Tim Said: I think I've read JoeB state he's not entirely enamored with Yamaha flutes.

I have issues with yamaha, Powell too for that matter... (sorry Kara), I've got issues with lots of things, flute related. <G>

That doesn't mean you shouldn't go out and buy one either or enjoy the one you have, if you own one.

Some are company issues, others are design issues. They vary in degree. You'd need to spend a day with me, with various flutes apart to see why I say what I say. I just can't relate it all in a written post in a forum such as this.. You need a hidden web cam to catch me in a rant at any given moment when various things about any flute come across my bench

Joe B

No offense taken Joe. I also have issues with Powell myself even though I play on one. You can just about find at least one fault with any flute brand.

I wasn't aware that Powell made furniture? Was that a joke?

Oops, didn't realize it would lead to a rant haha. Sorry! My only knowledge of brands is from a player's perspective, so it's substantially more limited than that of a technician. But I find it fascinating to read the technical blurbs of Joe and Micron and Kara.

And yes, Powell making electronics and furniture baffled me as well. Hopefully she was joking?

I simply HAD to look it up yesterday. Powell Electronics was formed by Harold. Powell flutes? Verne, of course. Both Harold and Verne are probably rolling over in their graves due to this confusion.

Hammig is the German equivalent of Dick's Sporting Goods, by the way.

Verne and furniture.... I think he is more than rolling over in his grave right now. Ha! Ha!!!! Sorry, Vernie...

To say something off-balance about Yamaha is I think outright snobbish. I believe that this company is the biggest manufacturer of flute simply because there exists DEMAND.

Would it be fair to say that a Sony camera is sub-class to Minolta just because the former has diversified to other electronic products?

And let us assume that Powell has both the financial muscle and a breakthrough in metal binding technology that can be applied to manufacturing industries as well as differentiate their flute products in the market, would Powell still concentrate on flute market alone? And when it decides to diversify to other products, would you still hold Powell flute in high regard?

Therefore, to say that a company produces inferior products on the sole basis of its sound business acumen is simply an ignorant assumption.

Powell is a trademarked name. I checked to make sure before I said anything. So there can't be any other companies named Powell otherwise it would be illigal.

"Powell is a trademarked name. I checked to make sure before I said anything. So there can't be any other companies named Powell otherwise it would be illigal"

And, yet, there are. Because the companies you named aren't just CALLED Powell. They each have different names containing the word "Powell." The furniture company is actually "L. Powell Company"; the electronics manufacturer is actually "Powell Electronics"; and the flute company is "Verne Q. Powell Flutes." They are NOT owned by the same people, nor were they founded by the same Powell.

BTW, on the Federal trademark registry, there are 124 entries that include the name "Powell" as part of their trademark. I would bet that the majority of them are referred to as simply "Powell" in informal conversation within their own industries.

I've been considering bying an amedeus flute, so i am thankful for the info! don't know if i'll buy one, but good to know!

Tessa, I think it might have done you well to read the entire thread. I never said that Yamaha produces poor quality instruments (in fact, I said repeatedly that I believe the make some very nice ones, and in fact I play a Yamaha 581 as my back up flute). I was looking at it from the point of view of someone with very little knowledge of the various flute companies and their products, and seeking to offer additional possibilities for why Yamaha should be held in low esteem in the professional flute world. From the viewpoint of the the unknowledgable, a company with their hands in many things is less likely (note the "less likely" as this is certainly not an absolute) to produce high quality merchandise than one who focuses on one item. In the end, I was suggesting that it was perhaps people's own ignorance of Yamaha flutes that led them to view them as below other maker's instruments, as I certainly do not view them as low quality. Check any of the numerous posts since I've been here asking what kind of flute someone should buy, and I think you'll find I listed Yamaha each and every time, often near the top of the list.