Has anyone ever heard of this music company called Matthew's Music from the Netherlands? They sell professional instruments on eBay for a fairly low price compared to the actual price on the market.
I bought a Miyazawa PB202 from them in January for around $500 off the actual price. At first I was suspicious, but then I assured myself that it was not a scam when I saw how many of their customers were more than satisfied of their online purchases. My Miyazawa is in the flute shop right now for a dislocated post due to an accidental whack at a moving chair. The lady at the flute shop asked me if I had bought it in the Netherlands, and had stated that the mechanism was different and that it was not built up to U.S standards.
Miyazawa 402 flute and Lafin 15/ 85 headjoint stolen Stolen: 25 Dec 2017 - Seattle, WA Instruments stolen in home burglary in Montlake neighborhood on 12/ 25 or 12/ 26.
After I had left the flute shop, I jumped on my computer and began emailing Miyazawa's customer service, asking if Matthew's Music was an authorized seller of Miyazawa flutes. I had gotten a reply a day later from Shivhan Dohse in the Marketing & Sales department, stating that Matthew's Music was NOT a representative of Miyazawa, and that any flute purchased from them would not have the company's warranty nor would it be built up to the U.S standards. I had gotten another email just yesterday from Shivhan Dohse again, telling me that a flute from Matthew's Music is not an authentic Miyazawa, and that many things could be wrong with it including a different pitch, headjoint style, different pads (not Straubinger), and the quality of the mechanism. Could this be true, that I had gotten an unauthentic flute from them? Can anyone post their 2cents about this? I have read many threads about this store. Most of the posts were good, and they seem to be highly recommended.
The term 'not built to American standards' does not always mean it is a fake. I own a Miyazawa Legacy 1E. This model is only sold in Japan. When I took mine in for a COA, I got a similar reaction. They gave me the same speech about warantee etc. Apparently, Miyazawa build and distributes models for different world markets. Americans are funny people when it comes to musical instruments.
I had to show the repair person a translated web page from Japanese to prove my flute model was real, and existed.(Even thought I bought it direct from Miyazawa in Japan!) Another thing to consider it Matthews music does repair and custom work. You may have gotten a flute that was customized for sale, but never picked up. I know may players that do things like get the pads changed out, get key work done, etc. It is possible you got a modified Miyazawa. Your situation is worth digging into.
However I would not jump to conclusions just yet. If all else fails, get on skype and call Miyazawa directly. They have people around that can speak English and may be able to tell you where your flute was made. At the very least just send them an email. Then The will get you in touch with Miyazawa headquarters. Keep us posted.
I actually purchased my Yamaha wood picc from them. I too saved about $500 and I have absolutely no regrets. It's a great little instrument that plays well. I had no intention of doing business with them beyond the initial purchase anyways. I was able to register my piccolo with Yamaha and I had full warranty benefits. With that being said, the piccolo came in the shipping material FROM Yamaha with all of the accessories and certificates as well. I did notice that it was built to european preferences though.
It had different springs and tension settings (which I actually preferred because it was more springy). The pitch was fine. If Miyazawa has the serial number registered as one of their instruments that was tested and shipped out of their facility, then I don't see why they shouldn't honor a warranty for whatever market the flute was intended for. That's my opinion on customer service at least. If it is a legit Miyazawa and you're the first owner. Then you should get the warranty. I would of course allow an inspection of the instrument so it could be verified though.
Either way though. They are good businessmen and they wouldn't have built up such a solid customer base if they offered a poor product. If you like the flute and it holds up well.
Contents. History Miyata was founded by Eisuke Miyata (1840-1900), a and engineer from who also made components for. Eisuke's second son, Eitarō, apprenticed in a local munitions facility and later earned a degree in from.
In 1874, Eisuke moved the family to and in 1881 opened Miyata Manufacturing in, Tokyo. The factory produced guns for the including the, and knives for the.
In 1889, a foreigner visited Miyata to ask the gunmakers to repair his bicycle. The engineers repaired the bicycle, and the company began to repair bicycles as a side business.: 31 In 1890, Miyata opened a new factory in Kikukawa, and the company was renamed Miyata Gun Works. Eitarō manufactured the first Miyata prototype bicycle in 1890, using rifle barrels produced at the factory.
The early success of Miyata's bicycles was boosted by a request in 1892 from crown prince Yoshihito (later ) to build him a bicycle. Nonetheless, Miyata halted production of bicycles to focus exclusively on arms manufacture during the of 1894-95.: 31–32 Japan changed its laws in 1900 to allow the import of foreign rifles, and the subsequent flooding of the market with cheap imports hurt Miyata's business badly. Upon Eisuke's death on 6 June, Eitarō converted the business entirely to bicycle manufacturing, producing bicycles under the Asahi and Pāson brands. Miyata's entire production of Asahi bicycles was purchased by the Imperial Army until the end of the in 1905.: 31–32 Automobiles.
