I specialize in the repair and maintenance of professional, hand-made flutes. My customers range from serious students of the flute to internationally-known soloists. If you’re a busy performer, life is hard enough; you deserve to work with a versatile technician who understands your needs and your schedule. I’m proud of the skill and service I offer to flutists, and am happy to provide references upon request. Read a few on the Customer Comments page of this web site.

I work on most flute brands sold today. When it comes to pads, I’m expert with traditional felt pads; given some initial coddling and time to settle in, they are still a superb choice. Also, I install JS Gold and Silver pads, and am a Straubinger-certified technician.

It’s important to have your instrument serviced at least once a year, perhaps more often if you play daily under varying conditions. See my article, Achieving Balance: Clean, Oil, and Adjust.* (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Shop policies are outlined below. I hope you will call or email me with your flute-related questions, or just to talk about flutes. Consultation and guidance on purchasing a new flute or headjoint are also available.

Syrinx Policies and Practices

First contact, via email or telephone, will explore the following: your flute, its age and maintenance history, your experience with it over the years, and any problems you currently notice.

Arranging for service

While guidelines and rules are necessary for doing business, I make every effort to accommodate your individual situation. My fee is $85 per hour, one hour minimum. After inspecting your flute, I can give you a written estimate of the cost and time necessary to repair your instrument, along with my recommendations and any options or choices to consider. Once the work is underway, the flute may reveal problems with materials, mechanism, or pads that require additional work. If I need to order replacement parts, for example, you might need to leave your flute longer than planned. If my estimate is significantly altered, I will notify you.

Repairs generally fall into the following categories, listed below in order of increasing cost. Time estimates include sufficient time for playing your flute and rechecking the finished work, a practice that helps ensure the stability of pads and adjustments. “Adjustment” is flute jargon for calibrating your flute’s keywork. Key cups that are held open with springs, cups held closed with springs, keys closed by fingers, and those closing via clutches or pinned mechanisms -- all need to be sensitively balanced, the tension just right, with all pads covering well. Adjusting a flute also includes the task of removing “lost motion,” an undesirable drop under your finger before a key engages.

• Clean/Oil/Adjust (C/O/A): clean and hand polish, inspect parts (pins, screws, pads, felts, corks) and replace as necessary, re-oil, level pads, correct adjustments. One- to two-week turnaround. Recommended annually. 60-day warranty.
• C/O/A with replacement of up to three pads, two- to three-week turnaround. 60-day warranty.
• Re-pad flute: machine-buff tubing and hand-polish keywork, replace all pads, balance adjustments, test-play and re-adjust. Three- to four-week turnaround. Includes one, free service appointment for pads and mechanism within twelve months.
• Overhaul: remove “play” in the mechanism, replace parts as necessary, machine-buff entire flute, re-pad, play-in, and re-adjust. Time estimate upon inspection. Includes one, free service appointment for pads and mechanism within twelve months.

Emergency repair service is sometimes possible with a turnaround time of one hour to one day. Not covered by warranty, it is recommended for problems where your flute is working well one day and not working the next. Or if you have a concert to play and need help. Now. Call me for availability.

Details

Ship your flute via FedEx, UPS, or DHL, at a mutually agreed-upon time, with signature required. Your invoice will include a return shipping-and-handling charge. For an extra fee, a custom-constructed, foam-lined flute shipping box can be mailed to you prior to your appointment. The US Post Office will not carry packages upstairs to my workspace to gather a signature, so it’s the carrier of last resort.

Your flute must be insured before you send it to me. My insurance does not cover your instrument.

Repair and maintenance on professional, hand-made flutes is warrantied. By warranty, I mean this: once I’ve worked on your flute, I will do whatever is necessary, normally at no additional charge, other than shipping and handling within the warranty period, to make sure it’s right for you. I want you to be thoroughly satisfied with your flute and in your working relationship with me.

I regret that I cannot extend my warranty to student flutes. In general, if a flute has adjustment screws near the top of the right hand key cups, it is classified as a student or “step-up” instrument, and the adjustments are not designed to be as stable as those on a hand-made flute. In addition to this restriction, my warranty does not apply 1) if someone works on your flute after me, or 2) if you can’t leave your flute with me for at least 24 hours.

Repairing historic or antique flutes takes longer than similar work on modern flutes. Antique instruments require non-standard tools and materials, and parts may need to be fabricated in a machine shop. The same hourly rate applies, but you should assume that these repairs will cost more than those on a modern instrument, and are more difficult to estimate.

* Other articles by Sarah Merrow:

Lighthearted Flourishes: Richard Degel marries technique with artistry in his Boston hand-engraving shop

HeadJoints: Mystery vs. Mastery, reprinted with permission from The Flutist Quarterly, Volume 33, No. 1, Fall 2007.

Tel: 978.771.7945
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