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Specs & Additional Options

 

Every Nagahara Flute can be fully customized to the flutists preferred specifications. Although we keep a small selection of instruments with popular specs available for immediate sale, most flutes are custom-made to order. Below is a detailed list of all basic and additional flute option to choose from and make your Nagahara flute specially tailored for you.

Basic Flute Options (no extra charge)
 

Key Style

Open-hole (French)

Closed-hole (Plateau) 

 

G Key placement

Inline

Offset 

 
Pitch

A=440

A=442 (standard)  

A=444

 

Footjoint

B foot

C foot

 

Pads

Nagahara TRIAD V8 Pads (Synthetic, highly recommended)

Pisoni Pads

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Springs

White gold springs

 

Gizmo Key (optional)

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Galway Locking Crown

Silver headjoints come with a light silver top & base.

Gold headjoints come with a light  silver base w/ 14k gold ring & 14k gold top.

 

Soldered Toneholes

A standard feature in all flute models, soldered toneholes keep the integrity of the flute body by adding material, rather than drawing or extruding the toneholes from the tubing. Soldered toneholes also add warmth and depth to the flute, allowing a more even pad seal, thus making it possible for the craftsman to file the top of the tonehole  absolutely flat.

 

Nagahara Pinless Mechanism

The Nagahara Pinless mechanism features a "floating" steel held by a pivot screw. This ingenious design enables the technicians to disassemble the right and left hand mechanism as whole units by simply removing one pivot screw (the alternative method requires  removal of the entire steel, which makes each key drop individually). This ingenious design saves time and allows for a much higher level of accuracy in pad shimming, key balance adjustment, and custom spring tension, allowing precise setting for smoother action and feel on the mechanism.

 

Key Castings 

In keeping with the Boston tradition, the mechanism of all Nagahara Flutes is made with solid sterling silver or 14k gold key castings. The casting process, (as opposed to stamped key technology used by many others), allows the craftsman to exert full control over his work, which enables the shaping of each key with extreme detail, a technique that requires years of experience and talent to be accomplished at the highest level; the craftsmen at Nagahara Flutes have perfected this technique.
Additional Flute Options (extra charge)
 

Split-E Mechanism

An additional mechanism that provides a more secure and stable high E without altering any other pitches. The Nagahara underslung design is elegantly hidden within the main line mechanism, avoiding obstruction to the right hand when playing high E.

 

C# trill Mechanism

A very useful key, the C# trill enhances the agility in many trills and tremolos. It also provides stability and a more colorful tone on the middle C# by using the B fingering and pressing down the C# trill key (great for the famous opening solo of Debussy's Prelude to the  Afternoon on a Faun!). The most useful trills enabled by this key are: B-C#, C-C#, High F#-G#, High G-Ab, High G-A.

 

High E Facilitator (H.E.F.)

A permanent, yet more economical option to the Split E mechanism, the H.E.F. enables a clearer response on the high E without altering the intonation of surrounding notes. A silver disk with a heart shaped vent hole is soldered into the lower G tonehole controlling the ventilation of the high E. Unlike the plastic "donut" or "G-insert" options which causes flattening on the middle and lower octave A natural note, the scale on flute with the H.E.F. has been expertly adjusted to offset any intonation issues.

 

Half-Offset G

A versatile option mid-way between the more traditional inline and Offset G placements. This option requires more manufacturing time to precisely meet smaller tolerances in the spacing on the instrument.

 

Footjoint Key Rollers

Although the Nagahara D# key spatula is know to be ergonomically designed for smooth pinky finger transition among the D#-C#-C-B footjoint keys, we offer two options of rollers: 

  • D# roller (B footjoints only) 

  • D#-C# double rollers (for C footjoints only)

 

14k Gold Rings

A great way to add an elegant touch to any instrument. Although these are standard in the K.N. Exclusive all-gold flutes, we offer the option to add 14k gold rings to any instrument made with silver mechanism.

 

Wearless Mechanism

A patented addition created to protect and prolong stability of the mechanism of the flute, the Nagahara Wearless Mechanism is  available in three type of installations.  Galway Model flutes come standard with the type II installation. Please see the Wearless Mechanism page for a more detailed description.

 

Galway Locking Crown upgrades

Although every Nagahara headjoint comes with a Galway Locking Crown light base, we often find that a heavier base works better, or different top is desirable for some flutists; therefore, we offer the following upgrades:

  • base weights: medium, heavy, extra-heavy

  • base material: silver, silver with 14k gold ring, All-14k gold

  • crown tops: Silver, 10k Gold with silver ring, all 14k gold.

For a more detaiedl description visit the Galway Locking Crown page.

 

Custom Engraving

Key cup and lipplate engraving are available through our offsite engraver. Please contact us for more information on design/ styles available and pricing.

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