Celebrating 30 years of guiding flutists

Flute Repair

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Why Our Repairs Are Stable and Reliable
New Repair FAQ's
Scheduling and Turnaround Times

Repairs and Modifications, New Products and Info

Professional repair services are the cornerstone of the Cincinnati Fluteworks. A thorough understanding of manufacturers' techniques and many years of experience in instrument building, restoration, and mechanism design enables us to offer guaranteed professional repairs of every kind. It also equips us to make modifications to suit the needs of each individual flutist. Pat North has over 35 years of experience in repairs of any type of flute imaginable.

Why Our Repairs Are More Stable and Reliable

There are specific techniques and materials that make our repairs more stable and last longer than other repair shops. Here's a sampling:

Before padding the flute, the stability of the mechanism is assessed. Excess movement on all axis, left and right, back and forth, is gauged and corrected. Many aspects of a flute contributes to how well your instrument will wear, stay in adjustment, and how long your pads will last. These details are checked, corrected, and tweaked using techniques only repair people accustomed to building flutes employ. This experience, in addition to the patience, and fine touch of a flutist, makes a world of difference between us and most repair shops.

I suppose if just reading about our procedures would make other repair shops also do them, their repairs would be as reliable too. However, the skill, fastidiousness, and experience of what works and what doesn't, as well as 30 years of repairing handmade professional flutes, shows up in the stability and longevity of our repairs. Clients often comment that their instrument plays better than when they were new.

Good Products Also Contribute To This Stability

We only use Moisture-proof Shims in padding Pro and Pre-pro flutes. They are impervious to moisture and make a much more stable seat for the pad. Moisture is the enemy of pads, adjustments, and the paper shims that make pads seat. It makes them swell and leak. With moisture-proof shims, the pad will last longer without as much maintenance or downtime for repairs. We shim to .0005 inches. That's much less than the thickness of a human hair! Shimming this finely with plastic and moisture-proof shims takes more time during the repair and the shims are much more expensive than traditional paper shims, but the benefits are tremendous
We use the best Italian Lucien Pisoni Deluxe pads on even student overhauls and complete pad jobs. They are a firm pad that resists packing down and the leaks that a packed down soft pad creates. The skins are tough and clear (double yellow skins). A firm pad that seals well makes articulation (tonguing) and response much quicker and clearer on any flute. Though these pads cost us more, they make for a longer lasting repair. Ask us about Straubinger and Schmidt Gold pads for your Pro flute.

A Word on Tone Holes

Many "lesser advised" repair techniques use filing tone holes as a way to make a pad seat easier, and short cut the time it takes to pad an instrument. Surprisingly, some repairpeople working on Pro instruments file tone holes. Not only can filing a tone hole change the intonation of the flute, something manufacturers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars perfecting, it greatly compromises the structure of the chimney hole. We do not file tone holes unless they have been damaged in an accident and filing is imperative.

Scheduling Repairs and Turnaround Times

Meeting your deadlines is important to us! We are recommitting ourselves to meeting your schedule deadlines and quick as possible turnaround times. Please phone or write us about scheduling. We'll get you right in and get your instrument back in your hands as quickly as possible. In addition, be sure to tell us the brand, model, age, and description of the problem (or maintenance) in your e-mail. We look forward to making you a happy customer!

For details on what is included in each type of repair, including prices: Repairs and Modifications.

Repair FAQ's

These are Questions and Answers that clients often ask. We'll keep adding to this column. Send us your questions and we'll be happy to answer them.

General Repair Information

Repairs are by appointment only. Rush repairs are available as scheduling permits for an additional charge of 20% of the total repair (minimum charge $35).

Prices are in effect July 1, 2008 and are subject to change without notice. All prices are in U.S. dollars, F.O.B. Cincinnati, and are subject to Ohio sales tax when applicable.

Please call or email to schedule at (513) 579-8294 or info@fluteworks.com.

Repair FAQ's

These are Questions and Answers that clients often ask. We'll keep adding to this column. Send us your questions and we'll be happy to answer them.

Flute Annual Maintenance Prices

Professional flute, from . . . . . . . . . . . .. .$229*
Pre-pro flute (e.g. diMedici 1011) . . . . . . .$194**
Student flute, from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . $169**

* Please add $20 for shop supplies.
** Please add $10 for shop supplies.

