Product Reviews: Altus PS Flute

Hello, my name is Marco, I'm 35, from Italy, and I play the flute more or less since I'm here in London, 3 years (but I'm not new to music: I played the classic and electric guitar for 15 years, before). I love play the flute. It is such beautiful and mystic instrument. I play it everyday for at least 4 hours a day, going to my lessons once a week. I am grade 6 at trinity college, and I'm looking forward to go ahead. So 8 months ago I thought: why don't buy a top quality flute? So I went to Mr. Jonathan, who knew me already, and helped me with my choice.
I tryed 3 or 4 instruments before hear the ALTUS PS voice. I couldn't believe my hears. I mean that! I remember I wrote a message to my wife, something like this "I'm playing an unbelievable instrument. At The bottom notes it sings as Pavarotti... in the top notes it reminds me the Callas". Even if I had chosen my instrument I couldn't buy that one. I play the original Bohem model, the Open G # flute, so I made the decision to let the Altus in Japan build the flute for me. 3 weeks ago, finally, I received it; I quickly tried it (my wife this time said : "I never thought a flute can sound like this"), then I carried it with me in Sicily, where I played it for at least 8 hours almost everyday for 2 weeks. I love this flute! It is slightly different then the first one I tryed. My one is less dark and less dense, but it is also more responsive, sweet and alive. It is extremely easy to play it. The notes are equally clear and in focus. The sound is deep but bright. Far intervals are very easy to play, and the difficult notes as the middle and top E, or the C# are incredible in tune, and they play with such less effort.
My flute, an ALTUS PS model (pure or powdered silver), has the new WIBB scale, and features: Soldered tone holes, open G #, Lip plate and riser 18 K with Z cut, C# trill key, C# an D# rollers, B footjoint, no Gizmo Key. About the Gizmo key, I'm perfectly able to press the B key with my small finger without touching the others keys, even in quick passages. But I realize my flute is able to sing the top C without press any keys at all, like the C foot flute.
Now the big question: why Open G#? Well.... I can answer: why the closed G#? Simply I was curious about this system. But is the closed G# a mechanical system, not the Open G#, which is the natural way to close a hole in the flute. Bohem was right: each finger for his hole, as much as possible. So why they change it as soon as the flute appeared? Because professionals flutist had to work hard to learn the new fingerings, specially in the top register. Then everybody forgot the original flute, the Open G # which made the revolution. But when all said and done, I just like play it.
I strongly recommend to try the Altus PS and to rent for a while an open G # flute. Marco