New Yamaha flute - tight joints. Is this normal?

[Aessina]

I nearly had a heart attack minutes ago when I couldn't get the foot joint of my brand-new, not even a week old Yamaha 481H. I've heard some people say new flutes tend to have tight joints. Is this true? If not, how can I self-remedy it before going to a repair shop and having it fixed?

[pied_piper]

Take a piece of soft cloth, something like an old t-shirt. Moisten it with alcohol and use it to thoroughly clean and polish the tenon on the end of the flute body. Do the same to the inside of the socket on the footjoint. Rub both firmly to remove any residue that might be present. If that doesn't do the trick, then you need to visit a repair shop.

[cflutist]

The footjoint of my new Brannen that I got last year was too tight for my liking. After a year, it was still too tight, so they loosened it up a bit last month during its first COA/warranty work. The "finisher" of that flute said it was is really good shape, and to keep it up

[Fox]

My Gemeinhardt was that way when I first got it. After a while (I would say four or five months) it loosened up and now a little over 2 years it's just loose enough.

I wouldn't try and adjust it yourself (unless you know what you're doing). Better to take it to a repair tech.