Miyazawa 101 vs 102

[arabians207]

I have just starting looking for a new flute (my current one is an older King something.. B-foot, solid silver head it was my moms that she got in highschool) and I have two Miyazawas out to look at. I know that the 101 is their "last years" model and was wondering if any of you knew if there were really any differences between the two models that would affect the price.

Both of them have the D# roller, B-foot.. I know that the 102 has a silver lip and riser, and I know the lip plate is silver on the 101, as it says 925 on the side, is the riser silver too? I haven't gotten a chance to play on the 101 very much, just a few notes but as far as i can tell there isn't much difference. The 101 is $200 cheaper (same price as the 102 without the roller, but I kinda like it), so obviously mom would like me to like the 101

Are their any other flutes that are around $2000 (no more than like.. $2300) that you all would reccommand? I kinda wanted to try a Yamaha 500 series, but the music store we go to says they don't normally stock those as if your willing to spend that much, they usually push towards the Miyazawa's..

I will be getting a few new flutes to try this week, a Yamaha 400 something and something else.. not really sure, my mom didn't remember the brand.. but Im pretty sure I'll like the Miyazawa over the 400 as Ive read on here its just their student flute with more silver. She just ordered them for us to try whether we wanted her to or not when we called to ask her opinon on the Miyazawas

Tons of questions there.. thanks so much!!

[john101]

Haven't tried the 101 or 102, but did try the 202 which is the same flute but with an all silver headjoint. It's an excellent instrument. I would email or call one of the Miyazawa stores like JL Smith, to see what the real difference is between the 101 and the 102. However, I would lean toward the newer model, because i would assume they changed or improved something. Another excellent flute is the Muramatsu EX, but it's priced a little higher and is similiar to the Miyazawa 202.

John

[fluttiegurl]

I believe the headjoints may be different. I am not 100% on this, but I believe there was mention of a headjoint design change from the 01 series to the 02 series. As far as which way to go, play them both and pich the one that works best for you. Depending on where you are trying flutes, the company you are buying from should be able to answer your questions.

Miyazawa is a handmade instrument, which will more than likely make a big difference when comparing flutes. I also like the Altus flutes. It seems like the 800 series (which has similar features to the Miyas you are looking at) starts at around $2000. Definately worth looking at. For me personally, I like Altus better than Miyazawa, but that is me, and we are all very different. Good luck!

[fluteguy18]

Owning a Miyazawa 202 myself, I can point out the main differences. The main difference is the headjoint. Both headjoints are handmade, but the difference lies in the material they are constructed out of. The 101/102 [I believe the 101 has a C foot, and the 102 has the B foot, and thus the numerical difference] has a sterling silver lip and riser, with a nickle silver tube. The 201/202 features a solid sterling head, and also comes with the option to have different riser materials [mine has a 14k rose gold riser].

When I test played them all [from the 102 all the way up to the Boston Classic] the biggest difference I could tell was the headjoint and the weight of the flute. The nickle silver bodied flutes are lighter weight than the sterling silver flutes but this varies depending on the additions put on the flute [ example: my Miya 202 with offset g, split e mech, and c# trill key weighs more than a standard issue Boston Classic with no additional options]. The difference in the headjoints is based off of the cut of headjoint you choose [they let you choose which headjoint you want and they have about 5 or 6 different designs available].

I ended up choosing the 202 even though I had the money to buy the Classic model. They are all very solidly built, and there is little design difference between the models [unlike Yamaha for example who incorporates huge design differences based on the model number]. They all use the same scale, and they all now come with straubinger pads [you either love them or hate them].

But dont limit yourself to Miyazawa. Going into the world of handmade flutes is quite a drastic change, and because there is a lot of $$$$$ involved, you need to try as much as you can. I would try to get your hands on they Yamaha 500 series [as you already discussed], some of the Altus flutes [as already mentioned], Muramatsu's EX model [as mentioned], and perhaps the Pearl "dolce/elegante" model [I think it is in your budget, but I would check].

You might also want to take a look at Sonare [handmade Powell headjoint with a decent machine made body], Lyric flutes [Miyazawa headjoint with average body], and maybe the Brio line from Gemeinhardt, and the Trevor James flutes. Just remember, it doesnt hurt to try flutes out.

[Phineas]

I totally agree with fluteguy

I also own a Miyazawa. I own a Miyazawa Legend1E. I have played several Miyazawa models, and I can only say it was not that easy making a choice which one I prefered the best. I think I picked the one I did because it was a closed hole, and it had the most versatile volume range.

I also own a Yamaha 514(another foriegn market model), and wound up buying it for the same reason. I am pretty fond of the sound an playability of it, although, if I would have bought the Miyazawa first, I probably would not of even bought the Yamaha.

I have my views on Hybred flute like the Lyric, Azumi, Sonare, Amadeus, etc. For a little more money(Or sometimes the same money) you could get an instrument with a better body/mechanism.(Although it would be nice if I could fit my Miyazawa heajoint into my Pearl 665 Quantz that would rock!)

Handmade instruments are a differnt realm to deal with completely. Not only money wise, but trying out individual instruments is very important, even if they are the same brand and model. It is a fact that any good player can learn how to play any fine instrument, but for the kind of money handmade flutes cost, you may as well get something that is taylor made to your playing style.

Beside, flute shopping is a good learning tool, and a lot of fun. May as well take advantage of the opportunity!

Phineas