I've played it before. It's a decent enough flute. Nothing really special, but then you wouldn't expect that for $1100. However, it is entirely up to you. You must play any flute you are interested in before you buy it. That's the only way to ensure you find one that suits you. Buying over the internet without play testing against other instruments is running the risk of wasting money on a flute that you will be disappointed in and could make your musical life difficult. And just so you know, fluteworld is selling it cheaper than music123 (should save you about $100).

I tried one at a local shop a few months ago, while looking for a suitable model to buy. I did not like much the tone of that one.

Later I decided to go for a higher price model (the 674H) and I am very happy with it. But it payed more than double the price of a 361, so all depends on the available budget.

I was upgrading from an old student Gemeinhardt M2 and I decided that the step (in my case) should be bigger than the YFL 3xx.

If you do not need open holes and a B foot (for my use, the B foot is useless and mostly a nuisance), you could get the YFL321 for 844$ at Fluteworld.

The best thing to do would be trying it and comparing it with others of similar prices. However, I could not do that and I purchased my YFL674H blindly at Fluteworld by Internet for economic reasons (I saved about 500$)...

I agree, Jose Luis, that the upper level Yammies are excellent flutes. I have a 581 which is the same as what they call a 674 now, and it's a great flute. I believe the hand cut heads associated with the upper level flutes have a good deal to do with the difference in tone. The machine-mades sound relatively the same, regardless of what model number is attached, but the hand cuts have a better sound. You can get the handcut headjoints quite easily and quite affordably, so one other option might be buying the cheaper flute and replacing the head (you would, of course, need to be sure the new head would fit the flute, and that the scale was not affected negatively).

While doing my "market research" to decide what to buy, I posted several times in this Forum. and received lots of information here.

One of the features that made me decide for the YFL 674H was the hand made EC cut and the finer white gold springs. The EC cut may be more "resistant" but no doubt it provides a higher degree of control on tone, color, etc (once you get to dominate the beast).

I consider buying a new flute a rather long term investment; in my case it is probably the "definitive" instrument. But agcolonialman is young, he might well upgrade in smaller steps, it depends on his budget, his commitment to serious flute studying and the care he could provide his instrument while in band or in school activities. Finer instruments are more delicate and fragile and of course deserve a higher degree of care and maintenance.

Yamaha's lower models do not have those finer springs and the mechanics is (probably) less precise. Changing the head joint for a higher performance unit and mounting it on a 3xx body would add some 700$ to the price (for Yamaha). At the resulting price level, it would be better to buy a YFL 574, with EC cut and B foot, white gold springs, offset G and open holes (in case agcolonialman prefers these features); it is almost the same than the 674H except for the body and foot which are not of sterling silver.

Flute world offers the YFL574H for $1,835.00 Sometimes one gets an additional discount just for calling there personally or requesting a quotation with "the best price possible".

If you are in UnionTown, PA that means you are VERY CLOSE to the granddaddy of all flute conventions that is to take place early August in Pittsburgh. There you will be able to try out flutes made by all makers from all across the world that will gather in one place.

Here's a link to convention details:
http://www.nfaonline.org/conv.asp

If you've ever been to a computer or video game convention, it's the same thing, but all flute related. lol.

Glimpse of a convention:
http://jenniferdean.com/flutecon03.htm
http://oguraflute.com/event.htm

I haven't tried a 300 series Yamaha flute but I do hav a 471 and I'm finding it a real joy to play. The yamaha tone is wonderful. Much better than the Pearl I used to own..

Yea I do think tht it is really important to try it before you buy it, especially with a relatively expensive flute such as the one you are considering. Hope you'll find a suitable one =)

^^^I want to get a Yamaha YFL-471. I am not sure though, because I am buying online. All the specs seem good though. Any help?

Any help with what? It's a solid enough flute. Play test it, and if you like it, buy it....If not, don't buy it.

i heard its a good flute i never played a yamaha before but why dont you try wwbw.com they have all kinds of flutes and piccolos or if you want a really durable flute i`d get am amrstrong that is what i have its been through 3 years of concert band and this is my first year a marching band and so far so good.

I would avoid wwwbw. I have yet to get an instrument though WWBW that didn't need some kind of adjusments. They don't set up thier flutes before sending them off.