Yamaha 371 gold lip

GKevinK · Post by **GKevinK** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 12:41 pm

I'm considering the purchase of a new Yamaha YFL-371H from a 3rd party. It has the expected B foot, offset G, and split E (I'm going from pictures, I haven't had the chance to inspect it by hand yet.) It also has a gold lip plate, which is what has gotten my attention at the moment.

Though google searches will reveal some hits for a YFL-371 GL that mention the gold lip plate, I can't seem to document from the Yamaha site that the gold lip plate is a factory option. What I'm worried about is that somebody is substituting the factory sterling head joint with a cheaper plated joint but with the misdirection of the gold plated lip. Does anybody know if the gold lip plate is in fact a factory option? I imagine that I should expect the head joint to be stamped 'silver' or something.. are there any other identifying markings that I can look for to verify that the instrument indeed has a Yamaha solid silver head joint (even with the gold lip)?

Thanks in advance.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 12:55 pm

The Yamaha website has a gold plated lip as an option for what I believe to be the modern equivalent (after they changed their numbering system). Telling what an instrument is made if is difficult, however, as marks are not always put on the instruments, and different companies use different marks. The easiest way to tell whether it's plate or solid silver is to look at the tenon of the headjoint (the part that slides into the body). If it's a different color (usually "brassier" looking), then the head is probably plate. This is because they cannot plate the tenon, as the constant sliding in and out of the receiver would wear down any plating, and change the fit of the head, so they are forced to leave the base metal exposed. If it's solid silver, the entire length of the head should be a nice silvery color. As for markings, if there are any, the norms are either "sterling" or ".925" for a sterling silver (92.5% silver) head, or "solid silver" or "coin silver" for a solid silver (90% silver) head. There are other alloys used by other companies, but since this is a Yamaha, you shouldn't need to worry about the possibility of it being Britannia silver or anything.

GKevinK · Post by **GKevinK** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 1:07 pm

Thanks for the insight... the coloring of the tenon portion should be easy to identify. I was able to still see references to 371 on the non-USA portion of the Yamaha website... seems to be a 361 plus the split E.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 1:58 pm

That's what I thought, and according to the American side of the website, the 361 does have the option of a gold plated lip, so I wouldn't be too concerned.

GKevinK · Post by **GKevinK** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:08 pm

You can never tell... the person I'm buying this from has told me that they bought the instrument from a wholesale distributer, but I suppose that since I'm not buying it at retail that I'm unlikely to get any real warranty support. I also found it a bit odd that it wasn't listed on the US website. I'm not sure whether that is the result of this being a now discontinued model, or whether there is some strange importing going on.

At this point I'm hoping that I'm just thinking too much.

Zevang · Post by **Zevang** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:17 pm

Kevin, Flutepicc06 is absolutely right. I would just add that if you test play this flute and it's OK, I mean, it sounds good, no major leaks, and the sound you produce matches your will, so you have a go...

Zevang

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:48 pm

Often times, the gold lip plating isnt listed as an option. It is usually understood that almost any company will add this cosmetic feature. I beleive they add the gold plating for an extra $75 or $100 or something like that. All you have to do when you order from yamaha is say you want it plated, and they will do it automatically. But, on the material point..... if there is no marking as to the tubing material, follow flutepicc's advice. However, this isnt always true. Pearl for example offers a sterling silver flute that is completely plated with rose gold. On this specific model (a friend of mine has this one), it automatically came with the tenons also plated. So, if you didnt look closely to see "sterling" stamped on it, you would easily assume that it is solid gold, even though it isnt.

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:33 pm

Is the 371 actually the Allegro model? If so, I believe the gold lip is standard on this model. It's just a notch spiffier than the regular 300 series models, likewise the 471 Allegro vs. the regular 400s. A few more features (split E, gold lip, nicer cases) are standard on the Allegros.

GKevinK · Post by **GKevinK** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 6:38 am

Yes, allegro. I'm due to inspect it / pick it up at 11, so we'll see!

GKevinK · Post by **GKevinK** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:22 am

Well... it's here! Everything seems to be in order. The head joint is stamped with the Yamaha tuning fork logo, the words "SILVER HEAD 925", and the tenon color is silvery and even. The flute was still in the factory plastic. I did notice one little nick on the D flat pinkie key... so it might technically be a second or something. Otherwise everything is pristine. It plays nicely. The foot joint is a tinge stiff to assemble.

Thanks everybody for the info.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 6:53 pm

Congrats on the new flute! I hope it lives up to your expectations. If it's difficlt to get the foot on, a brief visit to a repair tech should be able to fix that. I had a Yamaha 581 (now the 674) that the foot would literally fall off of, and it took about 5 minutes to fix that.

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 9:42 pm

"the little nick"

This is common I believe to have an imperfection somewhere in the finish. Have you ever thought about all of the steps it takes to make a flute? Most go through at least more than 12 individuals, dozens of machines, so getting a flawless finish is VERY difficult. Usually these imperfections are minor, and are hardly noticable. (when I bought a new flute a couple of years ago, a key came with a scratch on it as well, and it was sealed in the plastic too).

woof · Post by **woof** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 12:22 pm

[quote= The foot joint is a tinge stiff to assemble.

[/quote]

try a LITTLE (SMALL AMOUNT) candle wax on the male end of the main flute body, rub it around to spread it out- it works well to help with the sticky footjoints. If you get too much on you can rub it off. You may need to re-apply every couple of weeks. Worked really well for me.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 12:30 pm

Make sure to remove any wax you apply entirely. Also, if using candle wax, be sure it is parafin, rather than beeswax. When you apply the wax, put the foot on, rotating it slightly to disperse, and then wipe it all off, both body and foot side. It should make it slightly easier to assemble. In the long run, though, getting it fit is by far the better option. It will take less 5 minutes, and will save you a lot of trouble.

GKevinK · Post by **GKevinK** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:52 pm

The candle wax did the trick nicely! Thanks! If it is still stiff after some amount of time I'll have it adjusted.

The little nick on the key is plated over, so it was there before the silver was applied (as opposed to being from damage post-plating). I'm sure I'll never think about it again.

So, I guess I'm off on the path of reacquiring those long-ago skills.