Yamaha models and prices US vs overseas

[flybears]

My daughter and I started flute lessons and we are currently sharing a rental. We decided to buy our own flute and narrowed to down to a Yamaha student flute.

I did some research and it looks like here in the US a Yamaha 222 is widely recommended. My local music store charges around $1000

However - we noticed that there is also a YFL 212 available in Europe - that is available with a split E mechanism, and a model YFL 212SL with a silver lip plate . There is also an open hole model for beginner the 272. We have relatives in Europe that could purchase these for us and bring them when they visit. The prices overseas seem to be about 30% less even with exchange rate and customs. There are even stores that would ship to the US.

Amazon advertises an " international version " of the 222 online for less than half the price of our local store - not sure how legit this is with all the fakes being sold on the web. It is covered under the amazon return policy so I could have the instrument looked at by my trusted repair person and send it back.


Any advice regarding model choices and purchase methods? Has anyone played on the European versions? Is the Yamaha warranty worth having ?

The pricing confuses me - We like to support our local store and have purchased previous instruments there but the price difference between here and overseas seems quite significant! With multiple children and myself in lessons - the price is a factor!

[isoc]

I don't know about flutes, but cameras (like Nikon and Canon) that are "international versions" mean that they have no US warranty.
For cameras, if you have such an international version, if you take it to an authorized repair shop, they often will not service it, even if it is out of the warranty period.

- Ted