Hello all,

I have recently (today) realigned all of my keys. The keys, I don't believe were ever set properly for my flute. I got a leak light (with my musicmedic.com flute kit) and found any number of wrong things with my keys. I was wondering why my flute was sucking horribly. Well, I guess after playing it for a while since receiving it...the pads don't make a good seal. I went through the entire flute and checked every tonehole with a feeler gauge, cigarette paper, and the leak light. The sound is infinitely better now! The only problem is my low Ab. I was playing the first movement of Muczynski's Sonata. You know how the first note and some subsequent notes are that Ab? Well, they are all accented. I am trying to accent them, and my Ab cracks every time. I can play it fine just normally, but I cannot accent it. I have rechecked everything that I can think of (adjustment screws, key height, springs), and have not found anything wrong. It is absolutely wonderful sounding except for that Ab, and SOMETIMES going from A2-E3 I hit A3 instead of the E3. That's not all the time now, though. Most of that was fixed with the key adjustments. I am just so frustrated. I am trying to learn to deal with these complications on my own, and I don't seem to be succeeding as much as I would like to. On the other hand, I have completely repadded an Eb and a Bb Clarinet successfully. The flute I tried repadding: Oh my goodness it's a horrendous nightmare. Thanks for the help guys and gals!

-Dennis

I do have a split E. The flute is less than 2 months old. It was also bought brand new and played wonderfully when I received it. I think due to playing it the felts compressed, and adjusting screws seem have gone awry. Maybe it could be something with the headjoint. I was using my old headjoint because I hated the one that came with the flute. My old headjoint is nickel with silver lip. The new one is solid silver with 10K gold solid lip. Now that I have changed the headjoint, the Ab takes more before it cracks because of the resitance in it. The only problem is that it still does crack. Maybe I need a headjoint with more resistance than this even? The A-E still doesn't work that well though. The only time it works well is when I almost pinch the sound off and almost close my mouth to slur it up there. Of course that doesn't have the best intonation! Thanks!

-Dennis

OK! I just fixed it. Check this out: My low G was alright, the Ab was bad with force (but the headjoint fixed most of that) The F was kinda fuzzy, and the E was perfect. upon closer inspection I found that my lower G key was off a little when I played high E. The split E was pushing that side of the pad down, but there was nothing returning the pressure on the opposite side of the pad. This created a sliver of a leak. I had to use my key wedges to offset that extra pressure, but balance it with the upper G key so that it doesn't have too much pressure on that side and make my G fuzzy. I have come to the conclusion that the Split E has ticked me off more times than anything on a flute, and my next one will not have it. That danged arm screws my flute up more than anything. The felt compressed after two weeks of playing. There was a LARGE leak in the lower G key then! I noticed this slight problem before, but it was at a time when my flute wasn't playing great enough to notice a difference in the note. Now, though, it is. Thanks for your help Micron! If you didn't understand a word I am saying let me know and I will try to draw a picture and email it to you for future reference just in case you see this happen. Thanks!

-Dennis

I have been using that Pearl 505 I picked up rather regularly in hopes that perhaps I needed to acclimate to it. Well... the darned F key (rather the key it affects) wasn't sealing well tonight. Such a pain. I suspect the cushy material that Pearl used to silence screws from striking metal compresses over time and leads to this. What a major faux pax if your flute also uses the same cushy material. If you look at the material closely you can see the screws are digging into them.

Have your "silencers" replaced with a material that doesn't compress. You may want to replace some felt with cork as the felt is going to compress over time. Such work should be included in the cost of a professional adjustment and you probably want to have the flute go through a full adjustment to have any flaws identified and fixed. Think of it as detailing your flute.

Looks like Micron was able to help you. Good. He is the best to ask, he has the most experience. There is still plenty that I am learning everyday.

Now you do see why I always say I despise the split E so much on flutes. They are more trouble then they are worth IMHO.

I will tell you this, I don't like those leak lights. They illuminate everything and shine right through the pads making it even harder to see any leaks in my opinion. I like to use a feeler gage. You can make one yourself. I use a strip of cassette tape and glue that to a thick piece of card board to use as a handle. I also like just using my own eyes. I am sure Micron has a better way that he does it, but that is just the way I have been doing it and had been taught. The longer you repair, the easier it get's to find those nasty leaks. If I play a flute now that is just the slightest bit off, it will drive me crazy. I can pick up the slightest things wrong on a flute now.

Well, my Flute isn't a student instrument. It's the Pearl 765RBE-Coda Quantz. It's their top intermediate, low professional, but it isn't handmade of course. Maybe that's the trick. When you order a flute that isn't handmade, have everything replaced! I don't think it's just the Split-E itself. They use freaking felt to cushion it. They use felt for everything on this flute. I'm sorry, but for 2300 dollars I expected a little more quality. I guess I only paid for the silver, though. I had it looked over the day I got it after playing through it at the store. It sounded great then. I took it to my repair tech, and had him look over the flute and do any minor adjustments. I guess he did't have a problem with the felts, but now that's why I have a supply of cork on hand.

BTW Stephen - I have replaced all of the silencers with suede, but I am thinking of changing them all to cork instead. Their silcencers...what are yours made of? Mine were little white squares. I have no clue what they are. Is it vinyl?

