I personally do not like the pinless mechanism at all or the way any Pearls are designed.

Kara could you please elaborate which design aspects you dislike? Maybe compare and contrast to what you do like...

Joe B

So which scale is it that you actually like? Traditional, Cooper, modified Cooper, Bennett?

I like the modified Cooper scale best.

Kara could you please elaborate which design aspects you dislike? Maybe compare and contrast to what you do like...

I can do that, I just don't want to offend anyone that plays on Pearl flutes and should state that I do not think that they are not poorly made and I was not trying to imply that and I should specify that it is more the bottom line Pearls that I really don't care for. The hand mades are okay.

I do not care for the added bar over the A and G key on them, or the extra bar for the split E in which I know is on any flute that has a split E. They get in my way and I find it to be extra bulk that is not to my likeing. The keys feel bigger to me. I have small hands, so it just does not suit me well. I also do not care for how big the D# key is, it also feels bulky to me. I actually prefer daintier flutes like the older style Yamaha best or Miyazawa. My Powell is not dainty, but I like the playability and sound so much on it, that I have to look past it. The mechanism even on the top notch Pearls just don't have the feel that I prefer.

As for Pearls newer line of Piccolo's, I can say I absolutely LOVE! Now I DO like the mechanism on those. I enjoy picc playing so much more now and have Pearl to thank for that!

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It should read.. I do NOT think that they are poorly made.

Thanks Kara...

Joe B

Confused by this statement too. Are the mechanisms slow and rough to start with? What exactly happens that "they become very fast and smooth" from just playing over a few months?
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Basically the Yamahas have good but strong and therefore stiff springs. They take a few months to get softer and begin to break in, IME. After 2-3 years, they're pretty much buttery smooth.

My student Gemeinhardt I had in high school... softer out of the box, but after 2-3 years, I had to get the springs all replaced as it was very soft and mushy.(I opted for a Yamaha 500 instead(this was in 1993, IIRC, so I guess similar to a modern 600)

Yeah - I don't like the scale of the Yamaha that much, but since I play jazz and ethnic music and the like, perfect intonation isn't a big deal as I'm the only flute playing.

My favorite scale is also modified cooper. It's about as close as I think we're going to get in the next decade or two.

Basically the Yamahas have good but strong and therefore stiff springs. They take a few months to get softer and begin to break in, IME. After 2-3 years, they're pretty much buttery smooth.

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That is all about spring tension that you are talking about. If the springs feel too hard, that is very easy to fix to make it play smooth las butter that you like. You can choose to wait 2-3 years until you have played it so much that the spring tension has gone down, or you can have it fixed to your likeing in about 2 minutes. Yamaha does adjust their flutes with a lot of spring tension. I notice this when I first get a student flute in. You have to really push hard and it is more work that it should be. The tension on the springs should be lighter in my opinion.

That was my thought on the spring tension also. Springs don't really change. They simply need to be adjusted to the correct tension. When you adjust a spring that is really stiff you more than likely need to adjust the regulation and/or the pad. The pads are often a little to heavy in the back with heavy spring tension and it works because you have to press just hard enough that it is not noticeable. But if you lighten the springs it will be noticeable. So get it fixed right away or after a couple years your pads will be a little more tired.

Most flutes sprung at the factory are set too heavy. They can get away with less than stellar padwork that way.

Joe B