What Goes Into a Flute Overhaul?
A good overhaul makes your flute play well—and keep playing well. Better pad seal means better response, better articulation, and an easier instrument to play.
Step 1: Mechanical Work
The mechanical condition of your flute is what separates a good instrument from a great one. If this is done well once, your flute won't need major attention again for a very long time. It also sets the foundation for everything else—pads, tuning, response.
Any flute with Lotus, Straubinger, Pisioni S2, or JS Gold pads must be in precise mechanical condition first.
What Gets Done
- Straightening the body
- Removing dents
- Flattening tonehole surfaces
- Centering pads over toneholes
- Aligning padcups parallel to the tonehole surface
- Cleaning and replacing oil on bearing surfaces
- Straightening bent keys and rods
- Removing key play to 0.001" tolerance
Step 2: Stabilizers
Most flute padcups are stamped—they don't have a flat surface inside. Stabilizers are plastic or metal discs that sit under the pad and create a flat, even surface for them to sit on.
Stabilizers also help align the pad parallel to the tonehole, which means fewer shims are needed. Fewer shims means a more reliable seal over time. They are a part of the padding process for Straubinger, Pisioni S2, and JS Gold pads. Muramatsu uses their own Lotus pad System.
Why Stabilizers Matter
- Create a flat surface for a consistent seal
- Better, more reliable response
- Pads last longer
- Easier to service in the future
- Required for high-end pads
Step 3: Pads
Good pads are the difference between an okay flute and a great one. Even a small leak affects how the flute responds. The goal is a pad that seals perfectly right away and stays sealed for years.
How We Test for Leaks
On professional and handmade flutes, we test each pad with a Magnehelic leak testing machine. After padding, the flute sits for 24 hours and is checked again with a feeler guage, leak light and playtesting.
Which Pad Is Right for You?
Straubinger / Psioni S2
A flat, consistent pad using a Delrin cup for a perfectly even surface. Ultrasuede facing keeps it quiet. Excellent seal right away, and holds it for years. Requires a flute with precise, stable mechanics—not compatible with all instruments.
Straubinger Phoenix
Similar construction as the Straubinger, but with an extra layer of ultrasuede over the Delrin cup. Feels softer—similar to a felt pad—but compresses less over time. Quieter key contact than a standard Straubinger.
JS Gold
A flat pad using an aluminum ring and synthetic skin. All the benefits of a Straubinger, plus better water resistance—a good choice if you play outdoors often. Only available for professional flutes. Requires precise, stable mechanics.
Pressed Felt
A firm felt core pad. Flatter and less affected by humidity than a woven pad. Holds its shape better over time. Needs more mechanical precision than a woven pad, but less than a Straubinger.
Woven Felt
The classic flute pad. Very soft, and works on instruments with less precise mechanics. More affected by humidity and may need more frequent upkeep. These are used on many traditional flutes. A good choice if you want a traditional, warm flute sound.
Key Materials
The materials used between keys and body affect how quiet, how smooth, and how long-lasting the action feels. Our current preference is ultrasuede.
| Material | Notes |
|---|---|
| Felt | Natural, soft, and quiet. The traditional choice. |
| Ultrasuede | Synthetic suede. Soft, quiet, and more durable than felt. |
| Synthetic Felt | Synthetic felt. Harder than ultrasuede. |
| Pad Leather | Thin, durable, and quiet. Good for silencing adjustment screws. |
| Paper | Thin and quiet, but breaks down when wet. |
| Teflon | Very slippery but noisy. Best used alongside quieter materials. |
| Cork | Quiet but compresses with time and isn't very slippery. Used on trill keys and the foot joint D# key. |
| Synthetic Cork | Not recommended for flutes. |
Final Setup: Tuning and Response
Once all the work is done, key height can be adjusted to fine-tune the sound and intonation of individual notes. Small changes here can shift the tone color and tuning of specific notes to suit your playing style.
Headjoint Cork
The headjoint cork has a big impact on how your flute plays. If it isn't in the right position, your intonation will suffer. If it doesn't seal well, your response will suffer. Even if this is the only thing we change it can have a huge impact on the sound of our flute.