-Dennis

I have those little white squares. They remind me of the cushy material in two-sided tape.

On my Gem I had paper silencers put in. They have worked well and they've been in for 6 months now. The paper is thin and reminiscent of old grocery bag paper.

No matter what I use it seems like my flute just wants to be heard and make a roucous. It really gets bad in recording. listen to the recording below and see what I mean...I can't believe how loud the keys are...I don't think I could hit them hard enough to make them sound that bad on my older flute (which is an older Pearl Model PF-521).

http://www.upload2.net/download2/ONX5KV6RENf20dx/The+Way+of+the+River.mp3.html

-Dennis

Funny because I own a Brannen at they use cork under my G# key. There is not felt on my flute. I have yet to see any top made models with felt used on them. Nagahara and Powell I know don't either.

Do NOT use cork as silencing material under regulation screws. Use a thin paper. Felt is normally used for KEY HEIGHT regulation, almost anything can be used for silencers under regulating screws, but it MUST be thin and not very compressable (like thin paper--- .003")

Brannen uses something that looks like cork, but is not, it's called scotfoam and is used in all the regulations for the clutch plates in the broegger mechanik.

Pearls are intolerant of leaks. The only way to be sure that you have removed all traces of leaks is by using a magnehelic (rather expensive testing equipment for the amatuers though).

Pearl's quasi pinless mechanism with split E always ends up having problems with anything involving the king post (which means the Split E/G regulation and F-F#) Eventually the king post wears from the enormous stress on it, elongating the hole through the key. (clank, clank - won't stay in regulation) The only fix is to retrofit the key with a steel bushing. (expensive to do, but it will get rid of that annoying clank forever and maintain regulation)

Lighten your springs on the F# and lower G (non fingered notes and you will have less problems and slow down the rate of wear.

Once that king post wears even a little, you will never keep that cluster of notes regulated.

I wish miyazawa would reintroduce the split E mechanism they used some years ago. Very simplistic and worked on in-line models. The mechanism was all close to the axles eliminating the sawing motion that wears the king post out.

It's also my guess that your tone holes are quite unlevel which is why you need to keep adjusting those pads...

Joe B

Micron,

The Flute they have listed on that site isn't the one I have. I have the 765RBE-CODA. It's their lowest pro model. I think they call it that because this one comes with the C#-trill and D# roller, and 10K Solid Lip. That's what the guy on the phone called it when I called to ask him about it at Orpheus Music. Even if it isn't true, I just wanted to let you know that that isn't my flute and mine isn't even listed on that website at all. Thanks for the info...I am sending some of this to my "email flute teacher" to hear what she says about it.

-Dennis

That I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Taiwan, though. I mean it really is poorly made I think. Well, I shouldn't say poorly, but whatever. I will eventually get a better flute. One that is unmistakeably a professional model. Maybe Altus, or Muramatsu, or Nagahara if I can afford it...HAHAHHAHH!! Yeah Right!

-Dennis

Sorry Micron,

I meant the Lever extension arm right next to the king post. I've got King posts on the brain when talking about split E's since everything is right in that area...

A long lever like that produces a lot of wear..

Joe B

<Added>

Added to say no more than any other flute, It just wears differently.

When the E key pivots the clutch plate it wears in the King post on traditional models. Replacing or making a new bearing is not as big a deal as doing the key retrofit on the pearl.

This is great! Now we have two more expereinced repair techs on here.
Thanks for taking your time to answer the techincal questions. I am still faitfully learning repairs everyday and have already learned a great deal just from Micron.

Hey Dennis, perhaps you may want to ask the advise of Louis Carlini regarding what to do with your Pearl. I noticed he is active on the FluteList and he is a flute tech and Pearl sales person.
http://www.fluterepairbylou.com/

Best to have someone who likes Pearls to work on your flute and will warranty the repair.

If you are a member of the Flutelist http://www.larrykrantz.com/fluteweb/fluteweb.htm do search the archive for Carlini to see what his views on things flute.

His view on Pearl:
"As a repairman. I can say that in my experience Pearls holds up very
nicely. They ALL have pinless mechanisms, which are subject to less
problems, are more stable and have incredible action. I am a distributor
for Pearls, so my endorsement may be viewed as self serving...
never-the-less, I am sincere in what I say."

Here's a couple of endorsements:
"I live in Staten Island, but I schlep to Fair Lawn, N.J. (about 8 miles west
of the George Washington Bridge) for my repairs. I have a 1974 Haynes on
permanent loan from a friend that was in terrible condition (the flute, not
the friend), leaked like a sieve. Lou Carlini got that flute in great shape
for a very good price. Did some work on my daughter's flute and piccolo,
also. He's the best. Awfully nice guy, too."

"I also use Louis Carlini (Fair Lawn, NJ) and have never been dissappointed.
The first time I went to him, I was touting a flute in barely playable
condition. He offered to let me stay while he worked on it (easier than
driving home and back again). He was very precise; if he did something he
felt wasn't exactly perfect, he'd start over, no matter how long he'd worked
on it. After an amazing about of work over the course of quite a few hours,
he only charged me $40. I agree with Jane. . .he is well worth the trek from
the city area."