Thank you Mbrowne! I thought it was only me...
All I know is that if it were ME wanting a new flute then I would pick it out, NOT my husband and especially not one that I didn't get to play test first.

If you want a GOOD flute that is superbly built, just get her a Muramatsu EX. You can find them used for about $2000.00 and new I think they are now around 3K.

a flying circus? naaa... couldn't be. could it?

"to be quite honest with you, I have a bit of an issue as to why you are seriously gung-ho on the pearl flute"

A: as covered previously in this string, initial research suggested Pearls have high reliability. (btw - is it truly rational for one to have "issues" with what another wishes to research? hhhmmm....)

"It seems to me like you just want our approval"
A: As a FULLY grown man who hoisted his first instrument in 1961 and has owned several ever since, should I have wanted "approval" I certainly would have asked for it. I did not, and shan't. I seek only information and informed opinion on the requested topic. thank you

"we do NOT approve of your buying a flute without trying"
A: ROFLMMFAO - I'll assume you mean well and there was simply a brain fart happening when that incredibly pompous statement was written.

"i would highly advise you to order a variety of different flutes"
A: Reading and absorbing an entire string before speaking up may be of benefit - not advising, just suggesting

"I agree with the flute world testing"
A: So do I. However, had you read the entire string, you would have seen that is not an option. thanks for the input however.

"All I know is that if it were ME"
A: it's not.

"NOT my husband"
A: I suppose mine simply trusts me more than you trust yours. I can live with that.

"just get her a Muramatsu EX"
A: Without TRYING it??? Since you seem so bent on steering me away from Pearl, I will certainly get what you want me to get, and since you feel that strongly about it, I'll even let you pay for it. Fair enough?


BTW - Many thanks to all who have freely given of their time to assist me in my education. I have already learned much, particularly from Joe, Suzie, Tibblecow, Woof, and Alieannie.
I'm definitely not as puzzled as when I started thanks to these kind folk.

Does your wife have you make every important decision in her life? Does she not have a voice in any of this? Seeming that she is the one that will be playing the flute then she should be the one to pick it. Are you going to play it? I wouldn't let my husband pick out my flute even though he is very well educated on flutes only because he is not the one playing it. If you want to buy a Pearl, then go do it. Don't let any of us stop you. You wanted input, you got it. Does it ever end? Just go buy her a Pearl already if that is what you want! If you want accurate information on Pearl flutes, you would get a lot more information by contacting the company directly. You seem to want something very nice, so I suggested a Muramatsu. Sorry I dared to mention it.

Where did I say anywhere not to test the Muramatsu? It is just plain stupid and ridiculous not to test a flute before buying and making an investment. If you are willing to make that much of an investment in a flute then I would think that you would invest in having some sent to you for trail. Oops... I meant sent to your wife for trial.

so why cant you get a trial? that was never truly mentioned. depending on who you talk with over a flute world, sometimes they wont actually charge your card, but keep the number in case you fail to return the instrument.

i think for the small fee of shipping, you getting a sweet deal. and its a rather uneducated decision to refrain from doing just that - not going through with a trail.

you asked for our opinion, were giving it.

personally, i dont like pearl flutes. i dont like the way they feel, i dont like the way they play. i even tried some of the nicest flutes out there 2 weekends ago (at fluteworld, mind you, since i live by there) and my muramatsu with a burkart head outplayed them! what did i try? i tried a variety of powells, burkarts, and burkart & phelans. nice instruments. i got a lovely sound out of all of them. but the mechanism on the muramatsu just seemed to surpass all of them. but thats just me. i know kara here is a powell maniac and loves her powell more than her mura. its just that you need to try before you buy.

pretend youre 6'6" and you wanted a smart car. you wouldnt go out and buy one before you got in it or test drove it to see if you even fit in it, now would you?

i would advise you to "test drive" an instrument. $2000 isnt what the typical middle-class american carries around in their pocket on a day-to-day basis, so to be sure youre getting the best bang for you buck, TRY OUT.

(sorry for being a bit... female-doggish? but i hate when people are blinded by names. im sure you guys feel the same way)

edit button much?

i just remembered that i bought a piccolo about 6 months ago (around the holidays). i bought a burkart & phelan Global. lovely picc, might I add. but from what I've heard from many people, the company included, many of those piccs are hit or miss, meaning that one is great, the next could be a dud. if i didnt go and try these out, theres a very good chance i couldve ended up with a dud, especially since i went through about 4 of them and about 5 different clarion headjoints before i found the right combo for me. now im super happy with my decision and it even outplays a friend of mines lillian burkart piccolo (the deluxe model) which is the completely handmade model and a much higher pricetag.

kara here is a powell maniac and loves her powell more than her mura

lol! I wouldn't exactly say that. I have been playing on my Mura more lately because I am having issues with the weight on the Powell. I have to say I prefer the Muras mechanism much more though. Both are fantastic flutes and that silver plated Mura impresses me to now end every time I play on it! I was actually thinking of giving up my Powell because the weight issue is too much for me, but then I practically cry every time I even come close. I would really like a Brannen. If I got along with the scale on the Japanese models, I would go for a Muramatsu.

This was his explanation as to why he didn't want to do trials... It was written in this tread.

I'd love just being able to SEE several. I'd love even more being able to pay for several up front, but that is not an option (if it were I might just as well buy a Powell that we could try here). On top of that, to get several at one time I would have to import them, pay the duties and taxes, and pretty much ending up eating that amount when I returned unwanted ones. (not to mention the difficulty of finding a US dealer willing to export on a trial basis without full payment) rmember, the goal is to pay around 2k, not tie up 10k in the process.

