Any Flute?

We were recently asked if our repair shop accepts only Powell flutes and piccolos or if other brands could be sent as well.  The short answer is, "Yes, we accept all brands."  In fact, you'll see that written on our website repair scheduling page, which you can visit by following this link.

So, any brand will be okay, but we thought there may be some exceptions.  We checked with Rachel, and she gave us some clarity.  She said that yes, she can repair other brands, but it's most sensible to send only handmade flutes (of any brand) to Powell for repair.  For instance, if you happen to have a beginner flute, you should probably check with your local repair shop for service.  The repair technicians should be able to service a beginner flute and charge service fees that (also) would typically be less than for work on a handmade flute.

Modifications on other brands are something that Powell would not be able to do.  If you have a flute of a different brand and need new keywork or would like some type of mechanism modification, you would have to send the instrument to the original manufacturer.  As we've seen in a previous post (follow this link to read it), it's not possible for other shops to order Powell parts (since each part is handmade), so the reverse is true for Powell when it comes to other brands (the original manufacturer would have to make the part and do the repair). 

Finally, Powell would not be able to re-cut headjoints from other brands.  If you have a Powell headjoint, recutting it is typically not a problem (although you would need to have the headjoint evaluated first just to make sure).

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact our repair office.  Rachel, our technician, can be reached by phone at (978) 344-5164 or by e-mail: rbaker@powellflutes.com.

How Well Do You Know Your Flute?

If you have been shopping for a new flute, you've probably come across many choices, options, and specs for different models.  What do they all mean -- and how do they compare with your own flute?  Even if you are not looking for something new but are curious about the features and manufacturing date of your flute, if you play a Powell you can find this information online!

The Powell website's online bible allows you to enter a Powell serial number and find the specs on that instrument.  For instance, we entered serial number 14543 and found the following:














It may be a bit hard to read, but the photo above is a computer screen shot with the search results, which are:

Serial Number: 14543

Completion Date:  9/16/2011

Specs:  Powell Handmade Custom 14K Aurumite flute with sterling silver mechanism, .016" tubing, soldered tone holes, A442, Modern Powell Scale, B footjoint with gizmo, offset G, French cups, split-E and Powell pinless mechanism.

Model:  Handmade Custom Flute

So, this tells us quite a bit about the flute -- the date of completion, model, body and mechanism materials, body thickness, type of tone holes, pitch, scale, and options.  For someone looking to purchase a new Powell, it may be difficult to remember all the specs if you are trying multiple flutes, so you could print these results to help in the decision making process.  If you are searching for your own flutes, you may find information you did not know previously.  Perhaps you wondered if your flute had soldered tone holes, or a pinless mechanism, or the body tubing thickness -- and the search results can tell you this.  Wondering when exactly your flute was made?  As you can see, a quick database search will tell you the exact month, day and year!

All Powell instruments are listed in the database, so even if you have a serial number with only 2 digits, you should be able to find it.  If you have a Handmade Conservatory flute, you may need to enter "CHM-(serial number)" or "HC-(serial number)."  For instance, "CHM-123" or "HC-123."  Whether it is a flute or piccolo, it should be searchable.  Since the records were transferred from the physical "Powell Bible" to the online database, it is possible that you may find an error.  In that case, make sure to contact our Marketing Director, Christina Guiliano-Cobas at cg@powellflutes.com to let her know.

After you find the specs, you may be wondering what they mean -- like "soldered tone holes."  We have plenty of information on our website, and in our Flute Builder blog as well.  If you are on the blog, type "soldered tone holes" in the search bar, and see what comes up!  You should see several posts.  Between our general site, Flute Builder blog, and a Google search, your questions should be answered!