Hi Everybody,

as the titel already suggests. I would like to know the average prize for the Yamaha YFL 874WH grenadilla (african blackwood) flute with B foot ASKED FOR IN JAPAN.

Can anyone of you living in Japan figure that out? That would be really great.

Thanks in advance
Lemontree

Big bikkies for this one, I'm afraid! The "H" at the end of the model number tells you that this is the B foot model.

New from Kurosawa Gakki's online shop, it's GBP5254 (JYE811,100). Other online stores selling at the same price.
http://www.kurosawagakki.com/items/detail/39389.html

You'd be very lucky to find a second-hand one, but if you are deputizing somebody to check for you, get them to ask for "chuuko" (second hand), just in case!

A blog in Japanese mentions that the Yamaha wooden flutes are reputed to be very resistant to cracking, but that when she had the chance to try several, she noticed that there was much more individual variation between different flutes of the same model than with metal flutes.

Thank you all ears. But even with customs, the flute will be much cheaper when bought in Japan. Here, they ask between EUR 9.000 (if you are very lucky) and EUR 11.500 (recommended retail price). So I guess, that in addition to the flute, I will get at least a vacation trip to Japan out of that amount of money when I have saved enough money to go for it. You just confirmed what I had researched already. But my Japanese is more than poor (just a few words). So I was not sure if I got that right.

I had the chance to try one. It's heaven on earth!

Watch out whether you might end up paying tax on it trying to get it back into your own country (which may be part of the price hike, no sure) - don't know how much it's likely to be but you'll want to take that into account

Hrm couldn't you get around it by getting someone over there to send it for you as a "gift"?

Plenty of people travel with smaller musical instruments as hand luggage. I doubt you'd even get pulled up on it (not that I'm advising tax-dodging of course).

Well, the longer it takes you to save up for a trip to Japan, the more chance you have of finding one second-hand!

The second-hand departments of the big instrument sellers are very reliable - while I have not yet wasted the family fortunes on a flute for myself, if I ever did, I wouldn't hesitate to look at a second-hand instrument. Caveat...second-hand keyed woodwinds inevitably have some disadvantages, but since these wooden keyed flutes are quite new, they haven't had time to be played to death!

I would go rather for a new one. Especially since it probably will be my only ever again flute in that price category.

But I wondered that as well. When I went to the US with my flute (about 10 yrs ago), I had no probs to get through customs with my flute (and that is not a cheap one either). I wasn't asked were I bought it or whatsoever. So, before I do this I will get myself informed thouroughly. Since I have many contacts to Japanese, especially from Musikhochschule, that might be an option as well. But saving the money comes first. That's no fun. But hopefully, 2011 will be D-Day. Right for Grade 8 and DiplABRSM.




Well, I can tell you, you GET pulled up on it. When I had my flute with me in the US, customs even pulled out my tuning cork to see, if I maybe have drugs or whatever hidden there. I could have killed them. Had to get it tuned again and paid big bucks for it. But they never asked, where I got it or that I would have to pay customs or tax or whatsoever.

Unfortunately the customs chaps here in Germany are wise to that one

I've a friend who has been living in Japan for a year, and has busily indulged his love of expensive guitars. He's now returning to the UK, and suddenly realised that its going to be fun getting them all back...

I have limited sympathy. I'm sure no-one needs more than 10 guitars. And if I could just spend the amount he paid for one of them on a nice shiney flute...

I tried an internet search and it said that it was £6778.26.

If you get away with it - tax dodge. If you don't - you could be in difficulties, especially with an instrument that expensive.

Not worth it IMO but I guess it depends how much of a risk taker someone is!

Also have to factor in things like hotel stays and the like, which are not small beer in Japan.

Another thing to consider is the warranty cover. If there was any problems with the flute you could end up needing to take it back to Japan. Some manufacturers say that you have to take the flute back to the shop where it was purchased, and some say an authorised dealer for that make/model. You'd need to check this very carefully because sometimes slightly different models are made for different countries and you could find that even if the make was covered in your country the specific model isn't. This may not be a problem with the flute you're looking at, but it could be - so please check before diving in to the purchase.

Thanks guys, good arguments. I considered doing a vacation there, but I found now a music shop somewhere in Europe, where I will get it to nearly the same price and which is much more reachable for me. So, I guess, when I finally got the money, so in about 100 yrs I will give it a try.