Overhauls, Repads, Repad with Mechanism Prices

Professional flute: . .overhaul $988. . repad w/ mech $873. . repad $737
Professional piccolo: . overhaul $797*. repad w/ mech $754* . repad $621
Student flute (closed hole)/piccolo: . overhaul $338.repad w/ mech $303 . repad $239
Student Step-up (open hole): . overhaul $434 . repad w/ mech $398 . repad $334
Pre-professional flutes/piccs: . overhaul $499 . repad w/ mech $469 . repad $405
Alto, Bass flute: . . please call for prices

*Professional piccolo overhaul and repad with mechanism includes woodwork, excluding repair of cracks.
** Above prices exclude certain parts. Add $24. for pads and shop supplies to Student flute overhauls, repad w/ mech., & repads. Add $45. for pads and shop supplies to Pre-pro and Pro overhauls, repad w/ mech., & repads.
*** Please phone for quotes for Straubinger pads and Schmidt Gold pads on your particular instrument.

Hand Cutting of Embouchure and Tone Hole Prices

Professional flute: . .embouchure cutting $271. . fraizing $167
Student flute, solid silver: . embouchure cutting $179 . fraizing $145

Other Repair Prices

Other repair services: . .hourly rate of $72

Repair prices for precious metal (other than silver) instruments, headjoints, and mechanisms may be slightly higher, as determined on an individual basis. Quotations are also available for badly damaged instruments. Please call for a quotation.

Hand Cutting of Embouchure and Tone Holes

We are nationally recognized for our innovative work with these modifications. If your flute is stuffy or stiff sounding, it would probably benefit from our skillful hand cutting of the embouchure hole. Each headjoint is individually assessed to ensure maximum improvement. Tone hole fraizing remedies excessive cracking between intervals. Please refer to our Data Page, Fraizing and Undercutting, for a more detailed explanation of these procedures.

Annual Maintenance & Adjustments are Crucial for the Flute to Keep Its Value ("Clean, Oil, Adjust")

A combination of periodic overhauls (every two to three years, depending on use) and yearly checkups to make minor adjustments will keep your instrument in optimum laying condition. Yearly checkups (also known as "Clean, Oil, Adjust") will correct any minor leaks or problems before they become irreversible. This will help stretch the time between overhauls.

Details on Overhauls, Repads, Repad with Mechanism

A professional flute or piccolo overhaul includes complete disassembly of the instrument; cleaning, tarnish removal and hand polishing; all pins are pulled, keys and pivots are refitted and the mechanism is properly oiled; normal maintenance for wood is performed on wood piccs (except cracks). It also includes a complete repadding, and replacement of all corks, felts, and headjoint stoppers.

Please inquire for Straubinger and Schmidt Gold pad quotes. We also offer a repad with mechanism service which includes all of the procedures in a complete overhaul except for tarnish removal and hands polishing. A repad only is also available. It includes the replacement of the pads, corks, felts, and headjoint stopper.

The Cincinnati Fluteworks dedicates the same care, skill and consideration to the overhaul of student flutes and piccolos. We disassemble the instrument, refit keys and mechanism as necessary, clean and oil the mechanism; polish the instrument, and remove tarnish; replace all pads and the headjoint cork, and replace all corks and felts.

"How often does my instrument need an overhaul?"

Here are the symptoms: If you have noticed any sluggishness in tonguing response, weakness of sound in the low octave, or unreasonable difficulty playing an even chromatic scale, your flute probably is the culprit. Leaks and lost action tend to sneak up on the flutist. While leaks may seem minor, any leak affects the response of the entire instrument. Compensation with increased pressure may seem to help, but slows technique. It also makes the leak progressively worse and causes further deterioration of the pads. In addition, after a year or two, the headjoint cork will begin to shrink from the effects of moisture. This also causes leaking and sluggish response. Because this leak is not readily pinpointed (as with a leaky pad), the player is often blamed for the instrument's shortcomings.

The Cincinnati Fluteworks gives each repair, whatever size, our complete, professional attention. Our workmanship and materials are fully guaranteed. We also specialize in many kinds of personalized modifications to bring out the best qualities of an instrument (and the player!). Our years of experience with these modifications have made us leaders in the field.