineas** » Tue Nov 25, 2008 8:31 am

Here we go again...lol This thread never ends.

1. All of these flutes are similar from a construction and quality stand point. The main difference you will find is in the Headjoint. In this department, these flute brands become very different. Here are my picks. Your milage may vary!

Muramatsu - Most Versatile, but can be difficult to control.
Miyazawa - Versatile, but can be difficult to control, but not as ahrd as the Mura.
Sankyo - Versatile, but I did not get the projection I coudl get out of the first 2.
Yamaha - Easiest to play, with good projection.

2. Yes, Japanese flutes are cheaper in Japan. You can also get models that you cannot get in the states.

3. I have a Legacy 1E that I bought in Japan. I have never had a problem getting anyone to work on it. If you have a problem, there is a tech that does work for www.saxquest.com name George Bunk that works on mine.

I hope this helps.

Phineas

pied_piper · Post by **pied_piper** » Tue Nov 25, 2008 2:09 pm

vampav8trix wrote:... Muramatsu America will not do any work on flutes that are not made for the American market....

Minor clarification - Muramatsu America will not do any WARRANTY work on flutes that are not made for the American market. They will work on them, but at standard out-of-warranty rate charges.

I think the reason for that is that since Muramatsu America didn't import it, they didn't get to add their markup over the Japanese prices. That markup is to cover the cost of shipping, import duties, etc., plus some profit for them. I suspect that their deal with Muramatsu Japan says that Muramatsu America will handle and absorb the cost of all warranty claims on the flutes they sell here in the USA. Their price markup allows them to to do that, when necessary. After all, there's not much point in being in business without making money.

If you buy a flute in Japan, then the buyer would be responsible for the U.S. import duties. Also, unless there was a major defect in the flute, it wouldn't make much sense to ship it back to Japan for warranty service because the shipping and insurance would be quite pricey - probably much more than the cost of a local repair.