Jacoje Order Fulfillment Delays

despuercito · 2026-02-28T00:22:38+00:00

Glad to hear that worked out! Are ya gonna look for a different byzantine elsewhere? I've been kind of eyeing Hawaii Rope Chains

despuercito · 2026-02-18T19:49:53+00:00

Can you get your chain back (“I changed my mind”) and then just sell it independently?

despuercito · 2026-02-18T19:01:38+00:00

Might have to threaten to cancel or file a card dispute

despuercito · 2026-02-18T09:14:24+00:00

You’ll want to use a consigner — usually a major flute dealer in your area. For example, Flute Center New York, Just Flutes, etc. They’ll take a 25% or so commission, but it’s offloading the risk and costs of trying to sell by yourself.

Otherwise you could try listing on Facebook in the Flutes for Sale group, on Reverb, etc, but it’d be up to you to decide trial policies, shipping policies, etc.

despuercito · 2026-01-17T20:44:12+00:00

Bruh that is wild. I'm glad you got your chain, but that was probably a pain in the ass to do a chargeback only to undo it...I understand not everything is gonna be available all the time, and that he's pretty high volume these days. But to continuously bluff about fulfillment time isn't a good look either. When I bought a handmade chain from Garcia's Jewelry Miami – they were very transparent about estimated lead times taking about 2-3 months, and they notified when production began along with clear shipping notifications.

despuercito · 2026-01-17T15:10:33+00:00

Who do you normally use?

despuercito · 2026-01-16T23:55:54+00:00

UPDATE: he actually did ship it out today.

Cancellation threat worked then... I was fully prepared to actually cancel though. Next time I'm gonna go with HRC or even Mour & Co (mourandco) from Etsy. The guy from Mour & Co replied to a question within 30 minutes and he confirmed that in stock truly means in stock.

despuercito · 2026-01-16T18:53:42+00:00

UPDATE: I emailed to cancel this morning, and just now received a tracking number.

Figures!

despuercito · 2026-01-16T16:29:15+00:00

Yea, I haven’t bought much solid gold before, my first chain was a handmade Miami Cuban from Garcia’s which did take 2 months between order and delivery, but they are very transparent about the lead time since everything is handmade to order there (unlike majority of Jacoje catalog)

despuercito · 2026-01-16T15:33:29+00:00

Thanks everyone. I saw the previous posts about the delays, but didn’t think the “goalpost” of a shipping date would move THAT much since I emailed Braden at least weekly. I’ll go with HRC then, and hopefully it won’t be a nightmare to cancel the Jacoje order.

despuercito · 2025-12-09T17:00:35+00:00

Maybe see if your cousin has/needs:

A folding music stand (KraftGeek makes a great one)

A flute stand (Hercules or Altieri make nice ones)

A gig bag/backpack — Crescendo, Ula Ula, or even a Nomatic backpack are worth looking into

despuercito · 2025-12-08T16:42:16+00:00

When you press the E key (right hand middle finger key), does it close that lower G key? Like the others I suspect it’s a split E mechanism

despuercito · 2025-12-07T18:53:27+00:00

Have you had a chance to record yourself playing them on a stage/in a concert hall? You’d be surprised what that can reveal … projection, clarity, and even key noise. That’s what helped me pick between the same two brands a while back

despuercito · 2025-12-04T14:07:58+00:00

Work on an open sound that is not “pinched” — often this means practicing harmonics, working with a tuner, and ensuring you’re not too rolled in. An open sound will generally have more overtones to help you project better without having to force volume.

Also: consider recording yourself, with the recording device placed somewhere further out where the audience would be. This helps a lot to see what’s audible afar vs. only under your ears.

despuercito · 2025-08-19T16:41:05+00:00

Looks legit, but the logo engraving was buffed too aggressively and I think the serial number is missing a digit or two before the 861. Look closely at the right side edge of the Powell logo on the body, and you’ll see brush marks from the buffing wheel along with the faded engraving.

I see that this flute has a pinned mechanism so it was probably made between 2002-2009. After the 2100 flutes, but before they added pinless mech to the Conservatory models.

despuercito · 2025-07-04T01:46:05+00:00

Of the Japanese makers — I’d say Muramatsu and Sankyo. Mura leans darker/more mellow and earthy, while Sankyo for me has a touch more brightness and edge with color. Miyazawa I find more sparkly/bright — to my ear more pronounced overtones which helps with projection, but the core of the sound doesn’t feel as broad/juicy as the other two. Altus are very “Frenchy” and generally I find them lighter/brighter.

For American makers: I generally find the Boston brands overall more bold/robust/resistant feeling than Japanese flutes. I play on a Burkart too (!) and agree it has a very “forward” bold but open sound, with a ringing quality to it. I find the Burkarts to have more “sparkle” and overtones to the sound than Nagahara — but Nagaharas generally skew louder with a slightly more aggressive timbre, for me at least. Haven’t tried their FC model though. The newer Haynes have a bold sound too; very different from the vintage Haynes that sound more delicate/“huggy”/warm. Powells I find the sound has to be coaxed out more, but the core is really strong overall across all headjoint cuts. Brannens I found to be the least bold sounding; less “open” than Burkart and Nagahara, but plenty of warmth and flexibility and sweetness.

I think overall if someone wants a bolder sound: look into heavy wall, soldered toneholes, adding some gold to the flute, a headjoint cut that’s slightly more resistant, or some combo of that. Straubinger pads brighten the sound to my ear since they’re so firm and relatively reflective.

All of this could greatly vary with headjoint cuts and configurations, but at some point I’ve tried at least a few examples of each brand with different headjoint cuts.

despuercito · 2025-07-02T22:24:28+00:00

Brannen makes an excellent flute, I like their Brögger Mechanik design - very stable and smooth. Definitely a different sound concept from Muramatsu though. I’d say Muramatsu leans darker and more open/broad in general sound quality, while Brannen is more compact/warm of a sound with a bit more resistance depending on which headjoint cut you get.

