The Powell Handmade Alto

Powell's Repair Technician, Rachel Baker, has seen Powell flutes and piccolos of all ages and styles cross her bench over the years.  This week, however, she had the chance to work on something that she had never seen until now -- a Powell Handmade alto flute.

The flute (serial number 5006) was made in 1977 and was in the shop for a C.O.A. (clean, oil, adjust).  Looking back through the Powell Bible, we discovered that only 34 Powell alto flutes had been made in the history of the company.  The production of these flutes spanned from 1930 to 1990, with a large majority (15) being made between 1976 and 1978.  This particular alto was also one of only four that were made with gold lip plates.

Indeed, this was a special and memorable moment for Rachel. Speaking about the actual C.O.A. process on the alto, Rachel said it was pretty much the same as it is for C flutes.  She said, "same oil, same pads -- just things are a bit bigger." Although the flute originally had felt pads, we noticed that it now has Straubinger pads, so we could see her point about the similarity!

In terms of differences, this particular instrument was definitely one of a kind.  Rachel told us that when it comes to models (like altos) that were made in small quantities, you can find slight design differences among them.  She admired the keywork for its aesthetics and noted that both the body and mechanism were sterling silver.  She was particularly fond of the pointed arms and small points in the middle of the key cups which you will see in the photos below.

Although we did not have information on the actual karat of the lip plate, Rachel said that it is most likely 18k, as this was quite common during the time when this flute was made. Today, Powell offers alto flutes only in the Powell Sonaré line--the AF-60 and AF-70. Both models come with an all sterling silver Powell headjoint made at the shop in Maynard, Massachusetts, and a choice between straight or curved headjoints. Click here to find more information about these models on the Powell website.

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.

Trying New Crowns

Silver, 10k, 14k, and 19.5k crowns

Recently, we've had several inquiries from flutists wanting to try different crowns.  Even though it is a very small part of the flute, the crown can make a big difference -- as you might remember from our "Changing the Crown" post on Flute Builder. 

So, if you are interested in trying a different crown, you may be wondering what options you have...  Can you put a gold crown on a silver headjoint?  A silver crown on a gold headjoint?  Gold or silver crowns on Aurumite headjoints?  Well, after speaking with Powell's Director of Quality and Service, Rebecca Eckles, we found out that essentially any metal-to-metal option would work, because the crowns are all the same size and can fit any headjoint.  But, this is only with metal.

If you have a wooden headjoint, you would not be able to switch out its crown for an all metal one.  Also, you would not be able to put a wooden crown on a metal headjoint.  The reason for this is because wooden crowns are larger in size that metal crowns, so the two are not interchangeable. 

If you are interested in trying a new crown, try a few different ones.  Here are Powell, we have silver, 10k, 14k, and 19.5k crowns.  You can order one directly from the Powell VQP Shop at https://powellflutes.com/vqpshop/crowns-extensions.

Without crowns in this picture, you can see the size difference between metal and wooden headjoints.

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!

Buying at a Show?

Powell display at the 2013 NFA Convention

Since we're getting ready for the 2014 NFA, we thought it would be a good time to talk about purchasing flutes at a show.  At Powell, if you choose to buy a flute that is on display at our booth, you may be surprised to find out that it has to go back to the shop first -- and then on to you.  So, what exactly happens when it comes back?  We spoke with Repair Technician, Rachel Baker, to find out...

Rachel told us that she essentially does a COA (clean, oil, adjust) on the flute.  She said, specifically, that she does the following steps, in order:

1) Takes everything apart
2) Polishes the body
3) Checks soldered tone holes for any leaks
4) Checks the pads and adjustments
5) Hand polishes the keys
6) Puts the flute back together and does a "play in"
7) Fits the headjoint
8) Puts the flute in a new case

Because the flute has been travelling to and from the event, Rachel says she just wants to make sure that everything is okay.  She said that purchasing a flute that has been on display is actually a good thing, because the flute is really stable and really "settled in" from being played at the show.  She also said that because every flute is handmade, they each have a slightly different character and personality.  So a brand new one -- even if it is the same model -- may vary slightly from the one you tried at the show.  That being said, Rachel advises that "if you fall in love with one particular flute at the show, you should get it."  If you are trying flutes at a show just to get an idea and are open to a new model of the one you tried, you can always order a new one to purchase.  You can also request a trial online on our website at https://powellflutes.com/schedule-trial.