Di Zhao flutes

[acolmanj]

Hi,

I just bought a D Zhao DZ500 (silver headjoint, plated body) as an upgrade from a trevor James TX10.

A flute teacher recommended them to me...I had thought I'd be getting a Pearl or Yamaha...But when I played the Di Zhao in the shop it was clearly better, and I sensed that it had the ability to produce a lot more than the Yamaha in terms of tone.
The others might be easier to get a decent tone from in 5 minutes playing,
but the Di Zhao keeps sounding better each week I'm playing it. The top register is sweet to listen to, the middle register has a lovely silvery sound - and the possibility of altering the tone colour quite a lot. The low register is not a bold as the yamaha intermediate flute, but I guess with practice I will be able to play better down there!

Anyway - I know it's a big commitment buying a new flute - so just to let you know that after agonising for months - I am happy to have chosen this Di Zhao DZ500 - hope this helps anyone making the plunge.

Acol

[acwasher]

I am a private distributor for DiZhao.

The tube is made in the U.S. The keywork is completed in his Beijing, China plant. Presently, DiZhao personally play tests every flute he sells. I have talked to him and I think he is very serious about quality and understand that when a flute comes to him that is below par, he wastes no time in confronting his China personnel.

I have play tested a DiZhao step-up flute and found the scale to be very good and nearly identical to my Emerson Boston Legacy. The French style keywork is very handsomely done. From a design standpoint the sliver-plated nickel keywork is much stronger than sivler alloy keywork. My Emerson flute has silver keywork and is prone to flexing out of position more easily; I'll never buy another flute with silver alloy keywork.

I found the design DiZhao step-up flute to be "free-blowing" with a quick response and a slightly darker sound than typical sliver-plated flutes I have tried. I think it will work easily for band and solo.

I also have his wooden piccolo and found it to be excellent quality work.

I plan to buy the sterling silver model shortly.

I am trying to get his flutes into as many hands as I can and can offer excellent pricing at this time. For any of band directors and private instructors who teach beginners, DiZhao has a very reasonbly priced beginner model.

I can be reached at acwasher@aol.com with questions.
Tony

[jdyoungberg]

Hi everyone. My daughter started flute a year and a half ago. Her teacher suggests a Dizhao intermediate 300 flute, which costs $699 at Blocki Flute Method company. There is a Haynes AF600BDF(solid silver head joint) at a nearby music store listed for $1450 and on sale for $799. I wonder which would be better? I play violin and have no idea about flutes.... I thought maybe the Haynes would be better since its on sale for almost the same price, but it sounds like the DiZhao is pretty good from this board. ...
Please I would love any advice you have!!! THe sale ends on the 31st..
thanks so much!
Jennifer

[az1983]

Uhh, here's my two cents. I met Mr. Zhao at the NFA Convention in Anaheim 2010, and had an opportunity to play many of the flutes he has at his booth. I was extremely underwhelmed after hearing so many positive things about quality and pricing.

The student flutes were average, no complaints. The wooden picc's had terrbile intonation and awkward resistance, I gave up on those after a few minutes of fighting. The intermediate or so-called "professional" line of flutes had clunky mechanism, bent rods, sticky pads and the tone sounded quite thin and life-less. The bent rods and sticky pads I'm sure could be associated with them being on-the-road, show flutes. The two wood model flutes they had available were just flat out poor quality and finish. The silver rings on the barrel were not snug and still had clumped, dried glue sticking out around the edges. The area where the metal posts fit into a carved out section on the wood (near trill keys and near footjoint tenon) were misaligned and poorly fit (i.e. gaps on one side of the routed area and not the other). Granted, Di Zhao flutes are made to a price point, but IMO, money would be better spent on another brand. I guess this is just another testament to "try before you buy!"

[pied_piper]

Perhaps Mr. Zhao has learned from the past. I tried all of the same Di Zhao flutes and piccs at the 2011 NFA Convention in Charlotte and thought they were all pretty good for their price range. They all played well, the key action felt pretty good and the intonation was no worse than other flutes in their respective price ranges. They don't really compete with the top handmade flutes out there, but that's not the market Di Zhao is trying to sell to. For their price, I was relatively impressed and thought they fared pretty well against other comparable student and step-up flutes. Since the Di Zhao flutes have been on the market for a relatively short time though, I can't speak to how well they hold up over time.

YMMV...

