FMC Flute Masters was established in 1992 by three craftsmen who became independent from the Yamaha Flute company. FMC was originally set up as THE repair shop for professional players from around the world. Yoichi Nojima and Keiichi Toyoda quickly became known internationally for their outstanding repair skills. Their expertise extended to also restoring old French flutes, such as Louis Lot and Godfroy.
As a team they restored or repaired thousands of instruments. Through this experience, they decided to start manufacturing their own flutes in order to meet the various needs of professional flutists which they felt had not been addressed by the existing big makers. They studied and mastered both the traditional means of manufacturing and they also explored new technologies available to them. Able to combine these two worlds, Nojima and Toyoda have been able to manufacture a flute of unparalleled beauty and refinement. Their flutes possess a unique "old world" sound, but yet with the modern scale and head joint cut, they also carry the projection and resonance needed in our modern orchestras.
FMC Flute Masters flutes, we feel, are one of the most versatile and flexible instruments manufactured today. They will express your voice, your individuality.
Soldered Tone Holes
All the tone holes of FMC Hand Made Flutes, including the Standard Model are soldered for better sound and response. This allows the maker to precisely undercut each tone hole as needed for voicing and intonation. This process may sound simple, but it is just one of the mechanisms available to great flute makers which really make the difference in sound production. It takes a great deal of time and expertise to voice an instrument.
Scale
The FMC Flute Master modern scale has been calculated based upon extensive research after studying many flutes, from the old French masters to the many scales of today's makers. It is theory put into practice...and it works! The scale is even and well balanced throughout all registers.
DESIGN
Crown: The beautifully shaped crown adds a look of refinement and elegance Few makers give this attention to detail.
Key Design: The keys have been designed for maximum comfort and accentuates a more comfortable hand position. Tear drop shaped trill keys are reminiscent of key designs found on 19th century classic flutes and are both beautiful to look at and are very comfortable to play.
MECHANISM
Pinless Construction: As seen in many of today's most advanced flutes, FMC uses pinless construction for both right and left hand assemblies. This promotes a quiet and ultra-smooth action that helps you to move with more fluidity and speed. We think it is the most reliable and stable flute keys found anywhere in the industry.
Shaft: The shafts (steels) are coated with titanium. This small, but important detail protects against rust and also helps make for a quiet fluid motion.
Key Cups and Snaps: The Key cups of the FMC Flutes are designed to precisely fit the pads. In this way you have no stress on the pads resulting in a pad that wears better and lasts longer. The pads are held in place with a specially designed grommet that fits perfectly and promotes better resonance and stability.
K16.8, Quality Gold Springs: The quality gold of K16.8 containing 70% gold is used for the spring wires. They allow a wonderful light and smooth action. Combined with the pinless mechanism, the feel of the FMC flutes can't be beat!
MATERIALS
Silver 970 and 997: A silver alloy, so-called Sterling Silver consisting of 92.5% silver is widely used by flute makers. In addition to this 925, Master Made Flutes use a special alloy of .970 silver and pure .997 silver. These two "purer" silver offer different and surprisingly wonderful resonant qualities.
SEAMED TUBES
FMC Flute Masters developed a method of producing the very difficult seamed tube. A sheet of precious silver material .970 is formed into a tube and then carefully soldered using the same silver (970) material. This method of manufacturing a tube was first done by the old French masters. The seamed tube is generally considered to produce a more vibrant, clear and penetrating sound. It also retains a sweetness not found in the traditional drawing process. The seamed tube has the remarkable merits of better resonance, projection and subtlety. FMC Flute Masters dared to tackle this difficult process with their high technology and through much trial and error, finally succeeded in the development of this completely new seamed tube.
Flute Center of New York is the sole distributor of the Flute Master Flutes for North America.
