I would appreciate any coments on this flute.I´ve heard they are not very good.Someone told me these flutes are not very responsive,you right hand gets stiff,tight and tired after playing them for a while.They also say they are not very realiable flutes and that they get out of whack real fast.I´m wondering if any of you have had the same experience.
Thanks very much in advance.

Hi,
I recently ordered a used Pearl Alto flute Model 201 from usedflutes.com. I play a Pearl C-flute and love it, so I thought I might like this flute as well. I compared it to the Jupiter DiMedici Alto flute our flute choir owns. The Pearl could not make anywhere near as beautiful of a sound in the low register, which is obviously why I'd need an alto. The G# left pinky key was curved too close to the instrument and I kept missing it with my finger. (I have long fingers, so it wasn't me.) The trill keys had huge corks on them and I had to lift my fingers high and over in order to not miss them, too. Overall, I was dissatisfied and ended up shipping it back to the seller. It would make a fine harmony instrument for the price, but I wouldn't count on it for solos. There were a couple of notes that were quite sharp and out of tune as I went up the scale. Now, this Pearl 201 only had a silver riser and lip plate. Pearl also has an alto, model 206, which has a silver headjoint. Perhaps that improves the sound, but it still wouldn't fix the odd key placement. I hope my opinion is helpful.

Thanks a lot,I now know the Alto I want,I guess I´ll just have to wait,it´s worth $6000,the japanese options are the best.
People do not realize how helpful these comments are.Thanks again.

Thanks a lot,I now know the Alto I want,I guess I´ll just have to wait,it´s worth $6000,the japanese options are the best. People do not realize how helpful these comments are.Thanks again.

The Japanese options are not always best. They certainly produce some high quality instruments, but so do American makers. What is important is not where the instrument comes from, but the workmanship and design with which it is produced. You may find that products from Japan suit you and your needs best, but that does not mean that the products themselves are better....Just that they are different, and you prefer them to others. These comments are always extremely subjective, and thus are not particularly useful. The two largest complaints (tone and mech design) will vary largely from person to person. Tone is determined primarily by player and headjoint...Change one of those variables, and you can hear something entirely different. While rdenell does not care for the sound that Pearl altos produce, others may find that they are excellent instruments. As for the mech design, everyone's hands are different, and what is uncomfortable for one player may be fine for another. You need to try this flute, as well as any others you are considering, and develop your own opinion, rather than rely on someone else's experiences. As for the scale, if you can find an alto in that price range where only a few notes in the upper register are out there, you've really got something. Most altos have significant difficulties with a sharp upper register. On a side note, the extra silver in the head would not improve sound. If the design or craftsmanship changes, that very well might improve tone, but material has little, if any, bearing on sound.

Again,thanks a lot.I must confess I´m a bit confused to say the least.Not having the chance to try these Altos myself I have to rely on other people´s opinions.I have been told the sterling head joint makes a lot of difference,I have also been advised to buy the Miyazawa Atelier 2.I´m a flutist myself and I can play basically any type of music,from classical to Jazz,latin etc.Not being too picky about sound I have always been really happy with my yamahas.I´ve had the occasional chance to play other flutes and they´ve sounded great to me too,I can also say with a smile I have played with some professional musicians with a students flute,and it sounded great.I need an Alto to play solos mainly,I plan on giving it a great use and I don´t want to make the wrong choice.I´ll be using it for classical and to play Jazz.
I have been told the Miyazawa is an awesome flute and a lightweight too.Again I was once told the Pearl alto wasn´t a bad flute.
Thanks for everyone´s opinions.

If you've got 6K in your budget and you like japanese makers, you should seriously try a Sankyo alto also.

Joe B

I own a Pearl 201 alto flute and have no problems with the sound of the low register, the G# key location, or the trill keys. In fact, in the price range, I would recommend it over the Jupiter 517 because the left hand location is a lot more comfortable.

Regarding your hand getting stiff, that can happen with any alto (or especially bass) flute. I can play mine comfortably for hours. There is a web page ( http://www.svsu.edu/flutee/altobass.html ) that says playing longer than 20 minutes can cause hand cramps. I can play my alto and bass flute for hours without a hand problems (although with the bass flute I get a quite winded!).

I haven't played a Pearl 206 with the solid silver headjoint to compare, but the 201 has a silver lip plate and riser. I don't think that the silver tubing will make much (if any) difference. Does anyone know if the 206 headjoint is the same design as the 201? (BTW, I only have the straight headjoint.)

Not having the chance to try these Altos myself I have to rely on other people´s opinions.

I have to say that if you're looking at an alto in the 6K price range, you need to be playing these instruments rather than relying on other people's opinions. These are handmade instruments, and somewhat difficult to resell, simply because most flutists don't play alto too much, and can't justify spending so much money on something that will get such little use. That means that if you end up not liking the instrument you wind up with, you may have trouble selling it to try again (not to mention that you'd lose some money on the transaction). With altos and basses, it's especially important that you find an instrument that you're comforatable with from a hand positioning/balance point of view, and the only way to find an instrument like that is to play them.

I have been told the sterling head joint makes a lot of difference,I have also been advised to buy the Miyazawa Atelier 2.

Unfortunately, that bit about the sterling head isn't true. You should look at Miyazawa altos, but don't automatically buy one on someone else's recommendation.

Not being too picky about sound I have always been really happy with my yamahas.

Yamahas are actually another high quality option you should look at. Their gold brass altos are my personal favorite, but the price is not something I'm willing to pay for something I'll use so rarely. They play pretty much like large C flutes, though.

I need an Alto to play solos mainly,I plan on giving it a great use and I don´t want to make the wrong choice.

To avoid making a poor choice, you'll need to playtest your options. If you don't have a dealer near you that can help you in the selection process, Fluteworld and others can ship instruments to you to try.

I have been told the Miyazawa is an awesome flute and a lightweight too.

These are all very subjective bits of feedback. What is lightweight for one player may be ridiculously heavy to another, and an awesome flute used by a player who doesn't match with it may sound terrible.