So i have one on trial from Fluteworld that came today!! What I've played, I've liked pretty well. I feel I get a little more projection from the Pearl, but a slightly clearer sound from the Miyzawa 202 I have with the M5 headjoint with a gold riser. But the Miyzawa is almost twice the price of the Pearl.. the Pearl is exactly what my mom wanted to spend.. the Miyzawa, not so much :P Although If thats the only one I sounded good on, I could probably get it. I definately get a better sound from this Pearl than I did with the headjoint that comes with the Quantz 765. Hopefully I will be able to get the Yamaha 574 to compare this too.

I was just kind of curious.. I noticed that the pearl's lip plate (its the Forza with 10k lip) is very flat on the opposite side your lip goes on. What purpose is this supposed to serve? It doesn't bother me, but I was just wondering. If you need pictures (which might not be real helpful.. i could make an illustration) i can do that when i get back in a few hours, i have marching band..

And just to make sure.. the trill 2 key is very hard to press. If I tried to use it with a normal amount of pressure (that i can use on other flutes and the trill 1 key) this can be fixed with adjustments, correct?

Thanks again!! My flute search is *almost* over

The spring tension can be adjusted, but only so much on a closed key like a trill key or the G# or D# key. Take too much tension off, and it won't stay closed like it's supposed to, which will affect how the flute plays. As for the lip plate, these come in all shapes and sizes imagineable. Usually the maker will produce whatever shapes they feel best reduces air noise from the airstream being split on the edge of the embouchure hole while still maintaining a pleasant aesthetic, and this is likely what you're observing.

If you can try out the Largo headjoint on the Pearl, try that as well. It's a slightly less forward and more mellow sound. Probably a bit better for ensemble and folk music. There seems to be a major trend in the last decade towards very forward and "solo" type headjoints.

IIRC, you can order the Dolce with either headjoint. It's a fine flute, IMO, and there's no worries about the funky overpriced pads to replace down the line. Miyazawa is very odd about this. Nobody else uses those wierd Straubinger pads that they do and they manage just fine.

<Added>

P.S. The Dolce basically squashes the Yamaha 500 series. It's worth trying a Yamaha just to see for yourself. Plus, I think Yamahas are a bit overpriced - kind of like Toyota has become.

Pearls squash Yamahas in YOUR opinion, but there are plenty of players who would disagree. Arabians, do try both, and form your own opinion. Also, there's nothing wrong with Straubinger pads (or any other type that does the job) if you like them. Don't be put off of a flute just because of the type of pads that are in it. They make very little difference so long as they seal, and can be replaced down the line.

Miyazawa is very odd about this. Nobody else uses those wierd Straubinger pads that they do and they manage just fine.

Actually many other makers use them on their flutes, not just Miyazawa. May I ask why you think they are weird? Straubinger pads are very nice and better than a lot of other mediocre pads that come on some flutes, in my opinion.

I know which flute I would not choose, but I await to hear what you end up choosing as it is ultimately your decision. Best of luck with it and do let us know what you think of the Yammy compared to it.

Where did the other posters go? I guess Chris has pretty much answered it all A lot less typing for me!

I definitely agree with you on the pad issue, Kara. Straubinger pads are not my cup of tea (I prefer the JS Gold pads myself), but they are just as good (and in some instances much better) than other pad options. As long as the pads are doing their job by sealing along the top of the tonehole, it makes very little difference what type of pad is in the key cups.

I have tried the Yamaha 574, (and I liked it, more than the Miyzawa 102) not just right up next to the Dolce. Im going to have my mom call our music store to see if they have it back yet. (It was out on approval)

My mom said I could get the Miyazawa, (202 I think? Maybe even 402, i dunno) *if* i didn't get the extra things (D roller, C# trill), which is why I didn't buy the Yamaha. I think that would include the 14k riser I liked on the M5 headjoint..

The Pearl plays MUCH MUCH more in tune for me than the Miyazawa, the Miyazawas are all really sharp, but my teacher has told me i need to roll in a little more (just overall) as i've gotten to rolling out a lot. (Funny as in my lessons i had from her at school several years ago she was always telling me to roll out!)

