Service and Repair

The Carolyn Nussbaum Music Company offers in-house, professional quality flute services, ranging from minor adjustments to overhauls to mechanical upgrades, enhancements, and general maintenance. Our technicians are all flutists themselves, specifically trained in flute and piccolo repair and maintenance. We are certified by all major manufacturers, and can provide warranty service for all brands we sell.

We have been trusted for more than 16 years to perform work on some of the world's most valuable instruments - whether they are owned by a renowned performer, or by a local passionate student, each receives our highly regarded level of attention to detail and to quality.

Before sending your instrument to us, please call us for available openings and fill out our Instrument Repair & Maintenance Form.

As flute players ourselves, we care about your instrument as much as you do! Keep your instrument in top-notch condition with any (or all) of the following services we provide:

General Repairs

Sometimes it's the instrument and not the musician! Repairs can be as simple as adjusting key height or as complex as re-soldering a box joint or tonehole. Our repair estimates are always free - if you believe there's something wrong with your instrument, contact us. We are glad to accept walk-ins, or you may ship us your instrument for repair (see below for information).

Common repair services we offer:

  • Key adjustment
  • Mechanism re-alignment
  • Dent and scratch removal
  • Pad, cork, and felt replacement
  • Straubinger-certified pad repair and replacement


Instrument Upgrades

Upgrades and enhancement to your flute or piccolo, though generally built into the flute by the manufacturer, can also be added later to make your playing easier and more enjoyable. Depending on your flute, common upgrades may include:

  • High E Facilitator
  • D# roller
  • Lip plate engraving
  • Headjoint fitting
  • Pad upgrades


Maintenance

Regular preventive maintenance is recommended by all instrument manufacturers to achieve optimum playing condition. A poorly maintained instrument can only hamper your performance. 

The "COA" - Regular maintenance is often referred to as an "annual servicing" or a "clean, oil and adjust" (COA); regular servicing by a qualified repair technician of your instrument to keep it in good operating condition. Think of it as an oil & filter change for your car, but on a more delicate level.

Manufacturers guidelines suggest that your instrument will require service at this level once a year based on its initial condition, how much it is played, how well it is maintained when played, and other environmental conditions. Preventative maintenance performed by the Carolyn Nussbaum Music Company includes ALL of the following services on every instrument, and will be accompanied by a consultation regarding the condition of your instrument should any additional services be required or recommended.

  • Complete disassembly
  • Clean and hand polish tubing & mechanism
  • Oil wood (on piccolos)
  • Headjoint cork replacement
  • Oil mechanism
  • Adjust keys and regulate mechanism
  • Remove all leaks
  • Quality assurance play-testing by professional flutists

Contact us earlier rather than later to schedule a maintenance appointment.


Overhauls

A well-constructed, well-maintained instrument may go as long as 10-15 years before requiring a complete overhaul - a much more extensive version of the annual servicing (the Clean, Oil, and Adjust). Before we perform an overhaul we will evaluate your instrument to determine if a full overhaul is warranted.

A complete instrument overhaul includes the following key services, and will have your flute or piccolo playing as-close-to, or better-than it did, when it was new. Better-than is not an empty phrase; a new instrument experiences a certain amount of shifting and settling in its mechanism and keys immediately after construction, which is no longer an issue by the time an overhaul is required.

  • Complete disassembly
  • Clean and hand polish tubing & mechanism
  • Oil wood (on piccolos)
  • Headjoint cork replacement
  • Oil mechanism
  • Adjust keys and regulate mechanism
  • Replace ALL pads
  • Replace ALL felts and corks
  • Remove dents and scratches
  • Quality assurance play-testing (extended period for mechanism settling) by professional flutists


Shipping Instruments

When shipping an instrument to us for any type of service (unless you have a scheduled appointment) please contact us and let us know it is coming. Be sure to ship the instrument in its hard case and soft case cover (if available), remove all personal accessories (cleaning rods, tuners, etc.) and pack it in a sturdy container with a minimum of 3 inches of padding on all sides (or in accordance with your shipping carrier's instructions).

Within the box, please also include our Instrument Repair & Maintenance Form, with your full contact information (billing and shipping addresses, all applicable phone numbers, and email) along with a description of the service requested or your best description of the issue you are experiencing


Before and After

Flute Before After Clean,Oil and Adjust

Damaged Flute Before and After Repair