Always buy a flute made by a manufacturer that makes ONLY flutes -- and not clarinets or other instruments.

Sorry, I have to disagree. Yamaha makes some of the best student flutes on the market.

I love Yamahas and they make motorcycles.

I have two Yamaha flutes, one Yamaha fife, one Yamaha Alto recorder and one Yamaha 6hp outboard motor for my boat.....All decent products.

Yeah, I also have to politely disagree. My Yamaha 774 is amazing, and Yamaha makes a little of everything. The Gemignhardt I grew up with really sucked, too.

Yamaha might be fine for entry-level flutes; I'd still never buy one. And at every price level there are better alternatives.

That is just ignorant.

<Added>

"After everything negative that Kara has written about Yamaha piccolos"

The only negative thing I have ever complained about on a Yamaha piccolo is the scale.

When I was searching for a new intermediate instrument to buy, I contacted a few friends who are professional wind instrumentalists in some important orchestras in Europe and also in south america.

I was told that Yamaha was first to introduce high end technology in the manufacture of its instruments (Numeric Control Manufacturing and the like). This was at that time sort of a revolution and quickly put this manufacturer well ahead of many other, more traditional factories.

The gap may have reduced with time and others surely followed, but this innovation allowed Yamaha to produce different type of instruments with a high degree of repeatability, good and constant quality, no matter that they also make many other good products such as engines, motorcycles and electronics devices.

This one of the arguments that finally convinced me of buying a Yamaha 6xxx and I have been very happy with it since.

If I was to upgrade (something still in my mind) I would buy a headjoint from a well reputed manufacturer of hand made, professional instruments and after testing it as thoroughly as I could. And I will have it fit on my Yamaha body. i.e. I have been interested recently in Nagahara HJ but I left it for later decision at the last minute.

But I would not care if this house also makes other types of instruments, apart from flutes.

Yamaha has some great prices right now.

I would buy one if I could get an 800 series flute with and offset G and C# trill. They just don't have that option on their 800 series flutes.

I played one and I liked it as much as my Muramatsu.

It is a shame.

No, it has nothing to do with you agreeing with me or not. I still find your comment ingnorant to label a company in such a way. It sounds only like a statment that would come from someone that hasn't got a clue. Now that is just my opinion. Ignorant or not

Talking to my teacher today about what flutes the rest of her students play,,Yamaha comes out tops, and its what she reconmends..

On the subject of yamaha flutes can someone tell me what a 681HE one is, i know it has b-foot, but thats it,,the only thing i can find on the net, is that it is now been upgrade to a 781??? would it be open /closed hole, inline/offset G and any other spec..thanks.

The older 681 is now a 784. The 681 has solid silver head, body, foot and keys and has an in line G. Hope that helps!

I don't recommend Yamaha flutes because I sell them. I recommend them because I have been playing for over twenty years and have had many student brand flutes to compare them too. I am not the kind of person to recommend something unless I truly like it and believe in it. I sold a Gemeinhardt last year that I didn't like and if any of my customers asked me my opinion on it I gave them my honest one. I still sold it too. Please don't categorize me as some of those sellers that talk up something only because they carry it just to make a sale. I am as honest as they come.

I do not think it was anybody's intention here.

It is fine to stick to your own opinions if you prefer. In a Forum we confront our experiences and assessments, but not necessarily to convince others that one have the only and unique truth.

It is also advisable and a useful netiquette procedure, to avoid personal attacks on anybody, no matter how far one's opinions could be from the other.

Directly naming the posters is also something to avoid, unless it was absolutely necessary to avoid confusion, but never when we could be making a negative reference. This can be taken as an aggression and it is not friendly. So much, that this is a frequent tactics of trollers trying to inflame a site and I hope you are not one of the kind.

Quoting a paragraph is direct enough but considerably more friendly and acceptable.

Let's keep it friendly, please


<Added>

Sorry I notice now it is not clear what I was referring to. The thread advanced quickly and I skipped the second part.
It is concerning the post @13:32 on Saturday, December 20, 2008

Thanks Kara..

I wouldn't be very surprised if the original poster has given up on us.

Selmer flutes - I don't know what their manufacturing standards are like now, but older flutes had a reputation for not having terribly well made mechanism. Things like the rods that the keys are fitted to not fitting precisely, which can lead to intermittent leaks and unreliability. They did have a reputation for having quite a good sound.

Selmer saxophones had the same reputation, but a sax can 'stand' poor padding and seals better than a flute tends to be able to. Not quite sure why this is but flutes seem to be more sensitive to leaks than other woodwind.

You don't say if it's new or second hand.

If you get a chance to check it out - try holding the rod that the L Hand mechanism is connected to (say between the F & E keys and move it gently from side to side (i.e. up and down the flute). There shouldn't be much play. There is a screw at the end of the rod which can be tightened up, but it won't stop movement due to wear and tear.

At the risk of reopening the Yamaha debate - whereas selmers had a reputation for 'character' and good sound, Yamaha had a reputation for good build quality.

I don't know whether this is still true of Selmers, new ones may have upped their game, but if you're looking at silver plated flutes, i.e. student models, Yamaha are pretty resilient and tend to be well regarded.

leblanc for flutes are ok. I would stay with Gemeinhardt, Artley, Armstrong, Yamaha, Bundy, and Powell.