Normally when I needed to get an instrument adjustment I would normally go the local sheet music store and they would forward it to a reputable Instrument Repair shop (Anglin`s Instrument Repair of Fullerton, CA) and it would cost around $30. I have had them adjust a few of my intruments over the years with no problem at all.

I stupidly damaged one of my pads and decided it`s time to get the flute cleaned too. I have`t really had anything done on this flute since I got it 5 years ago...

I have discovered that there is a flute shop (oguraflute.com, Gardena, CA) in my area that caters only to flutes, but their pricing for flute adjustments are $170-250. Should I expect anything special from a $250 cleaning/adjustment from a flute specialty shop, than from a general instrument repair place? The repair person used to work for Muramatsu Japan and is a dealer for them.

One intersting bit about Ogura is that they`ll loan me a Yamaha equivalent of my flute while it`s being adjusted. lol.

There are various ways of adjusting flutes, some of them taking at a hundred times as long as others.

For the vast majority of flutes, the quick ways, if they are appropriate and done with skill, are IMHO just as good as the lengthy ways.

So the price seems way over the top to me for a student flute. However it would be reasonable for a hand made flute (which has no adjusting screws0, or for at least some models of Powell, that have been made with keys that are so rigid that some of the quick ways cannot be used.

Some technicians, especially those trained with prestigious manufacturers, may be quite obstinate about using the quick ways, even though they may be entirely successful, and IMHO, sometimes with a better result.

Bear in mind that some technicians overcharge because they charge according to what they think the customer will pay, or to boost their inflated idea of their self importance, or to reduce their work overload, or to turn away those with student flutes, etc. More expensive does not necessarily mean better.

BTW it is often easier to adjust a professional quality flute (with adjusting screws) than it is to adjust a student one, simply because they don`t have problems as a result of scruffy manufacture, such as non-level tone holes, sloppy pivots, and sub-standard pads, all of which sabotage the adjustment process.

Thanks for the advice. I`ll hold back on the more expensive adjustment. I`ll see how the $30 re-pad goes first.