19 years for me.

I did saw a used professional armstrong, but i guess it`s too late now. Yea, no talks about armstrong, but someone in my band has one....Ahh, i`m just upset my new pearl came with a leak. oh well, can`t change the past. That`s all right.

... you may need to send it back to fix the leak or you may void your warranty if you try to fix it yourself or take it elsewhere.

... and you may not get the same flute back...

you may get another "fixed" flute in its place.

Jot down that serial number.

Also e-mail WWandBW rather than calling them to find out whether or not you can get it looked at locally. You can at least print out e-mails for backup.

I would think that using your own repair person would not be okay... considering how bad some are.

Wow, a leak! Really? Oh my. Maybe things got jostled in shipment. I would call up and complain of course. There are ways of making them pay! LOL!!! I am very sorry to hear that, but I also tend to take my flute to my repair guy before I start playing on it ever. I have it thoroughly looked and tweaked for leaks and stuff. Then I "test drive" it.

-Dennis

Andrew, unfortunately Armstrong flutes are not chosen because a lot of people feel that they have a bit clunkier slower mechanism on them. That is what I have been hearing a lot lately. I think that they produce a nice sound, but I myself am not thrilled with the mechanism. Maybe they have improved the new ones though. I do know that their student line models are like a work horse. It`s all in the hands of the beholder.

Hey you guys! So, i went to a repair guy who lives 15 minutes away. And it was just minor things. So, i decided to pay and not return it. It was $25, not bad i guess, because when i ship it back i have to pay..right? ANYWAY, my flute is fixed and i`m all happy!^^ Either way i thought it`ll cost me $25 dollars to handle this. And i noticed how pearl has great mechanism.

Hey you know WOODWIND AND BRASS, that store i bought the flute from? so anyway, this repair person i met told me that they testrun their flutes by a person who is not that experinced and who`s not a repair guy. So, i guess that`s way that store has so many problems. I mean their prices are amazing, but their service?..hmmm

When I purchased my Coda schoolgirl...I went to Sam Ash who had it for 1289.00. I went into the store and they actually called Orpheus Music Company (parent company of Pearl) and had them take one off of their shelf stock to send to me. I don`t like "middlemen" tinkering with my toys that I alone get to tinker with!!! Hope you enjoy your new flute.

-Dennis

Hey Dennis, How long have you been playing? just curious..^^

OOps sry stephenk, I didn`t see your post. So, since i had a repair guy fix my flute,..did I void my warenty? Because it wasn`t really big..it was a few adjustment problems that cost me 25$...not bad i thought. Because shipping will cost the same price too.

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hey, and also my mom could notice the sound difference from my old flute and pearl^^. She couldn't tell a big difference from the yamaha461 and Deminchi Jupiter(can't spell).

Hey Schoolgirl,

I have been playing flute for hmmm...I think it`s going on 14 years this year. Also, I tried a DiMedici earlier this month and was not impressed with the mechanism. It was quite soft and went out of whack way too easily. The sound was also not that great. I notice a great sound difference even between my two pearls. I think my older one is only solid nickel. No Silver to be found. It still sounded great, though. I just love the new one so much though. How long have you been playing schoolgirl?

-Dennis

Hey Dennis,
I think I already told you how long i played. but that`s okay.^^ I played since 5th grade and right now I`m a freshman in highschool. I got a private teacher in 8th, and that helped me a lot. My teacher helped me with compititions, and all sorts of stuff. Yea..i`m really glad to get rid of my beginner flute. SO HAPPY!! Semi-pro flute..oh yea.

Your finger presses center of key cup, which hits against the open tube... there shouldn`t be any key bending in the metal occurring in a casual play test.

I think perhaps all these issues of flutes going out of adjustment is more likely due to loose screws that aren`t being corrected rather than "soft metals". Screws should be treated with a mild sealant/glue so that they do not simply unscrew, but if that sealant is not present the screw can throw the flute out of adjustment in a matter of seconds. It`s a simple fix, which you really shouldn`t have to deal with if the seller properly checked the flute.

You can easily check for a loose screw with a screwdriver. The screw should be resistant to turning. Remember the screw location so that you can turn it back. If you find you have a loose screw problem and your flute simply cannot hold adjustment you can treat it with a clear nail polish to stop it from moving till you can get the flute to an adjuster. The clear nail polish will simply break right off with a turn of the screw. Don`t get it anywhere else, but in the screw.

I might also add... If you have a repair tech bending your key cups over the years your flute will certainly develop "soft metal" problems regardless of brand. Bending key cups will increase the plasticity of the metal where it is being bent, destroying your flutes` longevity. Your flute will end up going out of adjustment in a quicker period of time and over time if your flute continues to get that same bending repair treatment the keys will eventually break off.


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Sometimes keys can bend out of place over time due to how the player is holding/playing their flute and how much pressure they are exerting on the keywork/mechanism. In those cases the keywork must be bent back in proper place so one must also be aware that they aren't hurting their flutes themselves.

Sounds like you have had a lot of practice with adjustment screws. Nice information.