whats your input on these flutes? I'm torn between getting a miyazawa or an altus

I don't care for the sound on them all that much. I much prefer the Miyazawa. From what I have read from other repair techs, the Miya is built better and Altus has had some problems in the past. Maybe they have corrected them by now though.

Lera, it souds as if she has tried them already. She asked for our input on what WE think.

Im not a flute expert, but i do have an altus flute. It made a fuller and richer sound in the low register and though it takes more air to make a good sound, one mastered i really do think its worth it. Also, ive heard they have very good bodies but i guess that really depends whether its silver plated or not (silver helps resonance)

I dont know much about the other flute but i just wanted to say i like the sound and quality of my altus. Hope this is helpful somehow

Micron, I recently purchased a used Miyazawa which is only about 5 years old. The keys are plated and some of the plating was coming off of them already. I ended up re plating them before having it over hauled. Do you know what was happening specifically with the corrosion? Was it all over, or just on the keys or what?

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Tinuviel, what other brands have you tried?

kara, i had a silver plated body and keys miyazawa and the plating starting coming off of it only after a year of playing it. i always wiped it down too.

Key cup, hence pad diameter too small, so that the tone hole contacted the pad near the curved edge of the pad. A recipe for unreliability.

That is one thing that I did notice. I thought that the pad was just not adjusted correctly on it. It had straubinger pads on it when I bought it, but it is in the process of getting bew felt pads put on it as we speak. It did play very nicely though. There was no pitting on it, just plating wear. I was able to talk to a rep from Miyazawa here in the US and he did say that a lot of improvemnents have been made on them in the last 5-10 years. Apparently on the PCM bodies they were having problems with plating wear, so maybe that is why they did stop making them.

The only complaints that I have now been hearing about the new ones are the straubinger pads on them. Thanks for getting back to me on that.

Haha i forgot i asked this question until i checked back now! Kara I tried out Altus, miyazawa, Muramatsu, Powell (sp), yamaha, Sankyo, Sonare... my favs were altus and miyazawa but im still not sure which one i like, but i know what i dont!

....Get an Armstrong.....

Armstrongs are not the solution to everyone's flute hunt. In this case, I'd say we're probably above the level of most Armstrongs.

flutes4ever, while I know you really like your Armstrong, they are good flutes for beginner to intermediate level, but usually when someone is looking at Altus or Miyazawa level flutes, they are in a whole new ball park and an Armstrong really isn't going to fit there needs.

Miyazawa and Altus both have wide, flat rimmed toneholes on drawn tonehole models. That is the process today and required if you have straubingers. Altus does not have straubs as an option. Miyazawas do.

You can work with these without a problem, just dress the tone holes on their first service call and it's no longer a problem. Or buy a muramatsu who will void the warranty if you fix their tone holes. Unfortunatley their pads and tone holes are a bigger problem...In other words...choose your poison. Your tech should be aptly able to deal with any of these details...

Miyazawa is always improving their product, things change more often in their product line up, than say Altus.

I've sold both and have no problem with either. Miyazawa has many headjoint options to help you customize your sound.

Altus has had some setup problems in the past because they sub that procedure out. I have found ripped pads from the undressed tone holes more frequently than I would like on their new flutes, but like I said, that can be fixed without too much difficulty.

Miyazawas of the past are nothing like the miyazawas of taday..

I have no problem recommending either flute.

Joe B

>>I find that the larger the flat surface of tone hole face contacting the pad, the more force is needed on the key to ensure a seal.<<

Yes most definately. And the soldered tone hole models are not filed. The point is to dress the filed tone holes to thin the rims to correct this problem...

Sending you a PM....when I'm done writing here...

Joe B

You wanna know what!!!!!I love my armstrong(just like kera said thx kera)but I'm an advanced player.And an armstrong was I could afford and its holding out pretty well.all i need is one more plug out and I can be able to get (from what I am interpreting from what my mother has told me)that I can get any,yes I said any,flute I want.Hopefully that will happen!!!!
6 MORE DAYS UNTIL MY B-DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!w00t!!!!!

Happy Birthday! My Birthday is tomorrow. I turn the big 30! :O
I am not to excited about that.