A on an Asahi motorcycle in in 1939 Motorcycles gained popularity in Japan in the early years of the 20th century as foreigners began bringing British and German machines to the country. The Japanese government officially allowed commercial import of foreign motorcycles beginning in 1909, creating a market for businesses selling imported machines, as well as domestic designs incorporating foreign components. Miyata produced the first all-Japanese motorcycle in 1913,: 9 also under the Asahi name, based on a British design. However, at the time motor vehicles were a luxury item and imported motorcycles were seen as fashionable and desirable over locally made machines, and the Asahi sold fewer than 40 units before production was discontinued in 1916.: 9 Over the next two decades, Japanese manufacturers caught up to imported brands, and the rise of and made motorcycles more accessible to the Japanese public.: 10 Miyata returned to motorcycle production with the Asahi AA in 1933. The AA was the first Japanese motorcycle, and was highly successful, leading to construction of a new plant at in 1938.: 55 However, after the broke out in 1937 resources and materials for motorcycle construction became increasingly scarce, and in 1939 Miyata's Kamata plant was converted by the government to produce components for military aircraft.: 56 The AA sold an estimated 40,000 units from 1933-39.
1952 Asahi Golden Beam motorcycle manufactured by Miyata Miyata again resumed production of motorcycles after the. Through the 1950s the company released the HA and the Golden Beam FA/2, both with a 249cc motor, as well as a model with a 344cc single-cylinder motor, and various two-cylinder motors. Miyata manufactured its last motorcycles in 1964. Bicycles Many say Miyata pioneered triple butting, and revolutionized frame building techniques. The first Miyatas were bolt-upright town bikes.
Over the decades, Miyata established a good foothold in the bicycle market, becoming contracted by multiple local brands to build their bicycles and ultimately attracting Panasonic Corporation to become a shareholder in 1959., for a period the manufacturer of National and Panasonic brand bicycles, was Miyata's largest shareholder from 1959 until 2008, when it sold its remaining stake in Miyata. Miyata in the U.S. Throughout the U.S. Of the 1970s and into the 1980s, Miyata competed with American companies including, and; European companies including, and — as well as other nascent including, and — whose bikes were manufactured by Miyata. Japanese-manufactured bikes succeeded in the U.S. Market until in the late 1980s made them less competitive, leading companies to source bicycles from Taiwan. Models Late 1970s to mid-1980s Miyata bikes have high-quality Japanese lugged steel frames and Shimano or Suntour components.
Miyata models carried numeric names (e.g., Miyata 710). By the late 1970s Miyata began using the same names, writing out the numeric names (e.g., Miyata Seven Ten). Generally, 90 and 100 series were sports/entry level bicycles.
200 and 600 series and the 1000 model were touring bicycles, with the level of bicycle increasing with first digit in the series. In general, a 200 series touring bicycle would be roughly equivalent to a 300 series competition/fitness bicycle in terms of component levels, frame materials and value.
![Miyazawa Miyazawa](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125619803/260053962.jpg)
300, 400, 500, 700, 900 series were mid-range competition/fitness bicycles — with the level of quality increasing with first digit in the series. The top line, pro series bicycles were named non-numerically (e.g., Team Miyata and Pro Miyata). 1000 series and X000 series bicycles, with the notable exception of the 1000 touring model, were competition/fitness models with non-ferrous frames. Often (but not always) the last two digits of the model number indicated the number of available gears, e.g., 912 was a 9-series 12 speed and a 914 was a 9 series 14 speed.
Miyata 9x: This was the bottom of the range, entry-level model. Triple butted tubing, Shimano/Suntour entry-level components. Miyata 1xx: Low-level model aimed at the casual consumer.
Chromoly triple-butted main tubes, hi-ten stays, toe clips/straps, available in both men's and mixte styles. Miyata 2xx: A popular lower-end touring model. 1984 catalogue indicated the 210 used straight-gauge tubing, Dia-Compe cantilever brakes and Shimano triple drive train. By 1985, the 210 featured triple-butted chromoly tubing in the frame, with a Mangalight fork.
1986 and later models used 700 wheels; earlier models used 27' wheels. Braze-ons on front and rear dropouts (no low-rider braze-ons in front), cantis front and rear, horizontal rear dropouts, one bottle braze-on, rear rack braze-ons, and flat-top fork crown. There were also special models such as the 215ST (both traditional and mixte styles).
