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Flute & Piccolo Repair
Professional /Open hole/Vintage
Flute & Piccolo:
Chris Moller does all repair work on site. You can expect the highest quality repair work available. There is no substitute for talent, tooling, schooling, a six-year apprenticeship, and continued training along with 24 years of experience. When your saxophone is repaired correctly it will play with an extremely light touch and all notes will respond easily. You will also experience a significantly stronger tone, more rich complex sub-tones and the ability to play very softly all the way down to low Bb.
Student Flute & Piccolo:
The extreme precision demanded by professional musicians is not necessary for students but the instrument does need to play easily without having to blow or squeeze harder. A poorly working instrument can be compared to trying out for basketball in flip-flops. The student can run and jump but will not make the team. Music can be great at building confidence but giving a student an instrument that doesn’t work properly can do the opposite. This is why it is extremely important to have an trained experienced technician make sure you instrument is in proper working order before beginning to learn an instrument. Most of the time Chris is in the shop and can give an accurate estimate before the instrument is left. Please bring everything used to play and care for the instrument including the neck, case and mouthpiece. Thanks, Chris Moller.
ESTIMATES // FREE
It is important to understand that flutes do not either play or not. The more they leak air the more difficult they are to play especially in the lower notes. If you believe you or your child may be playing on a flute that is under-repaired I recommend you bring it in and have the instrument checked out(even if another technician has already looked at it). I will let you know what I am able to do to improve its playability, how much it costs and how it will affect the way it plays
MINOR REPAIRS // $50 MIN
Minor repairs done while-you-wait as time and workload permit
CLEAN, OIL & ADJUST // $35 TO $165
Flutes begin to fall out of adjustment as soon as the flute is played. Pads are swelling and shrinking, adjustment screws can vibrate loose, corks will compress, oil dries out and so on. A clean, oil and adjust covers levelling pads, replacing pads and key silencers as needed, checking pad height and timing, cleaning and play test
HEAD JOINT & FOOT JOINT REFITTING // HEAD JOINT $18 / FOOT JOINT $50
It is very important for the head and foot joints to fit properly. They should be air tight but still slide in and out easily. Many student flutes are very out of round from the factory causing air leaks which greatly diminish the performance of the flute. The flute will respond much better if the joints are properly fit.
DENT WORK // $25 TO $65
Usually dented flutes do not get treated well. I recommend all dents be removed during the yearly clean, oil and adjust.
SOLDER WORK // $25 FIRST SOLDER JOINT / $15 EACH ADDT’L
Flutes are soft soldered together to allow parts to “break off” rather than causing more damage to the body. Most of the time I can solder parts so you can barely tell anything ever happened.
RE-PAD // $165 TO $185
Flute pads last about 5 to 10 years. Once the pads begin to tear, fray, shrink or harden technicians can no longer work with them and they will no longer play with a light touch. At Agave Music a repad includes removing all keys, cleaning the flute, minor dent work, refitting head and foot joints, replacing all pads, levelling all pads, oil, adjust and play test. (Only available on certain newer flutes)
MECHANICAL OVERHAUL W/ WOVEN FELT PADS // STARTING AT $275
Most student flutes came with woven felt pads originally. When installed correctly these pads will play with a light touch and consistent response. At Agave Music a mechanical overhaul refers to all work included in a re-pad plus a chemical cleaning, all new key silencers and new head cork. Mechanically your flute will be better than new. This repair comes with a one year Repair and Maintenance Contract signed by Chris Moller. Additional charges apply if a full hand polish is desired or if major dent and solder work is needed.
MECHANICAL OVERHAUL W/ PRESSED FELT PADS // STARTING AT $275
Pressed felt pads offer a firmer feel, more consistent seal and a cleaner response with an even lighter touch. Pressed felt pads are sometimes necessary on student flutes due to pads cups being made more shallow(Usually Yamaha or other Asian made flutes). Because these pads are more expensive and require more delicate partial shimming their repair cost is higher but worth it. At Agave Music a mechanical overhaul refers to all work included in a re-pad plus a chemical cleaning, all new key silencers and new head cork. Mechanically your flute will be better than new. This repair comes with a one year Repair and Maintenance Contract signed by Chris Moller. Additional charges apply if a full hand polish is desired or if major dent and solder work is needed.