Altus Flutes

rjg60 · Post by **rjg60** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:41 pm

I am going through a trial period to upgrade to an intermediate flute. Currently I am trying the Sonare 6000 and the Altus 807. Both are roughly in the same price range of $1800 to $2100. I like the feel of the Altus. My ear does not seem to detect much of a difference in sound. The Altus is definitely more comfortable to play. The Altus is all silverplated except, I believe, for the silver lip while the Sonare head and body are silver. I have not read good things about the Sonare body. Shoud I be happy moving to a silverplated intermediate flute when posts recommend at least a silver headjoint.
Thanks, RJG

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:47 pm

remember to take all posts on here with a grain of salt because it is really hard to recommend someone to buy one flute over another. However, I will give you my personal opinion based off of my expieriance with both companies [trying them at varioius conventions etc. etc.].

Both are respectable makers. Sonare is still very young, and quality control has been an issue in the past [I read once where a tonehole wasnt rolled properly, and the flute had to be replaced]. So, you must understand that it is a hand cut headjoint [ a powell headjoint] put on a machine made flute.

From what I have read on Altus's webpage, the 807 is the first of their handcrafted [ or hand finished/ assembled] series flutes. So, most likely, over a long period of time, the Altus will hold up better and will serve your needs longer as you grow as a flutist. I'm not saying that Sonare is bad, but I personally liked Altus as a whole better than Sonare, and usually handcraftsmanship from a reputable maker results in a flute that is better made, and more flexible as a whole.

Just my opinion. I would personally go with Altus. Even though it is just a sterling lip and riser, the rest of the flute is nickle silver [ 85% pure..... sterling silver is only 92% pure.... a 7% difference]. I myself just came from a convention today [ the flute society of kentucky], and I got to try out about 100 flutes. All of the testing was done blind [ only the maker was labeled, but not the model or specs]. My favorite out of all of them [ and most likely the exact one I will purchase in about 2-3 weeks] was a Miyazawa with a sterling head, and the rest was nickle silver construction.

True, at first I wanted all sterling construction, but then when it came down to matching me as a player, the nickle silver suited me the best. And this is coming from someone who is a college music major, when this decision is absolutely critical to my future career.

So, I hope this helped. Just remember to take all of our opinions with a grain of salt. Just keep in mind, that YOU are the one that has to be happy with the decision. YOU are the one who has to play the instrument and enjoy it for years to come. Just as long as you are happy, you will be okay.

rjg60 · Post by **rjg60** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 9:00 pm

Thank you; great advice.

flutegeek1992 · Post by **flutegeek1992** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:54 pm

I think it is your own personal desiscion and will never recomend an instrument to someone I don't really know. However, Sir James Galway has a Miyazowa with only a sterling head and he loves it's sound. I feel that personally, nickle silver projects more. I play a pearl 765RBE Coda with a Howell Roberts headjoint.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:02 am

flutegeek1992 wrote:I think it is your own personal desiscion and will never recomend an instrument to someone I don't really know. However, Sir James Galway has a Miyazowa with only a sterling head and he loves it's sound. I feel that personally, nickle silver projects more. I play a pearl 765RBE Coda with a Howell Roberts headjoint.

Just to clarify, Sir James owns many flutes, and I believe this Miyazawa is among them. However, for almost all of his performance/recording work, he opts for one of his many precious metal flutes. Currently, I believe the one he holds in highest esteem is his 18K gold Nagahara, though he says that he really can't hear a major difference between most of them, as long as they are well-crafted.

On another note, I agree with Fluteguy's post. Picking a flute isn't just about sound, but also comfort. They may sound similar, but if you feel the Altus is more comfortable, that one should be considered strongly.

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:14 am

flutepicc06 wrote:
Currently, I believe the one he holds in highest esteem is his 18K gold Nagahara, though he says that he really can't hear a major difference between most of them, as long as they are well-crafted.

I can attest to that comment. When I saw Sir James in concert a few months ago, I got to go and ask him a few questions [ and an autograph] and one of them was which flute he played in the concert. He was indeed playing his 18k Nagahara. And on the comment about the Miyazawa that he plays.... how interesting! That was the model that I myself like the best [ and will probably purchase in the next month ..... if my student loans ever come in

]

woof · Post by **woof** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 7:52 am

[/quote]

He was indeed playing his 18k Nagahara. And on the comment about the Miyazawa that he plays.... how interesting! That was the model that I myself like the best [ and will probably purchase in the next month ..... if my student loans ever come in

][/quote]

Wasn't he also a major spokesperson for Muramatsu? Seems I recall from his website some time ago him extolling the virtures of Muramats over all other flutes. I heard up close and personal someone playing a Miryazawa the other day and it was incredible- of course the player had much to do with it - but it had great range and tone.

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 11:20 am

woof wrote:

He was indeed playing his 18k Nagahara. And on the comment about the Miyazawa that he plays.... how interesting! That was the model that I myself like the best [ and will probably purchase in the next month ..... if my student loans ever come in

][/quote]

Wasn't he also a major spokesperson for Muramatsu? Seems I recall from his website some time ago him extolling the virtures of Muramats over all other flutes. I heard up close and personal someone playing a Miryazawa the other day and it was incredible- of course the player had much to do with it - but it had great range and tone.[/quote]

I dont believe he was ever a spokesperson, but I may be wrong with that. But he does indeed rave about Muramatsu on his webpage. Now, this is just my slightly biased opinion, but I think Miyazawa is fantastic. True, a lot has to do with the player, but with me, I found their tone, intonation, and scale to be the most even that I have ever played... even into the 4th octave. I was actually most impressed with one of their lowest models... the PA-202RH. It will be the 202 that I am buying. Even though my budget was allowing for me to buy up to the 402 model [ all sterling], I liked the 202 much better [sterling head with nickel silver body and foot] so I am glad that I will be saving about $2,500 and still get all of the specs that I want.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 11:52 pm

woof wrote:

He was indeed playing his 18k Nagahara. And on the comment about the Miyazawa that he plays.... how interesting! That was the model that I myself like the best [ and will probably purchase in the next month ..... if my student loans ever come in

][/quote]

Wasn't he also a major spokesperson for Muramatsu? Seems I recall from his website some time ago him extolling the virtures of Muramats over all other flutes. I heard up close and personal someone playing a Miryazawa the other day and it was incredible- of course the player had much to do with it - but it had great range and tone.[/quote]

He was never an official spokesperson, but he also wasn't shy about his thoughts on the Muras, which until recently were his flute of choice.