Well, as I have promised a couple of individuals, I am announcing that I am finally upgrading from my Armstrong 303BG to a handmade Miyazawa. It should be arriving tomorrow afternoon [the retailer is overnighting it].
So, here is the story about it. I was recently at a local flute convention [Flute Society of Kentucky] and I was able to test play dozens of flutes from about any company I could thing of: Haynes, Pearl, Powell, Parmenon, Tom Green, Miyazawa, Muramatsu, Trevor James and many others. I eventually settled on one specific flute, copied down the serial number and specs, then put a down payment on it. Now, Flute Specialists Inc. [Michigan] is at last delivering the long awaited upgrade.
So, for all of those spec savvy people:
Company: Miyazawa
Model: PA-202RH
Head: Sterling Silver with MZ8 cut;
Body, Foot joint, Keys: Nickle Silver [I almost bought the next model with all sterling, but I just didnt like it as much.... so I saved about $2k].
Add ons: 14k rose gold riser, offset G, Split E mech, C# trill key, D# roller.
Standard company specs: Open holes, french pointed arms, B footjoint, French style leather or polished wood case [I havent seen the case yet, but it doesnt really matter] and a Cavallaro Case cover.
Well, to say the least, I am very excited. Even though my Armstrong is still a good instrument and would serve many people for most of their playing career if need be, I have outgrown it and need an upgrade. When the Miyazawa comes in tomorrow, I am donating my marching flute [ a really old but playable open hole Selmer with B foot] to the high school I graduated from. I got my start in music there, so why not pass the gift along?
Finally... a new flute.
Moderators: Classitar, pied_piper, Phineas
-
flutepicc06
- Posts: 1353
- Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 11:34 pm
-
shortandsilly
Re: Finally... a new flute.
sounds wonderful. i am very excited for you!fluteguy18 wrote:Well, as I have promised a couple of individuals, I am announcing that I am finally upgrading from my Armstrong 303BG to a handmade Miyazawa. It should be arriving tomorrow afternoon [the retailer is overnighting it].
So, here is the story about it. I was recently at a local flute convention [Flute Society of Kentucky] and I was able to test play dozens of flutes from about any company I could thing of: Haynes, Pearl, Powell, Parmenon, Tom Green, Miyazawa, Muramatsu, Trevor James and many others. I eventually settled on one specific flute, copied down the serial number and specs, then put a down payment on it. Now, Flute Specialists Inc. [Michigan] is at last delivering the long awaited upgrade.
So, for all of those spec savvy people:
Company: Miyazawa
Model: PA-202RH
Head: Sterling Silver with MZ8 cut;
Body, Foot joint, Keys: Nickle Silver [I almost bought the next model with all sterling, but I just didnt like it as much.... so I saved about $2k].
Add ons: 14k rose gold riser, offset G, Split E mech, C# trill key, D# roller.
Standard company specs: Open holes, french pointed arms, B footjoint, French style leather or polished wood case [I havent seen the case yet, but it doesnt really matter] and a Cavallaro Case cover.
Well, to say the least, I am very excited. Even though my Armstrong is still a good instrument and would serve many people for most of their playing career if need be, I have outgrown it and need an upgrade. When the Miyazawa comes in tomorrow, I am donating my marching flute [ a really old but playable open hole Selmer with B foot] to the high school I graduated from. I got my start in music there, so why not pass the gift along?
-
fluteguy18
- Posts: 2311
- Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:11 pm
-
fluteguy18
- Posts: 2311
- Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:11 pm
It came in about 9:45am, and my dad brought it to me at noon [ I live about 45minutes away from him]. I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!!!!!
I was absolutely amazed at the sound, and that it responded so freely. Before I got this flute, I couldnt play measures 126-136 in the Mozart Concerto in G major up to tempo [about quarter = 115, but I could play it at quarter= 103], and today I played it very cleanly at quarter = 126. I was very happy. I cant believe how much easier everything is now!!! But, I know that there will still be a lot of adjusting. However, I can already tell a difference in my technique [ a small one, but it will continue to progress as I have more time to practice].
torretje- I agree completely.
