I looked through the archives and it looks like there is a strong consensus that Yamaha 481/481H is the best bet out of used intermediate flutes. And there are plenty of those on eBay. However, Yamaha doesn't provide age-by-serial-number lists, and I keep seeing comments that used instruments older than some number of years were not as good technologically and should be stayed away from.
Does the age for this flute really matter? Is there some way to ask seller a question on a Yamaha flute that would help narrow the age to acceptable? Is there anything else I should consider (aside from spending 3 times as much money on buying a new instrument)? Are there any other workhorse flutes that would give good value for the money that could be with confidence bought from eBay?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Vitaly

I'm not sure how old the posts you looked at are, but the Yamaha 481 is not really recommended much anymore. There are several reasons for this:

1. They are basically the same design as the Yamaha 200 series, just with silver tubing and a much higher price.

2. It comes with the stock CY head, as opposed to the handcut EC headjoint that comes with the Yamaha 500 series.

3. The 481 has an inline G, while a majority of flutists (me excepted) recommend offset G flutes for ergonomic reasons.


That said, because it has an inline G, you might be able to get it for a cheaper price on eBay than the offset version (471).

I would say that age does not matter much for any of the current Yamaha flute models. They are all produced with a modern scale. As long as the flute is in good condition, the age is mostly irrelevant. Good condition implies that there are no major dents and the pads are in near-perfect condition. Recent professional service is a plus, but on eBay, it's difficult to verify that.

The 481 was first produced in 1980 and serial numbers lower than 553445, were made before 2000. Serial numbers greater than 760503 were made 2002 or later. That's about all the information that I've been able to find relating serial numbers to age.

Beware of possible fake Yamaha flutes in Ebay

Thanks, everybody, for your replies!
Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to force myself to spend extra half a grand or more on buying a flute from a local store or reputable internet establishment (which seems to be the general advice).
I think I will follow the second route and go for trying to evaluate the flute faster than the return period expires or return it based on misrepresentation if it is really bad.
I just bought a buffet E11 clarinet for my daughter, and even though it wasn't quite what it was advertised to be it was basically good, and tonemusic internet repair guy repadded it and cleaned for about $100 delivered. Plus the seller gave me some credit back for the bad pads. And I got $1000+ instrument for slightly over $400.
I will aim for 300 series as well as you, guys, suggest. 500 is just way too expensive!
I will do a post-mortem after my adventure is over.

Just make sure it is a competent repairperson making the evaluation, and not simply someone who can play a flute.
Most of these flutes will play, but often with a lot of pressure/squeeze to get the pad to seal.

I bought a Yamaha 200-series flute, it didn't seal well but the repair tech told me its pads were fine, just needed an adjustment to play nicely (which my guy did for 'free', though I left him a gallon of milk from my milk-cow).

I bought a Jupiter that was currently being played by an 8th grade student, it needed a $650 re-pad/overhaul.

Both of these flutes played about the same to me, ie needed some extra hand pressure to seal the pads but otherwise ok. A gallon of milk is a far cry from $650! (And my tech was actually nice to me, he quoted the 650 for time and materials but spent a few hours more because he had trouble getting the adjustment right, because the tone holes weren't very level.)

And yes, I do agree with Micron that if you bought a $200 Yamaha 200-series flute, and watched for a good deal on a pro/handmade headjoint on eBay ($300 to $500) you could end up with a much better flute than a Yamaha 481.

Now I am really confused. Why did you chose to spend $650 to overhaul a not super expensive flute that sounded OK to you? My son is in his 3rd year of studying. Will it matter to him at all? Why did it matter to you if all you had to do was just press a little harder (or get different pads?)?
I don't have a tech I can trust nearby. The way I "tech out" an instrument is by showing it to his teacher.
It sounds like under these conditions I am better off buying some cheaper new flute with manufacturer's warranty.

Micron, I was already down. No need to twist your foot on my throat.
I don't have a technician. Am I doomed? Is there a store or a manufacturer of intermediate flutes whose quality can be trusted (at least, to a point where small problems will be unimportant to a high school band student)?
I saw some praise for Azumis that are $1100 new at fluteworld. Can I trust those out of the box?
Is there any practical and guaranteed way for me to buy an intermediate instrument (quality and price) my son can grow into? Or is everything a gamble, and I should start looking for a technician first and then follow Tibbiecow's advice of buying flutes, showing them to that technician and sending back until a good one comes along?

Micron is right. Everything mechanical needs maintenance. If you drive a car for a year without changing the oil, it'll wear out the engine. If you play a flute for a year or more without getting it serviced, you're asking for trouble. Yes, it may seem to play fine for many years, but pads can develop small leaks, corks and felts get compressed, and oil can begin to thicken, slowing the key action. Because the changes can happen very gradually, you may not notice any difference, but it happens nonetheless. Without realizing it, you will have to work harder to get notes to speak, you may have to press harder on the keys to make leaky pads close. All of that is detrimental to your playing.

I chose to spend the $650 for an overhaul because I could sell the flute for what I had into it, when the really good tech had overhauled the flute.

Replace all old pads with new pads = overhaul. (They do shim, adjust, clean, oil, polish, and remove any dents and dings as well.)

A few new pads can be dealt with in a clean, oil, adjust service. But if more than two or three pads need replacing, then other pads will also be aging/wearing soon, leaving the COA service lacking pretty soon. It is easier for the tech to replace all of the pads, and have all-new, resilient pads that will hold their adjustment, than to keep replacing a pad or two or three.

Having a flute that plays well, and holds an adjustment without lots of leaks is SUPER important for a young player. As they learn new notes, and are expected to improve tone, a flute with leaks can be difficult, if not impossible, to play/learn new things on. This can discourage a student to the point of quitting.

The point is, both flutes came from eBay needing extra pressure to seal the pads, I could tell that easily. I couldn't tell that one flute needed $100 worth of work and the other needed a complete overhaul. That's where taking a prospective flute to your son's teacher might leave you in trouble. The good news is that your teacher probably KNOWS a good tech, so ask where he/she sends his own flutes for repair and maintenance.

Go to www.flutestar.com. You can read her articles about flute repair and such. She'll tell you almost exactly what Micron and my own very good local techs will about adjustments, costs, reliable and appropriate step-up flute models, and such. Nancy Shinn does a good job of rebuilding reliable flute, this might be exactly what would suit for a step-up flute.