I have a bit of a debate going with one of my flute colleagues, and I was hoping maybe someone here could help settle it. She says that the Powell 2100's had a problem with poorly soldered lip plates falling off. I've never heard anything about this type of problem in the 2100's, and quite frankly, I doubt the claim. Have any of you (particularly those that do repair work, like Kara, Joe, and Micron) heard about or experienced this? Thanks for any light you may be able to shed.

Never heard of a lip plate falling off any flute... maybe if someone grabbed and turned the head at the lip plate all the time.

I have read that James Galway once lost the barrel of a Muramatsu in a performance. Freak of nature though.

No, I never heard that one before. From what I have heard is that the 2100's had problems with the pads wearing out really fast because the keys and pads were made thinner on them.

I've never heard that OR experienced it. I've repaired tons of these and not one had bad lip plate soldering.

The 2100 was probably the most machine made flute on the planet with key cups designed to accomodate straubs. Most of the straub jobs on those were HORRIBLE!

Joe B

right you are Joe

For what it's worth, I think I might have heard a story about such a problem. It would have been on the internet that I heard it. Sounds like a fish story to me. (Unsubstantiated rumor, to those of you whose first language isn't English...)

I have a Powell 2100 and never had that problem