Miyata 3xx: A mid-range road bike model from the 'Semi-Pro' group, with Shimano 105 brakes, derailleurs, and shifters. The 105 was also shown with an arrow-like graphic. The had a shorter wheelbase than the touring models, but with clearance for fenders and wider tires and is sometimes called a 'sport-touring' model (a comfortable model for day rides and commuting). Features included double- or triple-butted Cr-Mo tubing (depending on year), 525 Crown, SR CTD handlebars, and Araya rims. Earlier models had hi-tensile steel forks, but later forks were 'Mangalight' alloy.
Some years are equipped with an 'aero-style' shifters, mounted on a single brazed-on post on top of the down tube. Miyata 5xx Competition (part of the 'Semi-Pro' group): A higher-end road bike than the 310/312, with more 'aggressive' geometry.
Miyata 6xx: A quality touring model, one step down from the 1000, with slightly different frame geometry and lower level components. Mid-1980s 610s have triple-butted splined Chromoly frame tubing, an unusually high quality tubing and construction for its price level. This bike is slightly lighter in weight than Trek 520/720 touring bikes, but of similar quality.
Miyata 7xx: A mid- to high-end road bike from the 'Semi-Pro' group. Early models had Suntour parts, including an odd 3-wheel rear derailleur, possibly using the same frameset as the 910. Miyata 9xx: Miyata's high-end road bike from the 'Semi-Pro' group, with Shimano 600 components. Miyata 1000: Touring bike with splined, triple-butted Chromo tubing.
Some report the 610 to be stiffer than the 1000. 1997 model had a mix of Shimano 600 and Deore XT parts (600 DT shifters, XT derailleurs).
Noted bicycle authority called the Miyata 1000 'possibly the finest off-the-shelf touring bike available at the time'. The 1000 was marketed in the U.S. From the late 1970s and marketed in North America until about 1993. Miyata 1400: A high-end road bike sold only as a 1989 model with Shimano 600 components. It was higher-end than the 914 that was sold in the same year. Unlike the aluminum 1400A, the 1400 used Miyata's CrMo triple-butted construction.
Miyata Cross: A top-of-the-line 'cross' bikes (which included the Alumicross, Quickcross, Sportcross, and Triplecross). The Alumicross was introduced in the late 1980s with standard-size aluminum main tubes bonded to steel lugs and a Chromo fork. Seat and chain stays are steel, with the seat post binder bolt holding the seat stays to the seat post lug.
The Quick, Sport, and Triplecross were triple-butted cromoly. Miyata Pro/Team/1200: These are the high-end race ready models (Team Miyata, Miyata Pro, etc.) Serial numbers Miyata's frames manufactured in Japan since 1972 have been stamped with a, the first letter of which indicates the year of production. Letter code Production year Letter code Production year A 1972 N 1985 B 1973 O 1986 C 1974 P 1987 D 1975 Q 1988 E 1976 R 1989 F 1977 S 1990 G 1978 T 1991 H 1979 U 1992 I 1980 V 1993 J 1981 W 1994 K 1982 X 1995 L 1983 Y 1996 M 1984 Z 1997 Today The Miyata brand still exists and, while it is no longer distributed in the United States, it had until 2010 a joint venture with the Dutch brand,a Dutch bicycle manufacturer, established in Netherlands, under the name. Koga is nowadays part of the. In late 2011, Miyata announced plans to once again sell bicycles under its own Miyata Japon brand. Its new frames were based on the Koga Miyata frame on which won the stage of the. Each custom-ordered frame was to be hand-built and made with Miyata's traditional chromoly steel process, featuring components, at its factory.
Unicycles Although demand for Miyata unicycles outside Japan has diminished in recent years due to a wider range of quality unicycles becoming available, Miyatas were once considered to be a highly desirable unicycle because of their quality of manufacturing and well designed saddle during times when choice was often limited to expensive custom-made unicycles or extremely poor quality products sold in department stores. Miyata unicycles are now uncommon among non-Japanese riders due to the surging popularity of riding styles such as Muni (Mountain Unicycling) and Street/Trials riding, which Miyatas are largely unsuitable for, however Miyata is still the unicycle of choice in Japan where riders tend to be more interested in Freestyle riding and Artistic Unicycling, this coupled with the fact that unicycling is taught in Japanese schools as part of physical education has secured Miyata a continuing place in today's unicycle market. Miyata currently manufacture a range of unicycles with wheel sizes ranging from 14 to 24 inch, models are available for beginner and intermediate riders up to expensive high end cycles with carbon fibre frames. Miyata makes custom frames to order and also sells a five-foot Giraffe version of their popular Flamingo model. See also.