Product Reviews: Muramatsu DS Heavy-wall Flute

I've owned the DS heavy-wall with B-foot and open holes for 10 years now. When I bought it, I was looking to upgrade from a GS C-foot closed hole instrument, mainly to get the extra flexibility of the open holes and to have the low-B that I needed for some music I was exploring at the time.

Before buying the DS, I tried a LOT of different instruments and price points, but most, including the DS with standard wall thickness did not feel massively different from my much loved GS.

Then I tried the DS heavy-wall alongside the DS standard-wall. I was amazed that they were completely different instruments! The depth of tone and range of colours on the heavy wall DS is exceptional and unlike any other instrument I have tried. I fell in love immediately and had to buy it.

To get the best out of this instrument you need really good breath control and strength. It takes much more effort to play than my old GS and took me some time fully to master, particularly in the lower register. It also highlighted deficiencies in my technique and so helped me improve as a player, but the range of tone colours possible are far wider than with other instruments I have tried or owned and this is a huge reward for the effort.

I recommend trying one alongside the standard wall instrument to see the difference. This is certainly not a beginner or occasional player/doubler instrument but will really reward a professional or keen advanced amateur player.