They are good flutes... though a little too pricey IMO. I sell them in my shop and frankly, the Powell Signature is what most people will buy instead. Considering that they are really close in price, the EX is simply a Sterling head whereas the Powell Signature is Sterling Head Body & Keys.

 

It is the head that matters, and the rest has to be well made, which is the case with Muramatsu.

When I service an EX or GX, then play it, I find both awesome - better than quite a few more expensive flutes I have tried, including gold ones.

In 2003 James Galway wrote that he uses one of these 'basic' model Muramatsus for his practicing, and loved it. Of course he needs gold or platinum for marketing image when performing.

 

Of course he needs gold or platinum for marketing image when performing.

hehehe :toothy8:
i guess it wouldn't look to good for the company if he showed up to a concert playing the basic model.........

 

i recently went on a long search for a flute in the $3K price range, and decided on the muramatsu EX. i suppose i differed from most in that i preferred it over the powell signature series.

luckily, here in dallas we have the carolyn nussbaum company, which sells nothing but flutes and piccolos. carolyn let me play an endless number of different flutes over a period of months - including powell, haynes, altus, miyazawa - and i still found the muratmatsu ex easiest to coax a beautiful sound from. in fact, i even played it side-by-side with their gx model, and still preferred the ex - they keywork was lighter and more nimble. i honestly could not tell a difference in the sounds of the ex and gx.

as always, it will boil down to what you, individually, are looking for in a flute. but definitely give the muramatsu ex a try. hope this helps.

and mr. kessler, i'm probably going to be hitting you up soon for a boston legacy piccolo. i think that's another underdog instrument that kills the competition, and frankly your prices are pretty good!

 

Well and keep in mind, that everything is all personal preferences. The Muramatsu's play in a manner completely different then the Powells. We prefer Powells but that doesnt mean that everyone prefers them.

If you are satisfied with the flute, then fantastic because you got an awesome flute.

The Boston Legacy pics are very good... just hard to come by. I have Ironwood models on order from quite a long time ago and have no clue when they are coming out. Ugh. Also, Powell is planning on releasing 2 lower priced piccolos soon, one lower priced as a Sonare model (hopefully by the end of this month) and then one Powell branded wood one that will be a step higher then the Boston Legacy.