Any suggestions

[KittyKat]

I'm looking to upgrade my flute so was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I played semi-seriously when I was younger and then didn't play at all for about 15 years. About 3 years ago I started back with a local concert band where I play Alto Sax, Bari Sax and flute. I'm coming back full circle and probably going to start back playing just the flute and taking it a lot more seriously again. I'm currently playing a Mateki 2 which I bought 24 years ago. It's a lovely instrument and I'm very fond of it, especially in the lower register, but it struggles with anything at the very top, basically above G it is very sharp both in tone and pitch, no matter how much wrestling I do with it.

I'm heading to London next week so I can have a good mooch around various flute shops. I have a budget up to about £4,000 without trading in my Mateki. I'd quite like to hold on to the Mateki 'cause it's probably not worth selling in the grand scheme of things, but don't want to miss out on the right instrument if I can raise a few hundred more trading / selling it.

I know I'll end up buying whatever I like personally but was wondering if anyone had any suggestions where to start? Powell, Muramatsu, Haynes, Brannen, Miyazawa?

[pied_piper]

Have you checked the position of the headjoint cork? Intonation especially (but tone too) is affected by the cork position.

[KittyKat]

I am now the proud owner of a Powell Signature and my trusty old Mateki is having a full wash cut and blow-dry. Apparently I might get it back by the middle of August - oops! Spent every penny of my budget but it was worth it, the flute sounds like really rich chocolate and plays like a dream. Played through the Chaminade Concertino with it and it soared through the top notes with hardly a squawk, and any squawky noises were totally down to me not being able to believe that I could fling it around so easily. I had fallen for an Altus that I would have been perfectly happy with right up until the nasty man in the shop brought me the Powell to try.

Funny, I thought I'd end up with a Miyazawa ...

My Mateki is actually only worth £140 less than I paid for it 24 years ago so was obviously a better investment than the car that all my friends told me I should have bought Needs some serious TLC but should come back up to playable without too much bother. I'll find out next week when they take it apart.

[cflutist]

Congrats on your new flute !!!