I don't think i'll be able to try the Largo headjoint. It was hard enough to even get to try the Dolce and Forza! I really would need to take it my lesson tomorrow, and id only be able to (the trial ends the 4th) if i somehow extended it from fluteworld.. or sent it back, and had it sent to me again (both flute and headjoints) and thats getting very expensive with shipping!

Thanks guys!! This last decision is going to be tough! Hopefully easier once i get my teachers opinion

I was just kind of curious.. I noticed that the pearl's lip plate (its the Forza with 10k lip) is very flat on the opposite side your lip goes on. What purpose is this supposed to serve? It doesn't bother me, but I was just wondering. If you need pictures (which might not be real helpful.. i could make an illustration) i can do that when i get back in a few hours, i have marching band..

The "bent" lip plate is found on many flute headjoints nowadays. It's purpose is to reduce turbulence from the player's airstream by trailing it off faster so that it doesn't interfere and create added noise in the sound. There's some vortex shedding that happens at the strike edge and the bent lip plate helps to direct the airstream past the lip plate away from coming back across the hole (causing the interference).

There are many headjoint designs Goosman, drelinger, etc, that accomplish this in different ways, but the effect is the same...Better response time and cleaner tone.

There is no such offering as a Largo headjoint from Pearl. They are basic Quantz cut and then the Forza, then the Vivo and Forte cuts on the Japan Professional flutes.

Joe B
Pearl Flutes Product Specialist

http://www.pearlflute.com/_english/pro_dolce.html

Okay - I'm confused now. I was at their site and noticed that they say there are two choices for the Dolce/Elegante?

I DO have the Dolce model, with the Forza headjoint, wooden case, "Dolce" is written on the flute. Not the Quantz..

Although I did try the 765 model. The sound I got out of it was very quiet compared to the Yamaha 574. I didn't get a lot of time to play on it (just tried it at the store as they had ordered for someone else to take on approval or buy, but let me try it first)

And is the Forza headjoint silver?? It doesn't say anything on it besides "forza" near the crown, and 10k on the lip plate.. I also noticed the Forza headjoint is much lighter than the Miyzawa M5 (with 14k riser)

Heh, nevermind. I reread Joe B's post.. makes sense now :P

The headjoint on the Dolce model (in fact, all headjoints from Pearl above the 500 series instruments) is indeed silver. Most headjoints won't have a stamp indicating material, so it's not at all unusual for yours to be missing such a stamp. How thick the tube is, dimensions of the head, cork assembly, etc. will all affect how heavy the head is, so one company's solid silver head may be heavier than another's depending on what the specs are.

Largo headjoint...

Well there are some mistakes on the website, and it may well be that there is another headjoint for the English speaking European Countries. But it is not available here (or there either as far as I know)

Will add that to the list of things to clarify and correct with Japan....Will get some answers for everyone on that..

Joe B

So.. As of right now, i feel very good with getting the Pearl Dolce and a Yamaha EC headjoint. My teacher (and mom.. and sister LOL, as well as myself..) think I sound super good on the Yamaha (my teacher is in love with my sound in the low register!)

Unfortunately, i completely forgot about trying the Yamaha hj with the Pearl until i got home.. but i think i sound pretty much the same with the yamaha/yamaha and the yamahahj/pearl. I actually prefer the yamaha headjoint with the pearl than the yamaha hj and body..

Its not final, but yes I'll make a new post when I decide for sure, but thank you all so so much!!

I played on a Yamaha EC head for several years, and also loved the low register. Be sure to check it out in the upper register, though, as I found mine to be quite troublesome up there on occasion (though you may not experience this at all). The sound was thin, and anything above C4 could be difficult to produce (which is important at an advanced level, as D4 is now pretty much a part of the standard range, and other pitches above that are sometimes required). It sounds like a Yamaha head on a Pearl body could be a good way to go. Just be sure to try it, as not all heads are compatible with all bodies. Let us know what you decide!