I will probably be walking on air for a couple of weeks now....
I was absolutely amazed at the sound, and that it responded so freely. Before I got this flute, I couldnt play measures 126-136 in the Mozart Concerto in G major up to tempo [about quarter = 115, but I could play it at quarter= 103], and today I played it very cleanly at quarter = 126. I was very happy. I cant believe how much easier everything is now!!! But, I know that there will still be a lot of adjusting. However, I can already tell a difference in my technique [ a small one, but it will continue to progress as I have more time to practice].
torretje- I agree completely.
I will probably be walking on air for a couple of weeks now....
-
fluteguy18
- Posts: 2311
- Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:11 pm
-
finallyflute-ing
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:00 pm
- Location: EKU
- Contact:
-
sidekicker
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2006 5:58 am
- Location: Scottish-American in Oklahoma
I extended my congrats on the Straub thread b/c I saw the news there first. But I'll do it here as well.
What an interesting story as to how you ended up with it. Maybe I'm the dunce here, but I had no idea you were waiting on a specific flute you had already tried out. I was under the impression that you were just in that awful process of having to save up, knowing exactly what you wanted.
And you are entirely correct in saying that it is more meaningful to you given the circumstances you had to go through in order to get it. I bought two new heads last year, had to save up quite a while, and go through a two-decade long search for a gold one I liked and finally found. You are to be commended for your patience in what has to have been a really hard waiting period.
We're really happy for you, and I'm sure your apparent classmate here is correct in his/her assessment that your playing on this new instrument has been greatly enhanced by it. Can you post a pic of it somehow?
SK
What an interesting story as to how you ended up with it. Maybe I'm the dunce here, but I had no idea you were waiting on a specific flute you had already tried out. I was under the impression that you were just in that awful process of having to save up, knowing exactly what you wanted.
And you are entirely correct in saying that it is more meaningful to you given the circumstances you had to go through in order to get it. I bought two new heads last year, had to save up quite a while, and go through a two-decade long search for a gold one I liked and finally found. You are to be commended for your patience in what has to have been a really hard waiting period.
We're really happy for you, and I'm sure your apparent classmate here is correct in his/her assessment that your playing on this new instrument has been greatly enhanced by it. Can you post a pic of it somehow?
SK
-
fluteguy18
- Posts: 2311
- Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:11 pm
Your initial impression was correct and it was aweful. I however was lucky enough that the money came together about 1 week after a convention I attended in mid January 2007. And, there was a specific flute there that I tried and absolutely loved hands down, so I copied the serial number, and put the down payment on it a week later. I was very glad that this happened, because I was planning to order a specific instrument, and when I went to the convention, I tried one that was exactly what I thought I wanted, and hated it. At first I thought I wanted the Miyazawa 402, because that is what I liked at the Flute Society of Kentucky Convention last year. But, a years worth of taking lessons for the first time, and hard work changed me as a player, and my wants and needs in an instrument changed. So, it kept me from making a huge mistake being able to do one last test run of the flutes I liked [or at least used to like] before I made the purchase. Now, I am happier than ever.sidekicker wrote:I extended my congrats on the Straub thread b/c I saw the news there first. But I'll do it here as well.
What an interesting story as to how you ended up with it. Maybe I'm the dunce here, but I had no idea you were waiting on a specific flute you had already tried out. I was under the impression that you were just in that awful process of having to save up, knowing exactly what you wanted.
And you are entirely correct in saying that it is more meaningful to you given the circumstances you had to go through in order to get it. I bought two new heads last year, had to save up quite a while, and go through a two-decade long search for a gold one I liked and finally found. You are to be commended for your patience in what has to have been a really hard waiting period.
We're really happy for you, and I'm sure your apparent classmate here is correct in his/her assessment that your playing on this new instrument has been greatly enhanced by it. Can you post a pic of it somehow?
SK
As for pictures, I will be going home this weekend, and I will have access to a digital camera there, so pictures will be coming sometime this weekend.
-
fluteguy18
- Posts: 2311
- Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:11 pm