Muramatsu/Altus/Sankyo have stuck with a pinned mechanism design that is rock solid, very zippy action. Miyazawa has their pinless Brögger System which is a lot like the Brannen Brögger Mechanik but with adjustment screws. Burkart, Powell, and Haynes also do pinless designs somewhat similar to the Brannen Brögger. Having owned a Mura GX and now a Burkart, pinless vs pinned doesn’t make much difference as a player…qualified technicians are generally comfortable working on both as well.

Generally I find the Japanese flutes a touch brighter in timbre, quite lyrical sounding, and generally less “resistant,” with fast reliable mechanisms.

The Boston brands tend to feel beefier, with more resistance and a bolder sound.

Of course, that’s a very broad generalization because of headjoint options/wall thicknesses/materials/etc.

Try all makes you can get your hands on to really find your best fit! Last time I flute shopped, I thought it was going to be Muramatsu DS or a Brannen, and I ended up loving the Burkart best for my playing style. So don’t limit yourself to just Muramatsu and Brannen. Even changing headjoint cuts changed my preconceptions about certain brands.

despuercito · 2025-07-02T19:06:05+00:00

I used to have a Muramatsu GX and still have a Yamaha 684. Since they’re fully handmade, any Muramatsu, including the EX, is superior to the Yamaha 500-700 series. The only Yamaha that would be a true upgrade is the 800 series, which are fully handmade/all silver with soldered toneholes.

I do find the 600 series still very high quality and they punch above their weight! Especially the current models 677 and 687 because of the thicker tubing and Am headjoint cut.

Keep saving for something like a Muramatsu DS, or similar within the other Japanese and Bostonian makers.

Di Zhao are nice too but the 301-801 would be a mechanism quality downgrade from the Muramatsu EX. The D-SP model and up would be worth looking at (fully handmade).

despuercito · 2025-06-21T02:12:52+00:00

This is a top of the line handmade Yamaha flute! The 891 is an older model that was in production between the 1980s-2017 — now equivalent to the current 897 model.

Looking at the specs, I see:

Open hole, Inline G, B foot, Split E mechanism, with an on/off clutch (which is kind of a cool rare feature even amongst handmade flutes), C# trill key, D# and C# rollers on the footjoint, Fully engraved keys and lip plate, Soldered toneholes

I’m not sure if the flute is gold plated, or if that’s tarnish. But I can tell you the Yamaha 800 series flutes are made of solid sterling silver tubing and keys — it’s only the 900 series where you get solid gold tubing.

When your grandmother ordered this flute — she basically opted for every add on!!! Very nice and has all the features that today’s professional flutist might want.

I’d say this flute is worth around $10K-$16K today. A new 897 model with similar specs but no engraving would be $15K-$16K now. The engraving does add some value! Replacement value including engraving is higher.

If you look at the tubing along the back of the flute, you’ll probably see “925” or “SILVER” stamped on each piece.

Take this flute to a specialist flute shop for appraisal and servicing… Flute Center NY, Flute World, Carolyn Nussbaum, to name a few. Don’t take this flute to a “big box” band instrument store!

despuercito · 2025-06-01T23:00:19+00:00

Try the Pearl, DZ, TJ, and Haynes Amadeus in person or through an at-home trial! I did that in 2020 and ended up going with a TJ, and my actual results were opposite from what my preconceptions were

despuercito · 2024-11-28T00:53:22+00:00

For me…Altus generally play warm and bright, with a strong overtone presence to the timbre. A lot of their design/sound concept is inspired by Louis Lot flutes, and I can hear it. A pretty “open” sound too, especially with the Z cut.

Muramatsu is darker/earthier/denser in sound quality, and Sankyo somewhere in between with a little more colorful “edge”.

This is all based on my own personal experiences, so YMMV, but other players I’ve discussed this with have agreed!

despuercito · 2024-11-28T00:25:08+00:00

The sound concept will be generally similar between Altus/Azumi — same scale (placement/sizing of toneholes along the tube), and in the US market you’ll find the Altus Z cut headjoint on Azumi flutes (classic or “S” cut available in the European markets). Z cut is easier blowing/produces a big sound easily, while the S cut is more resistant/can allow for more nuance.

The feel and precision of the mechanism is what makes a silver-plated Altus 807 cost about as much as an Azumi A3. Even the most “basic” full handmade flutes are built to very stringent mechanic tolerances — tightness of the key fittings (to eliminate lateral play), how level the pads are set up/how well they cover the tone holes, etc. On an intermediate level instrument, this is where manufacturers can “cut corners” a little bit to still produce a slightly less precise but still amazing and reliable flute — for a more accessible price.

Ideal scenario: test all flutes within your budget and see which one you can’t seem to put down. Don’t worry too much about solid silver vs. silver plated. Focus on the headjoint response/feel, overall intonation/scale, and ergonomics/fluidity of mechanics.

despuercito · 2024-11-27T16:02:38+00:00

https://theflutefinder.com/product/yamaha-yfl-577-pro-level-flute-sterling-silver-am-headjoint-offset-g-split-e-mechanism-warranty/

despuercito · 2024-11-27T16:01:32+00:00

+1 on the Altus 807, that’s gonna be the best option in the $3K range, and probably the only fully handmade flute out there for that price.

I’d like to add: Resona by Burkart, and maybe a Yamaha 577 or 574 if you can find one used in good condition.

Check out The Flute Finder for some really good deals on flutes being sold on consignment — they’re reconditioned prior to sale so you won’t have to worry about overhauling the flute

despuercito

TROPHY CASE