Moderators: Classitar, pied_piper, Phineas
Have you tried Instrumentclinic USA? What about Yamaha originals?mirwa wrote:There is no answer, Im sorry to say.
Every pad manufacturer is different and every type of pad needs a different process to set them right.
The key is find a pad that is easily obtainable and learn how to fit it properly.
Do a few flutes with a style of pad. Them try another style. Eventually you will find something that suits you
Pisonis are good, but I dont like them, ive repaddded probably 50 flutes before I came to that decision for myself, Music medic pads are soft, Ive repadded probably 50-60 flutes again with them, I dont use them any more. Music Centre pads are good, probably a 100 or so repads done with those, I dont use them any more.
Currently I like hermes, ive done a few hundred flute repads with them because I like them and they are good for me.
The goal is to start with something and learn to use that product, per-fect that product before you try something else, Ive probably still got 400 or maybe even upwards of a 1000 or so music medic pads still tucked away in some of my draws, so if your interested in them, we can do a deal, but find something and stick with it.
Thanks, Joe.JButky wrote:The majority of flute pads used by most manufacturers are produced by Pisoni. They are the largest OEM supplier in the world. You just have to get the ones with the right specs, Type of felt, thickness, etc. The rest is how you install them.
The major supply houses, Smith, Ferree's Allied, Kraus carry pads under some different names that are all pisoni made. The most widely recognized quality felt pad can be found under the name "Lucien Deluxe".
The "best" pad is simply the one that is installed properly.
Yes it's called resilience. You've mentioned this before a while back and that was a VERY HELPFUL RED Flag that had stayed in my mind. Having said that, I tried it short of structural alignment. BUT would NEVER have released the flute.mirwa wrote:I shudder at you reply. Sorry....
Hang on there mirwa. That was just an experiment. I have heard people mention that and wanted to know what they meant. PLEASE Read carefully. I said all my others were shimmed and were successful. I too agree with you and do not like the soft pads. I think the firm ones are better. Having ensure tone holes are level, to then shim the pads for a perfect seal.
If your going to learn to do the job then IMO you should learn to do it right.I agree that's a given.
It IMO is not right to clamp flute pads / wet and steam them and so forth. Please read again. All my other paddings were shimmed and I've been elated by the successes thanks to all the help from this forum. As I had encountered some mal aligned keys, and acquired a pad clamp from JLS, I wanted to try it out ... to test the outcomes of this band aid method (which i too do not like as it would reflect on the repairer should the pads unseal over time) and found that to be wanting. It makes sense that this is not stable due to the springyness of felt and that over time this unsettles. I would NEVER have released a flute done this way. PERISH THE THOUGHT! However, I thought I'd do and see. And it has proved so. That JLSmith sells pad clamps is surprising - if this is so. And I had been suckered into one, hence, I tried it out. THE LAST THING I WANT IS AN UNSTABLE PAD. Please be assured that QA is of paramount importance to me. Riding the curve still.
I receive so many flutes that have been repadded by others only for me to inform the poor customer the job needs to be done again, simply because someone who thinks they know what they are doing has fitted the pad and clamped it down and steamed it to death. hehehe, I can understand your frustrations, don't worry, I have NO intention of being one of them peeps. Turns out my padding would have been fine but for some idiot technician had bent some of the keys on the RH mechanism this way and that and the pads just aren't going to settle until the underlying structural is fixed. I had missed that step since none of the previous 16 flutes had that problem. But because I have encountered this it is seared in my consciousness to check that first hand per JButky advise. Hence it shall be interesting how that will be fixed. Faced with that situ, I had a clamp and thought I'd use it to see how it works.
A flute that has been padded correctly does not need to be clamped to play, a light wetting of the pads and a small heat source is used to remove wrinkles from a pads surface.I believe Bob, Joe and yourself had drummed that into me quite successfully in previous threads; about softer pads versus professional firmer pads.Can't agree more - thanks to you.
Hop up from a chair and look at the impression caused from sitting on it, go and have a meal and then come back, you will see the impression is gone, a flute is the same, impressioning the pads to make a seal is a very short lived process, and most flutes start to falter within a couple of weeks, Ive seen some within days that were not playable because someone used clamps to seat the pads
At this stage I couldn't thank you all more.
FYI - Jeff is the "J" in J.L. Smith. He is the owner/founder and an excellent tech in his own right. I've had the pleasure of meeting him at his store in Charlotte NC and to visit his repair shop there. I think he is a true visionary in the field of flute repair and tools. If you can make it to his clinic, it would be well worth your while!mirwa wrote:There is a clinic being held in sydney in october with jeff from j.l.smith, you may want to make some enquiries and go along...
