I am looking to trial the Yamaha 600 series and the Yamaha 62 piccolo. Before I do I was wondering if anyone had any information about them?

You may also want to think about trying a Muramatsu EX which is in the same price range. In my opinion, it totally blows the Yamaha away! I just got an EX as a backup flute and LOVE IT!!! The mechanism on them are the best I have ever played in that price range and above. The flute practically plays by itself. I used to own the top of the line DS model and I actually like this one much better. Go figure...

ah, another muramatsu lover. YAY!

i personally dont like yamahas. you might find luck with the muramatsu. i own a ds (the solid silver model) and its awesome. im not a fan of the headjoint, but many people love them.

good luck!

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also, you might want to try the global piccolo. i didnt like the yamaha 62. it sounded too airy and... yeah. didnt like it. the global, even with the standard head, was nice.

also, i tried a trevor james. they played well. i didnt like the headjoint (i dont like the wave) but for what they were, they were very nice.

Ann, feel free to send your flute to me anytime and I will take care of that for you. I disassemble mine when doing a COA and put an anti tarnish preventive on it. It works great. After three years I have never had any tarnish on my Powell.

I also have a 614 flute and a 62M piccolo with an extra wooden headjoint, also yamaha. Basically for the money, they are great. Solid, hardwearing, easy to work on if problems occur etc. Good basic intermediate/semi pro flutes. Down side, the mech on the flutes can be a bit clunky and heavy, even with the gold springs. The picc I have no complaints with at all. I have tried several different Hammigs and Burkharts etc (can't spell, sorry) and I must say, I prefer mine, (and it was cheaper !!!)

Good luck, have fun and let us know what you think.

I own a YFL674 and it has performed flawlessly for almost a year now. I'm a student and cannot give you a valid opinion for comparison with other brands at similar price level, but I had it checked by a pro and two teachers and all coincided in that it is a very good instrument for medium to advanced student level.

Two complains, however:
- for marketing reasons in USA, I was forced to buy it with a B foot I do not need and IMO complicates my playing of low C (apart for increasing the price). But it is most probably a personal limitation due to my present level.
- It arrived from Allflutes with the cork some 4 mm off center position. It was a hard decision to tamper with it but I finally had to do it.

Get a 500 series. Yamaha makes the exact same flute here - and you're paying a lot more for a solid silver body and zero - and I mean *zero* effect on the sound. This isn't merely a metals argument - I've heard both and they are identical - just one has more bling.

Spend the money you save on a custom headjoint and sell the EC. The Yamaha 500/600 bodies - at least the ones made in Japan - are as good as any other professional flute from a construction standpoint. The main difference is the headjoint, which is pretty average.(still a massive step up from a typical student flute)

Plewtko, I am interested in your suggestion.

What HJ would you recommend instead of the EC, for a YFL 674?

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Pletko, sorry.

Suzie:

I apologize, I did not buy my Yamaha at allflutesplus, it was at Flute World. I do not know what I had in mind when I wrote that post! Sorry again.

Before buying I did some research for prices, including Spain, France, Switzerland and UK (I am in Europe). Then I decided for Flute World in USA and I also saved some money.

In my research I contacted allflutes (not allflutesplus). We talked on the phone; the person (a man) is located in the Balearic Islands in Spain. He says he has an important collection of many brands and he invited me to come, see and test them.

But I am a student and all alone I could not compare qualities so as to detect a scam or a not-too-big a problem.

Asking my teacher to come with me to the islands was somewhat excessive (and expensive). Also at that time I was almost decided to buy from a well known source and I finally did not go there.

I also posted in the Forum about this site in March/April 2007 and there were several opinions. In general I cannot say it is an attempt to scam, but the place is indeed a little mysterious and the fact is that I did not buy there...

Well, the EC is a fine headjoint to be honest, but it's IMO suited a lot more for orchestral type work as opposed to solo work.

A lot of people like it, but if you have the money for a solid silver flute, that opens up a lot of headjoint options if you get a professional model with a plated body instead.

So play the EC and decide. They sell used for about $450 last I checked.($600 new or so) A professional custom headjoint will run you about twice that on average.

Thank you. I already have the 674, so that money is gone...

I wanted to hear opinions on the EC cut, as I find it a little bit difficult to manage correctly for some notes. But I suppose a custom professional HJ could be still more resistant.

Well, that's the beauty of a custom headjoint - you can get anything you want, within reason - from super fast to super slow, can survive being dropped and practically jumped on(titanium), high resistance, low resistance, fat tone, precise tone, superb top end, low end to die for... the list goes on and on.

As you might have guessed, most of these options are a bit mutually exclusive - most of it has to actually do with the cut and not the materials.

Most professional players have several that they swap in as the music dictates. The body usually stays the same.

Hi Suzie,
allflutes.com i think are the same guys that often crop up on Ebay.co.uk the pictures are identical as is the phrasing they use for the discriptions. Some of the headjoints llok very familiar.