I know not everyone has the luxury of a credit card with a large credit sum to it where they can put a hold on it to trial flutes, so perhaps that is another deal.

Well it is a good thing for him because he seems to know that the Pearl is the perfect flute for his misses. I wish my husband knew what was perfect for me, heck I don't even know at times!

Let me play Devil's Advocate here (or Puzzled's advocate, as the case may be), we really have noooo idea what his wife, or his marriage, are like. It seems that he makes the more major decisions involving money and his wife is ok with what that brings. Maybe she doesn't WANT to take the responsibility of researching all of this, and just wants Mr. Puzzled to bring her a nice, shiny new flute that plays better than the old one. If that keeps the peace and they're both good with it, we don't need to change their marriage. We've told him the ideal way to select a flute, and he's acknowledged that (with thanks, even.)

I think everyone here agrees that the best way to choose a flute that is ideal for the player, is to have said player play lots of different models in the price range, and go home with the one that can't be pried out of the flutist's (now completely numb) hands.

I personally played about 5 notes on my Zentner picc before I knew I had to have it- THAT ONE. Ditto with my fancy Powell wood HJ- blow a few notes, and WOW, though I couldn't control its pitch for weeks. I did, though, buy a Miyazawa MZ-5 cut HJ for a pretty cheap price, thinking I'd sell it if I didn't love it. I didn't, but nobody bought it. I've played it here and now and again, and eventually it became the HJ that I prefer for symphonic band. I have literally grown into that HJ- it plays sooo well for me now and I would have passed if I'd play-tested it.

Lets all remember that Puzzle is replacing a 30-some year old Selmer. Frankly I think a rebuilt Yamaha 200, stock silverplate CY headjoint and all, would be quite an improvement. I do agree that it would be BEST to have Mrs. Puzzle play a large selection of flutes, and pick her favorite, but honestly if he buys her a nice, new, well-adjusted Pearl she'll probably be one happy flutist.

BTW, Puzzled, if you're going solid-silver body, split E, offset G, etc the flute is getting heavy. You might try finding an additional C-foot for it so she can hold it up.

A C# trill can be very handy, though it is also quite heavy. Your wife would need some fingering charts or some lessons, though, to find out when and where this extra could be helpful.

kara -

the scale on japanese flutes, have you tried different headjoints on them? i have a burkart head on my ds, LOVE IT! i did notice a scale change that i had to get used to at first, but now its like a dream, even needing an overhaul extremely badly

Yes, I have been using a Nagahara headjoint on mine. I can play it in tune fine, it just takes a little more work and getting used to. I really love the flute through..

You may have missed your calling Tibble, for you make an outstanding advocate. You hit just about every nail square on the head. yes, she would have been tickled had I shown up simply with a brand new student model anything - it certainly would play better than what she has. She is more important to me than that, and I can justify 2k, but sadly find almost nothing in that range in our area for sale. The only multi-brand dealers we have specialize in student models only and seem to have no interest in bringing in anything higher.

mb et al, I understand completely the soundness of advice in play testing. If I were to get a new horn I certainly would want to test it, but my horn is in great shape, so replacement is not necessary. This one is being left up to me for a number of reasons i prefer not to go in to. We're not looking for the 'perfect' flute, just a darned good one to replace her beater. A number of sources including the local Yammy dealer (who used to be a pearl dealer) immediately recommended Pearl as soon as he found how important reliability was to me. Similar sentiments were being expressed on a number of websites as I did searches.
When you are faced with buying blind, you need to adopt SOME criteria, so in default I opt for quality and reputed reliabilty.

This does not mean that I personally claim Pearls are the most reliable, for that is something I would reserve until having thorough familiarity with all major brands. Nor do I contend any particular model or brand will be the ideal one for her. Just that whatever I get her will be better. It is not intended to put down other makes by ommision, as they are not available locally either.

I am glad that so many of you have had the opportunity to try and compare so many, and in some cases found the model they are happiest with. Perhaps in time we may reach that stage.

For now, it seems that offset g and split e are the only extras that are reasonable to go for. I did ask her about open holes, and she feels she would be more comfortable staying closed.

I will try to check out the contacts mentioned - thanks Annie!

more later - bedtime folks!

Success!

With your assistance we have made a selection. It turned out eventually to be slightly different than what we had in mind, but the final price made it a bit of a no-brainer.

We found a 795 Elegante Coda w/Forza headjoint, and she absolutely LOVES it, and feels it is the best flute she has ever tried, even over the Yammys, TJs and Powells she tried locally.

She did try it for a bit open holed, and while she did not feel all that uncomfortable with it, put the plugs in and felt completely comfortable. The weight does not appear to be an issue to her, and she is already taking it with her on more outings than ever before.

The tone and overall sound quality show a drastic improvement . It will take her a bit to adapt to having extra keys, but is confident that will come in time. We did aquire one extra headjoint, but will wait until she has bonded to the flute as-is before experimenting there. There is no doubt at this point that this will be the lifetime instrument for her.

Next... a saxaphone.... ??

Sending a sincere thank you and rich tones to all who contributed to this string! Your input made the selection process much easier and much more understood!

Thats great! Glad to know she is happy with her new instrument.

A saxophone? I would reccomend Yamaha, Yaginisawa(a little pricier), Cannonball. personally I hate selmers, but people will tell you they are great...they play just as well as a Yamaha with the exception of an overpriced tag. I have never tried one, but I've heard great things about the old Selmer Mark VI...