i may be going to Japan/China in a year or two actually on a visit the only thing is that if my flute mechanism gets much worse then i am forced onto my sisters simba flute which i tried but can't get the upper octave notes from so ii am not sure i can wait a year to get a new one.

Don't buy flute in China, not cheap, they have high tax too, but my advice is go to Hong Kong, Taiwan or Japan to buy. The Cheapest is in Japan (of course), then Taiwan, then Hong Kong.

My second flutist bought her Muratmatsu GX flute(inline,open,B-foot) in Japan early last year for around US$3,948(and she forgot to deduct sales tax when leaving Japan!)...but the trouble is you have to order them, that means you have to go to Japan twice if you want to buy a handmade flute in Japan!!!!

But for Yamaha flutes and any display flutes in the music-stores in Japan, they are just too cheap! Go to Japan.

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My first teacher was a Taiwanese flutist, she told me in Taiwan Altus flutes are very cheap, don't know why, maybe Altus low end flutes like 907, 1007, 1107 were made there in Taiwan.

Yamaha 211 and 221 and 311 are now made in mainland China, with Japanese materials and supervised and QCed by Japanese, still good quality, the local Chinese are buying them at around US$330 for 221 and US$390 for 211 (I forgot 311's price), but I prefer buying them in Hong Kong with a little higher price, becoz it's safer.

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The Taiwanese made Jupiter S511 is good, it's very light, has less metal, good for beginner kids, I used S511 when I was 8 and 9, I won a local junior competition with it, but after grade 5 ABRSM, this flute is not suitable for me anymore, it's high register is weird, and it has no split-E, and over-blown for me, maybe too light and less metal...and I discovered that it's headjoint's wooden cork is actually not made of wood, it's made of plastic!!! check out my photo below 2nd from the right:

http://x45.xanga.com/9708510134138210183038/o163840400.jpg

can you see the cork is plastic!!!

I then sold it to my second flutist, and she won her local junior championship with it, lol, not a bad flute, good flute for beginner kids, just that after grade 5 you have to change flute again.

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My advice is...get a Yamaha 211 or 371 or 381....then practice hard and get your grade 8 (you are grade 2 now?), then buy a very very high end handmade flute in Japan or in USA!

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Oh, did u know Powell's high end flute's headjoints were made by a Chinese came from Shanghai flutist Mr.Le Zufeng.

i didn't know that, wow, a couple of people i know have got jupiter flutes, but they havn't got past grade 5, i do know quite a lot of people with yamaha flutes one of them got grade 8 but got a new flute a couple weeks ago, the others are grade 6/7 standard but are very good.
i am going to china or japan but unfortunately i can't wait until then as it is going to be in a year or two and my flute won't survive till then(and i can't read japanese so can't order off a website),

what flute you wanna buy for now? 371 or 381? or other brand?

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next time I go to Japan I may buy a Yamaha 771 or 871 or 711 or 811 (there are many people use closed hole flutes in Japan)

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I don't like EC cut, so not 874 or 774

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Im not vendor or seller, but I may be able to help you. but it's gonna be only you, no other. I can help you to buy the flute here cheap first, but the problem is I don't know how to hand it to you in UK COD. We been to UK last year for 13 days and performed in many cities. So we are not going back in a while.
But Our orchestra will be going to Vienna and Brahms School of Music to meet Vienna Phil Orchestra and Harnoncourt in July. Are u travelling to Europe at that time? or you have friends there?

i have a friend going to Germany but thats it, i was thinking of either the 271 or 371 among a couple of other brands thanks for the help but i would be unable to receive one unless you sent via post. Thanks for the offer anyway, i will just have to earn a bit more money and buy it over here from just flutes (their shop is very close so i can go in one day and take the flute the same day)

I have a yamaha 511 handcut customised CY cut headjoint sterling body and foot joint nice flute and so much better now the CY cut headjoint has been customised and advanced. The range of colour and tones you can get from this headjoint is great, its still giveing up new things Its strength and tone's in the first 2 registers are great, be it playing light airy fluffy music or deep and dark

i have to say i like yamaha flutes the mechanics are great i strip it down to clean and oil all the time and it all ways goes back together perfectly every time with out needing adjustments

i've been playing it instead of my gold powell for a change

AdamRussel, I heard that in Australia (same as Germany and Japan), they don't mind if it is a closed hole or open. People in USA always think of closed hole as inferior student flute, and pro-flute must be open holed.

My first teacher she studied in Paris's conservatory, and she used Altus 9K closed hole C-foot flute to get in and played always.

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now the yamaha 511 is only silver CY with plated body and foot joint... hmm...if you say you have a silver body and foot joint, that means your 511 flute is over 10 year old? becoz I heard from my uncle who is a repair tech, that old model Yamaha 5xx is a whole silver tube.

<<Yamaha 371UK (£895)>>

Leighthesim, u gonna buy that over there? wow, so expensive... I felt sorry used your topic to argue with someone else, I want to mend and help u, I checked a music store and the best price for you is 371/II with a free bag (£424) - more than half price man!!

I can buy it for you in advance, becoz if you don't want it, I can use it myself or sell to my friends. But the problem is how Im going deliver to you? by post, do you need to clear the good from customs? will they charge u tax in UK for it? and how do you give me the money?

Oh, great news, I asked my uncle, he said he can help u to put on ebay and let you bid only, then you bd, and you pay to Paypal (very safe for both of us), and you only pay for the postage too (not much, problem could be your tax?).

There is no profit in between, purely helping u, I will attach the invoice of that music store to show u I am actually losing exchange rate...and losing special discount favour to that music store.

If I bring to Vienna and send from Vienna (a EU country?), do u think that will save u from tax? UK is EU country?

We have a fantastic flute player in our group who has a degree in Piano performance and flute performance from Eastman. She's quite a musician.
She sold her 'fancy' flute after college, many years ago.
She now plays on a Jupiter 511 (closed hole, all plated)student flute and she sounds fantastic. In fact, she's tried some of the newer, fancier and more expensive flutes and hasn't found one she likes better.
So don't throw out the idea of a Jupiter, it might work great for you.

Tibbiecow, your right, the more higher level you go the more you apprciate/prefer a simple flute, I know... but my level is still weak, I can't play well with a Jupiter S511. But as I said above it's a good flute, when I started flute, I improve so fast with Jupiter S511 and won some competitions and then I sold it to my second flutist, she won her junior championship, must be a good flute, just that we can't master its high register.

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after S511, I changed to Yamaha 211, and she changed to Muramatsu GX.

That's correct yamaha 511 sterling head body and foot joint, closed hole, offset g. The old 500 series are now the current 600 series, nice flute now the head joint has been customised.

see? I'm right again, yay! ^_^ I guessed your flute is over 10 yrs old, my uncle who is the repairman has touched every flute old and new, he taught me a lot of flute knowledges and how to appreciate a flute.

thanks for the help pyroni, i can't buy it just now unfortuatley, because right at this moment i don't have the money, and it will be a few months until i have the money, i don't know much about customs and stuff as well, thanks i will have to contact you when i have the money and when i know more.