Hi everyone

My opinion is that Muramatsu is overpriced somehow in the market but it is definitely one of the top quality brands. Jupiter WAS bad before but HAS IMPROVED its quality a lot over the last 10 years. Their keys are very light in general and to an extent this can be an advantage for young kids. Overall I would say Jupiter is now a reliable brand. Pearl has also improved their quality a lot these days and they are very popular in Taiwan and in few other Asian markets. Yamaha is always a big brother on top of these two brands due to their aggressive marketing strategies especially with schools and colleges. However, I can`t deny that Yamaha is a very reliable instrucment. For those advanced players who cannot afford a Muramatsu or Sankyo or Altus or Haynes, a Yamaha 6XX flute will give them certain level of satisfaction but at a lower cost.

After all, which brands are good or bad could be a very subjective experience, and very much to do with expectations from the players. Professional flutists may prefer to play on those expensive brands such as Muramatsu, Haynes or Sankyo which they believe these flutes can give them more flexibility in music and facilitate their performance. Students or amateur players may find Armstrong or Emmerson etc having a nice tone plus being reliable (not sure about Gemeinhart these days) and thus say they are also good brands.

Hi, sorry I haven`t read the entire thread, I am just looking for some advice on a flute before I buy...I`m an intermediate player (grade 3-4) and have only ever borrowed flutes from school (years ago) I wondered if anyone can tell me if Youngs flutes are ok? I`ve found a lovely pretty green one with gold keys, but I guess it might not be great quality... I`d love to get a Yahama or Pearl if I could afford, but brand new ones are probably out of my reach

Thanks

I haven`t heard of them. If you would lke a yamaha you could look on ebay as they sell them on there for a reasonable price.

What is your price range? Check out wwandbw.com or fluteworld.com and check out the flutes you may be interested in then ask about how specific model compare to each other.

The only reason I am not posting is because I have learned my lesson. And you all can drop it now...

Well I am glad to hear that Dustin. There is a lot to be learned by your post.

i agree on the pearls....ick. i find that the finger movement is also sluggish. Muramatsu though? I find those (as well as nomata) to be wonderful flutes. I own one of each as well as a 14k haynes...haynes may be a stereotype, but it lives up to it!

Dustin, you really need to think about all of these topics you keep posting or replying to. Each and every time I see your name, I read it and think `What an Insufferable, ignorant, snob!` You really need to get a clue. None of your topics gives the slightest impression of intelligence.

i am most definately NOT waisting my time looking through all those posts so im just going to ask.... how about selmer ...well it says bundy /and/ selmer ... and its about /at least maybe more/ 15 years old it was my moms then mine... andi think it was my greatgrandmas..... only a few repair troubles /pads/ but nothing other than that.... is it a good brand or what..... / and for anyone stupid enough to think i still play this welll.... i dont .... maybe on occasion its my back up flute andmy performance flute for some stuff...../

i relize i just posted but i havent noticed buffet`s on the list any opinions on those? cause thats another one of my flute brands of the 3 flutes i have...my last one is a yamaha ....

The Buffet flute plays well, but I realize now that the key design is very basic and flat and feels that way compared to the common pointed closed hole design.

If you can ignore the keys it would make a decent backup flute.

This is a very touchy subject and I would just like to say that there is no perfect brand of flute. Each person is different therefore everyone will like a different brand of flute. I am a flute performance major in college on my way to getting a doctorate and I play on a Gemeinhardt KGM Limited. I have had many people tell me that Gemeinhardt is a bad brand, including one of my flute instructors. However I am still able to produce a beautiful tone on it. Thus it is not the brand that matters as much as the "know how" of the student when purchasing a new flute and the capabilities of the student when performing.

Jean-Pierre Rampal played the same Haynes flute for years with very little need for repair. James Galway plays Muramatsu. I have played on Haynes flutes for years and they rarely need repairs.

I have a student now with an armstrong and it is very difficult to play.

the moron who made that list is a know it all who doesn`t know anything.

I have a Blessing Flute which was purchased years ago. I am not happy with it and it does continue to have problems. I need to replace the corks on it. I thought you might know where I could find a web site which sells parts for this particular flute. Can you help me?

I`ve had a prima sankyo flute for over 25 years now, and have had absolutely NO problems. I majored in music and have played in consistently from college. The original poster obviously has never played one. They play beautifully.