Matthew's Music?

[Itspinktouch]

Has anyone ever heard of this music company called Matthew's Music from the Netherlands? They sell professional instruments on eBay for a fairly low price compared to the actual price on the market.
I bought a Miyazawa PB202 from them in January for around $500 off the actual price. At first I was suspicious, but then I assured myself that it was not a scam when I saw how many of their customers were more than satisfied of their online purchases.

My Miyazawa is in the flute shop right now for a dislocated post due to an accidental whack at a moving chair... The lady at the flute shop asked me if I had bought it in the Netherlands, and had stated that the mechanism was different and that it was not built up to U.S standards. After I had left the flute shop, I jumped on my computer and began emailing Miyazawa's customer service, asking if Matthew's Music was an authorized seller of Miyazawa flutes. I had gotten a reply a day later from Shivhan Dohse in the Marketing & Sales department, stating that Matthew's Music was NOT a representative of Miyazawa, and that any flute purchased from them would not have the company's warranty nor would it be built up to the U.S standards. I had gotten another email just yesterday from Shivhan Dohse again, telling me that a flute from Matthew's Music is not an authentic Miyazawa, and that many things could be wrong with it including a different pitch, headjoint style, different pads (not Straubinger), and the quality of the mechanism.

Could this be true, that I had gotten an unauthentic flute from them?

Can anyone post their 2cents about this?

[Phineas]

I have read many threads about this store. Most of the posts were good, and they seem to be highly recommended.

The term "not built to American standards" does not always mean it is a fake. I own a Miyazawa Legacy 1E. This model is only sold in Japan. When I took mine in for a COA, I got a similar reaction. They gave me the same speech about warantee etc.... Apparently, Miyazawa build and distributes models for different world markets. Americans are funny people when it comes to musical instruments. I had to show the repair person a translated web page from Japanese to prove my flute model was real, and existed.(Even thought I bought it direct from Miyazawa in Japan!)

Another thing to consider it Matthews music does repair and custom work. You may have gotten a flute that was customized for sale, but never picked up. I know may players that do things like get the pads changed out, get key work done, etc.... It is possible you got a modified Miyazawa.

Your situation is worth digging into. However I would not jump to conclusions just yet. If all else fails, get on skype and call Miyazawa directly. They have people around that can speak English and may be able to tell you where your flute was made. At the very least just send them an email.

http://translate.google.com

Then
http://www.miyazawa-flute.co.jp/contact/form.html

The will get you in touch with Miyazawa headquarters.

Keep us posted.

Phineas

[fluteguy18]

I actually purchased my Yamaha wood picc from them. I too saved about $500 and I have absolutely no regrets. It's a great little instrument that plays well. I had no intention of doing business with them beyond the initial purchase anyways. I was able to register my piccolo with Yamaha and I had full warranty benefits. With that being said, the piccolo came in the shipping material FROM Yamaha with all of the accessories and certificates as well.

I did notice that it was built to european preferences though. It had different springs and tension settings (which I actually preferred because it was more springy). The pitch was fine.

If Miyazawa has the serial number registered as one of their instruments that was tested and shipped out of their facility, then I don't see why they shouldn't honor a warranty for whatever market the flute was intended for. I mean... that's my opinion on customer service at least. If it is a legit Miyazawa and you're the first owner... then you should get the warranty. I would of course allow an inspection of the instrument so it could be verified though.

Either way though... they are good businessmen and they wouldn't have built up such a solid customer base if they offered a poor product. If you like the flute and it holds up well... who cares?

[pied_piper]

Muramatsu also has small differences between flutes for different markets. Flutes sold in the USA are imported by Muramatsu America. For example, on the AD model, the USA version added a D# roller. They also have an "MA" (for Muramatsu America) stamped on the ribs. I believe that they will repair any Muramatsu flute, but they will not provide warranty service for flutes not imported by them.

[az1983]

I recently (in October of this year) purchased a brand new Hammig piccolo 650/3 from Matthews Music in the NL, and had no issues. They were extremely polite and easy to work with. The picc came with all of the Hammig paperwork and a certifcate with serial # from the company itself. I knew about the warranty issue before purchasing, so that was a risk, but saving $860.00 USD made up for it. I have already recommended them to others.