Posted on the "Flutist" forum at Groups.YaHoo.com used by permission.
From: "Louis Carlini"
Date: Thu Dec 2, 2004 8:23 pm
Subject: Those cheap flutes at BJ's etc.
Greetings group,
Well, I have finally had one of "those" flutes come to my bench. Normally
I work on intermediate thru the top
"high end" instruments, but a friendasked me as a favor to help because she knew better than to take this instrument to any store. The
"BRAND NAME" was FIRST ACT. What did I find? The tubing, and fit of sockets was acceptable... betterthan Bundy from the '40's.
The key work was so-so... with the ends of the hinges needing to be de-burred. Some of the key cups needed to be centered over the tone
holes. [But I have seen that even on some high end instruments on occasion.] The mechanism was rather soft for brass or nickel silver.
It responded more like silver. What was most distressing was the thickness of the pads, and the shortness of the spuds [the nut that
takes the pad screw.]. Because the spuds were too short, the pads were drawn down too tight, making the skin tight and creating
irregularities in the pad surface. Most of the screws were not snugged down fully, and two of the pad screws had been lost. I don't know
what held the pads in! I had to replace screws and washers. The remaining washers were rough and had burrs. Those that had been de-burred
had rough edges from the file they used to remove the burrs. [they still had some burrs too.] The pivot screws, at least, had heads, but
even so, one had been lost, because they too had not been snugged. The C roller was also loose and when snugged down there was still
excessive lateral play. Oh, and the G# key had a spring two sizes too weak. It fell out of the key when I removed it from the body. I had
a lot of hand finishing to do on this instrument. Of course the bridged key on the foot joint and the foot joint posts had to be
realigned. Also the trill posts, and the right hand section allowed too much side play. The Bb button had a CORK not a felt, and the
button interfered with the action of the B key itself. The Arm of the Bb kicker touched the trill rod, and the keys were set to
inadequate venting heights. The F to Bb regulation could not be set securely, and I found that was because the pin for the A / Bb and Bb
kicker on the LH [offset G] even though driven in, allowed the Bb key to move... therefore requiring re-pinning to make it solid and
secure. None of the pads were covering in the back, and because the skins were so tight, shimming was really not an option. [I do not
believe in leaving the pad screw a bit loose, I will not resort to glues or tricks to prevent the pad screw from coming out.] One option
would have been to replace the spuds. On a high end instrument, this might be a worthwhile operation. But a flute that I would not want
in my scrap pile?...not a chance. The repairs on this instrument, even with a "compassionate discount" were a substantial percentage of
the original purchase price. Was it worth it for a beginner student? Not if the kid has to struggle with making basic tones because of
leaks, mis-regulations and mechanical defects. Like the Romans used to say "Caveat emptor" roughly translated.... "let the buyer beware."
If you just want a flute to make a lamp from, or to hang on the wall... this is it guys.... but don't give it to a student and expect
them to make progress. Do your Christmas shopping accordingly!!!!!
Regards,
Lou Carlini
North Jersey Flute Center
201-791-4097
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