[Captain Truth]

I had the chance to buy a DZ-700, their top of the line model. Good news and bad news. The good news is that the flute is very approachable, with a head joint that is responsive yet forgiving. The instrument produces tone that is very nice for its price tag, and the tuning is fabulous.

The bad news? I have spent as much time repairing it as playing it. Within 30 days it was literally evaporating in my hands. Constant problems with headjoint and footjoint not fitting, springs and screws also not fitting well and popping out. No amount of maintenance was enough. It’s been in twice and, within 4 months, the barrel literally fell off!
Also, the amount of pad stickage is highly abnormal. While this was in the shop, I borrowed a different flute – same player, same humidity – in the time when I would need to dry off the DZ pads 7 or 8 times for sticking, the other flute had only one minor stickage.

Perhaps I got a lemon, but, I know someone who has a Di Zhao piccolo that has been back 5 times and still isn’t right. This is apparently a poorly-made product that has some characteristics and features of a nice flute. Also, if it was a “lemon”, I would have appreciated if they just admitted it and replaced it instead of all these band aid fixes.

Next stop – off to New York to demo flutes. I guess I have to cough up the 8-10 grand after all to get something that I can PLAY and not have to be a flute technician. Bottom line: You get what you pay for. Buyer beware.

[hazelnut]

Hi,

I just bought a D Zhao DZ500 (silver headjoint, plated body) as an upgrade from a trevor James TX10.



Anyway - I know it's a big commitment buying a new flute - so just to let you know that after agonising for months - I am happy to have chosen this Di Zhao DZ500 - hope this helps anyone making the plunge.

Acol

Hello
This is old, but on the outside chance that you see it, can you tell me how the DiZhao is holding up? Have you any comparison to your past flutes in terms of sound, playability and ,especially, durability? Thanks

[;) ;)]

Hi,

I just bought a D Zhao DZ500 (silver headjoint, plated body) as an upgrade from a trevor James TX10.



Anyway - I know it's a big commitment buying a new flute - so just to let you know that after agonising for months - I am happy to have chosen this Di Zhao DZ500 - hope this helps anyone making the plunge.

Acol

Hello
This is old, but on the outside chance that you see it, can you tell me how the DiZhao is holding up? Have you any comparison to your past flutes in terms of sound, playability and ,especially, durability? Thanks

I know this is an old thread but I have had my DZ-700 for around 5 years so far. It plays very well and I have received many compliments on my tone and sound (it has a very luscious low tone.. I don't know if it is just my embouchure or if its the flute, but my fellow flutists who have yamahas, who are all very very good flutists, don't have a deep of a low register... then again, practicing daily is also very important).As far as playability, the keys are very responsive and it has a very solid feel to it (it doesn't feel cheaply made). The keys go down smoothly and I've been working on using less force when pressing on the keys because it plays fine with just a light movement of the finger (my earlier piano years have given be a bad habit of pressing my fingers down hard). So far I haven't had any problems with broken pads or anything of that sort (I never had to replace any), however if you handle it roughly, then obviously something might break. I have bent a few small wires while taking it apart, but that was mainly my fault (any experienced flutist should know to never hold onto the keys while trying to pull it apart). And, surprisingly, the flute is not as tarnished as I expected it would be because I often forget to clean it and can go weeks without touching a cleaning cloth. Oh!! My favorite part about it is that the metal on the outside of the flute has a very soft feel. I have tried playing 2 other flutist's yamahas and on one flute, the metal felt sticky and "unclean" (her flute isn't dirty.. she cleans it excessively) and on the other, the metal felt rough (its hard to explain.. but my hand didn't glide as smoothly over the metal as it did mine). I doubt that the sticky outer metal would effect the tone or quality of the sound, its just something that is a bonus to have. It has survived 5 years of bumpy car rides, a few drops, and quiet a bit of smacking into things because I am just a clumsy person so it is pretty durable. And, yes, this flute is great for bands and orchestras and for solo playing.

[new2flute]

I have a Di Zhao DZ400 but as a beginner player it's difficult to give any meaningful advice regarding the flute. I haven't had any issues with it and when I'm doing my part the tone quality appears to be very good. One of my relatives is giving me lesson so once she has had a chance to play it (she's been playing for eight years) I'll report back her comments.

[corkyflutist]

After reviewing a number of posts here regarding Di Zhao flutes, I can’t find any detailed descriptions of the head joint cut. I play an old silver head joint Armstrong and have never been satisfied with its capacity to fill out the low end. I am more of a jazz player and know my flute is not out of adjustment. Is there any feedback on the mouthpieces of the Di Zhao’s?