replacement pads - website to buy

[cdissler]

Can anyone recommend a site to buy replacement pads for an armstrong flute. Thanks

[jim22]

www.instrumentclinicusa.com

I like these pads. Not sure how well you will make out trying to order a set and have them fit. It may take a couple tries to get the right sizes. Installing and making them seal is also quite involved. It's not quite as simple as bolting them in.

Jim

[Zevang]

I like this one very much:

http://www.jlsmithco.com/

[jim22]

Yes, I have purchased pads there too. There just happens to be a video posted there about shimming a pad. That's EXACTLY how I do it right down to marking the key and shim. I mostly learned that method on my own.

The video shows a professional flute. I recommended instrument clinic because their pads seem to me to be easier to install on student flutes which are likely not to have very flat toneholes. The pads I got from jlsmith were very good but very firm and it was tricky to get them to seal.

Jim

[Zevang]

The pads I got from jlsmith were very good but very firm and it was tricky to get them to seal.

Indeed Jim, that's a good reason for choosing differently.

[pied_piper]

I would suggest pads from Music Medic

The reason I recommend them is that they offer a Pad Set Guarantee so that you get the right sized pads. If you buy a set and a few pads are not the right size, they will send free replacements.

Another reason to consider them is that you not only need pads of the correct diameter, but also of the correct thickness. Music Medic sells three different thicknesses. Usually, Armstrong flutes need 2.7 mm (sometimes 2.9 mm) thick pads. You really need to measure the current pads to order the right thickness.

Jim's comment about pad firmness is also valid. The Music Medic pads are made from woven felt which is softer/less dense and is appropriate for an Armstrong flute. JLSmith sells Lucien Deluxe pads which are firmer and better for a pro level flute.

Last - at Music Medic, shipping in the USA is free...

[jim22]

I like music medic pads too. I LOVE doing business with them. I have a couple issues sometimes with their pads. Some pads have a little bunching of the skin material where it is glued to the back of the pad. This will create high or thick areas that create leaks. I have successfully shaved or sanded these wrinkles flat. The other thing is that the pads are a little more convex across the top. If a key is not well centered over the tonehole as is frequently the case, the pad will have low areas over the tonehole rim. I have much less experience with instrument clinic pads, but they seem to me to not have these issues.

[jim22]

Pad thickness is a curious thing. Measuring the combined thickness of pads plus shims that are removed can help confirm what is needed for replacements, but I have not really found it too useful. The thickness needed is mostly driven by the hardware that attaches the pad to the key, a screw and washer, plastic spud cap, or open hole bushing. Too thin a pad plus shim combo and the pad will not react to partial shims properly. To thick a combination and the pad wrinkles badly when bolted in. There are a few thousandths of an inch leeway. I have found 2.7 mm pads nearly always work with a reasonable number of full shims to bring them up to "just right".

That said, it is then necessary to bend the keys up or down to achieve a seal with that thickness of pad. It sounds backwards, but that has been my experience.

[Zevang]

Experience is always the best advise

[cdissler]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up going with www.instrumentclinicusa.com. Ordered on Sunday and received them already. Now, I need to change the pads. I've don Sax pads, hopefully this isn't much harder.

[flutego12]

I would suggest pads from Music Medic

The reason I recommend them is that they offer a Pad Set Guarantee so that you get the right sized pads. If you buy a set and a few pads are not the right size, they will send free replacements.

Another reason to consider them is that you not only need pads of the correct diameter, but also of the correct thickness. Music Medic sells three different thicknesses. Usually, Armstrong flutes need 2.7 mm (sometimes 2.9 mm) thick pads. You really need to measure the current pads to order the right thickness.

Jim's comment about pad firmness is also valid. The Music Medic pads are made from woven felt which is softer/less dense and is appropriate for an Armstrong flute. JLSmith sells Lucien Deluxe pads which are firmer and better for a pro level flute.

Last - at Music Medic, shipping in the USA is free...

They also sell a highly recommended book called "The Complete Guide to Flute Repair and Maintenance" by Bukhardt Publications for $40 new - an affordable investment. Not sure how much it will help the inexperienced but it's a start.