NOTES
Masa owned a lot of flutes. He played regularly with Minyo singers, so he had a flute in each length from 1.3 to 2.7.
The flutes listed below are the few remaining flutes from his collection.
As I find time, and get queries about these instruments, I dig them out of the closet and play them for a while. When I do, I'll post my comments about the flutes below.
To audition one of these instruments, contact:
Flutes must be paid in full, including shipping. I accept cashier's checks or postal money orders and ship upon receipt. Orders paid by personal check will be held two weeks.
Full refund of purchase price will be paid on flutes returned postmarked within seven days of date of receipt.
"On Hold" means that someone has contacted me and wants to buy the flute. If you are interested in a flute on hold please let me know.
1.8 mostly newish, jinashi hassun.
Tuning is good, responsive and open blowing.
Cracked up the back of the top half and repaired by Ken
Lacosse.
Good beginner to early intermediate student flute.
Sound File of a quite out of practice me, playing this flute.
Price: $350
1.9 Araki Kodo III with three hanko.
This was Masa Yoshizawa's "best" flute in terms of the maker and possibly the sound. Masa played this flute all through his career, starting with the recording of his first LP, Kyorei and finishing with his work on Memoirs of a Geisha.
Long before Masa got the flute, someone had filled in the bore with some kind of resin. This had been done at the top and at the bottom of the flute, about an inch or so in from the ends. While the filler made the flute much easier to control, it also choked off the sound.
In order to allow the sound to come out again, a decision was made to return the bore to its original dimensions. Fortunately, because resin had been used, and not ji and urushi, it was easy to tell where the original bore lie, and remove the resin cleanly.
The flute was lovingly restored by Muira Ryuho and Peter Hill, and it is now a stunning flute.
Price: $10,000