Projects
Sankyo is a creative workshop driven by our passion for music. To foster this creative spirit, we design and build special projects that are different from the standard models that we offer.
These projects often begin as the idea of someone in our workshop, and evolve into something for our entire team to work on together. Whether it is something revolutionary, like a proprietary new technology that enables us to etch with gold, or something evolutionary, like the A-Foot Concert Flute, we are always excited to challenge ourselves and unveil something special.
2014 Project: Sankyo Bass Flute
The Bass Flute project was an exciting one to work on. For many years we dreamed of adding a bass flute to our line, but it had to be of the highest quality and superior design which takes time and dedication. The new bass flute has a beautifully crafted key design that is comfortable for the player. It is silver-plated in order to be as light-weight as possible. The sterling silver lip plate adds color and richness to the sound.
The new bass flute is a beautiful addition to the Sankyo harmony series. We hope you enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed creating it.
2013 Project: A-Foot Concert Flute
The A-Foot concert flute is pitched in C, but it has two extra keys on the footjoint to facilitate a low Bb and low A. These keys are activated with the left hand pinky with levers need the G# key. There are some orchestral pieces that require the low Bb including a Mahler Symphony, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Berg’s Opera Wozzeck. The A-Foot makes it possible to play some violin pieces without arrangement. Other benefits include a more stable high register and a deeper, darker sound.
The A-Foot is available by special order on the Sankyo models 401 and 501.
2012 Project: Etched in Gold
This proprietary new technology allows us to engrave gold on silver. We can engrave in gold on the lip plate of your silver flute!
2011 Project: Crystal Light Flute
This flute has a brilliant sound with a 950Ag Silver body, 10K gold rings and a Swarovski Crystal charm on the headjoint crown. It is made with thinner and light weight key-mechanism for quick responses and intense sound vibration.
2010 Project: ROSA
The beautiful ROSA flute features the fusion of sterling silver and rose gold on the tube of our model CF401 flute.
2010 Project: Dual Headjoint Flute
Many flutists love both our silver and our wood flutes, so we decided to offer an option that would allow the flutist both options in one flute! We offered the Sankyo models 201 and 401 with a sterling silver headjoint as well as a grenadilla wood headjoint, packaged together in one case.
2009 Project: 40th Anniversary Model
To celebrate our 40th year of flutemaking, we designed a new model. It was essentially the model 401 with thinner ribs, posts, and rings to make it extremely resonant. It also had an engraved lip plate and keys.
2007 Project: Kingma System Flute
Invented by Eva Kingma, the revolutionary Kingma System® provides expanded capabilities with a full quartertone scale as well as complete multiphonic venting. Standard fingerings remain the same through non-use of the additional six keys, so it can be played as a traditional Boehm flute. This mechanical design offers many new possibilities including tonal shading,exceptional control of pitch even with extreme dynamics, and accessibility to increasingly popular contemporary and nonwestern types of music. Through collaboration with Eva Kingma, Sankyo is proud to be one of the elite flutemakers capable of offering the innovative Kingma System®.
2005 Project: Pinless System
In 2005, we first designed our pinless system that enables us to make a split E mechanism on a flute with an inline G. The pinless system is available starting on the model 501.
2004 Project: 10k Gold Flute
Always curious about the sound qualities of different metals, we had to build a 10k gold flute to hear what sound it would produce! 10k gold is the ideal combination of the richness of gold with a touch of the brilliance of silver. Our 10k gold flutes are offered with a choice of drawn or soldered tone holes.
2004 Project: 950 Silver Flute
950 Silver is a unique silver alloy that consists of 95% pure silver. The increased density results in a dark sound with deep resonance. Sankyo models CF 701 and CF 801 are crafted from 950 Silver.
2001 Project: Wood Flute
Our grenadilla and cocus wood was carefully aged for 10 years before we began building flutes with it. This was an exciting project, finding what sounds were possible with a wood flute. Wood has a character of sound that is full and rich with a certain maturity to it that a metal flute cannot match. Sankyo wood flutes are played in several orchestras throughout the world, as well as in chamber groups and as a solo instrument.
2001 Project: Piccolo
We put our heart and soul into the creation of the Sankyo piccolo, taking two and a half years to complete it! Using a straight tube instead of a conical tube, the Sankyo piccolo has a consistent tone with great intonation throughout the registers.
2000 Project: Super Solid Silver Flute (CF 901)
Our first Super Solid Silver, or Pure Silver, flute was built in 2000. Because of the overwhelming response to the unique sound of this material, the flute was added to our line-up. Today, this flute is called CF 901, and it is the flagship of our Silver Series of flutes.
The Pure Silver used to craft the CF 901 is 99.7% pure silver. This high content silver creates a completely unique sound. The tone is darker than sterling silver, and it has exceptional projection. Our favorite characteristic is its flexibility and color. One cannot help but play this flute with expression and emotion.
1999 Project: Flute d'Amore
The Flute d'Amore in A has a truly beautiful quality of sound. Since it is lighter and shorter than an alto flute, it almost feels like playing on a usual Boehm Flute in C, while capturing some of the timbre of the alto flute. With its range between the Boehm Flute in C and the Alto Flute, it opens for the new repertoire, including many pieces written for such an instrument. "To play and own a flauto d'Amore is an enrichment for every flute player", said Mr. Andras Adorjan, who gave advice to Sankyo in order to develop this new model.
With an internal tube diameter of 20mm, the d'Amore in A has a slightly larger bore than the standard concert flute. It is available by special order only. The flute is sterling silver with .38mm tubing thickness, soldered tone holes, and 10k white gold springs.
1995 Project: 5k Gold Flute
In the same year that we introduced the world's first 24k Gold Flute, we made our first 5k Gold Flute. It was an interesting contrast between low and high karat gold flutes. The 5k was a sweeter sound than our other gold flutes, and it was much lighter and more free-blowing than the 24k gold. While we did make 5k gold flutes for several years, today we focus instead on the 10k, 14k, 18k, and 24k gold flutes.
1995 Project: 24k Gold Flute
The first Special Project was a 24k gold flute built in 1995. At that time, no one had ever made a flute from 24k gold, and we wanted to hear the sound that this beautiful material would make. The 24k gold flute continues to be one of our favorite flutes, perfectly suited to the world’s finest orchestral players.
