Celebrating 30 years of guiding flutists

We've handpicked the best quality for the money deals that we know, from beginner to top-of-the-line pro models. Our specialty lies in carefully preparing each instrument to ensure it says in good adjustment - before it reaches your hands.

About Cincinnati Fluteworks

Our 30th Anniversary Year. Often, the first thing people say to us is "My flute teacher told me to call you." Teachers know we'll take the time to answer your questions and give you complete information about the differences between flutes -- whether it's a professional or student instrument, or repair.

For 30 years, Cincinnati Fluteworks has been guiding flutists through what can be the confusing road of selecting a new instrument. Through seminars, informative publications about the flute and its upkeep, and "general flute education", our focus has always been to help you know more about your instrument, how to take care of it, and pick the right instrument that fits you. To make it easy for moms and dads, we're focusing on getting the most for your money. We've hand-picked the best quality for the money deals we know, from beginner to top-of-the-line pro models. Look for our great specials! Remember, we carry all the major brands of student and professional flutes.

Flute Repair New Products and Info!

Professional warranted flute repairs are the cornerstone of Cincinnati Fluteworks. A thorough understanding of manufacturers' techniques and many years of experience in instrument building, restoration, and mechanism design have made our technicians masters at what they do. Pat North has over 35 years of experience in repairs of any type of flute imaginable.

Why Our Repairs Are More Stable and Reliable

There are specific techniques and materials that make our repairs more stable and last longer than other repair shops. Here's a sampling:

• Before padding the flute, the stability of the mechanism is assessed. Excess movement on all axis, left and right, back and forth, is gauged and corrected. Many aspects of a flute contributes to how well your instrument will wear, stay in adjustment, and how long your pads will last. These details are checked, corrected, and tweaked using techniques only repair people accustomed to building flutes employ. This experience, in addition to the patience, and fine touch of a flutist, makes a world of difference between us and most repair shops.

• I suppose if just reading about our procedures would make other repair shops also do them, their repairs would be as reliable too. However, the skill, fastidiousness, and experience of what works and what doesn't, as well as 30 years of repairing handmade professional flutes, shows up in the stability and longevity of our repairs. Clients often comment that their instrument plays better than when they were new.

Good Products Also Contribute To This Stability

• We only use Moisture-proof Shims in padding Pro and Pre-pro flutes. They are impervious to moisture and make a much more stable seat for the pad. Moisture is the enemy of pads, adjustments, and the paper shims that make pads seat. It makes them swell and leak. With moisture-proof shims, the pad will last longer without as much maintenance or downtime for repairs. We shim to .0005 inches. That's much less than the thickness of a human hair! Shimming this finely with plastic and moisture-proof shims takes more time during the repair and the shims are much more expensive than traditional paper shims, but the benefits are tremendous
• We use the best Italian Lucien Pisoni Deluxe pads on even student overhauls and complete pad jobs. They are a firm pad that resists packing down and the leaks that a packed down soft pad creates. The skins are tough and clear (double yellow skins). A firm pad that seals well makes articulation (tonguing) and response much quicker and clearer on any flute. Though these pads cost us more, they make for a longer lasting repair. Ask us about Straubinger and Schmidt Gold pads for your Pro flute.

A Word on Tone Holes

Many "lesser advised" repair techniques use filing tone holes as a way to make a pad seat easier, and short cut the time it takes to pad an instrument. Surprisingly, some repairpersons working on Pro instruments file tone holes. Not only can filing a tone hole change the intonation of the flute, something manufacturers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars perfecting, it greatly compromises the structure of the chimney hole. We do not file tone holes unless they have been damaged in an accident and filing is imperative.

Scheduling Repairs and Turnaround Times

Meeting your deadlines is important to us! We are recommitting ourselves to meeting your schedule deadlines and quick as possible turnaround times. Please phone or write us about scheduling. We'll get you right in and get your instrument back in your hands as quickly as possible. In addition, be sure to tell us the brand, model, age, and description of the problem (or maintenance) in your e-mail. We look forward to making you a happy customer!

Contact us at (513) 579-8294 or e-mail us at info@fluteworks.com.

For details on what is included in each type of repair, including prices: Repairs and Modifications.

Repair FAQ's

These are Questions and Answers that clients often ask. We'll keep adding to this column. Send us your questions and we'll be happy to answer them.

About Ordering Instruments

For ordering or to test drive a flute, please call or e-mail us. Among our many informative data pages, we recommend reading the following data pages to narrow your search:

• How to Shop for a New Instrument Data Page

• Focus On Step-up Instruments

• How to Try Flutes at a Convention

E-mail us at info@fluteworks.com.

Online ordering available in the future.

How to Shop for a New Instrument Data Page

Read our data page "How to Shop for a New Instrument" for detailed information on how to find and test a flute that is just right for you. You can use the same tests for previously-owned instruments to tell if they will hold up well and be worth the money.

Read more about: How to Shop for a New Instrument Data Page.

Handcutting of Embouchure and Tone Holes

We are nationally recognized for our innovative work with these modifications. If your flute is stuffy or stiff sounding, it would probably benefit from our skillful hand cutting of the embouchure hole. Each headjoint is individually assessed to ensure maximum improvement. Tone hole fraizing remedies excessive cracking between intervals. Please refer to our Data Page, Fraizing and Undercutting for a more detailed explanation of these procedures.

Contact us

Cincinnati Fluteworks, 621 Clemmer Ave. #9, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219
Phone: (513) 579-8294
Fax: (513) 579-8305

For questions about flutes, sales, repairs, and other inquiries, contact us at:
info@fluteworks.com

© 2010 Cincinnati Fluteworks, Inc