Care for your flute.
Welcome to the family of musicians that has chosen the Miyazawa flute. Good care and routine maintenance of your flute can insure a lifetime of playing enjoyment. Please carefully read the following to make sure your flute performs at its peak!
Save the packing box that your flute was shipped in. This special container was designed especially for shipping flutes, and is perfect for any future shipments of your instrument. Additional packing boxes are available for a nominal charge.
Jewelry is a common cause of damage to flutes. (Especially rings.) Some of this damage may not be able to be repaired, especially to the surfaces in and around the embouchure hole.
Assembling your flute:
A. Grasp the body at the barrel joint with one hand, and the foot joint at the bottom below the keys with the other hand. Put the pieces together with a twisting (not rocking) action.
B. Grasp the headjoint below the lip plate, and once again use a gentle back and forth twisting action to fit the body of the flute to the headjoint.
C. The Miyazawa flute is designed to be played at A = 442 with the headjoint pulled out 2 mm (one sixteenth of an inch), but can be adjusted to your preference.
Swabbing the inside of your flute:
We have included a wooden maple cleaning rod and a cotton swab with your flute. You can extend the life of your pads and reduce instrument maintenance by swabbing out your flute after each time that you play.
Fingerprints can be removed by using the micro-fiber cleaning cloth that has been included with your flute. Do not use cloths that have been infused with a silver cleaning chemical. Do not use silver polish on your flute. Your instrument is best stored in its case when you are not using it. Keep your case clean, and store accessories in the case cover, not inside the case.
Straubinger pads and their care:
Your flute may have factory installed Straubinger Pads. You will find that these pads will stay in adjustment much longer than ordinary felt pads.
However, as you clean your flute be careful to stay away from the edges of the pad and key cup. The edges of the Straubinger Pad are very firm and hard and are susceptible to wear and fraying if their edges are rubbed frequently.
If you choose not to send your flute back to us for service we suggest that you use a technician that has been authorized by us or David Straubinger to perform the service on your instrument. The New England Flute Shop is an authorized Straubinger dealer and service center.
Maintenance for your flute:
Your flute should be adjusted, cleaned and oiled about once a year by our staff or by an authorized Miyazawa repair technician. To make an appointment call 508-991-5185.
The New England Flute Shop will make any adjustments to your new flute free of charge for 6 months from the date of purchase. This does not apply to instruments which have been adjusted without direct authorization from The New England Flute Shop. This offer excludes repair work due to accidental damage or misuse. Shipping charges to our shop are the responsibility of the customer as are insurance charges in both directions.
Care for your piccolo.
Welcome to the family of musicians that has chosen the Hammig Piccolo. Good care and routine maintenance of your piccolo can insure a lifetime of playing enjoyment. Please carefully read the following to make sure your piccolo performs at its peak!
Assembling your piccolo:
A. Make sure that the tenon cork is well lubricated with the cork grease that is provided. This will help to insure a smooth and easy fit.
B. Grasp the body joint where the logo for Philipp Hammig is, and grasp the headjoint below the embouchure hole. Put the pieces together with a twisting (not rocking) motion. Try not to put too much pressure on the mechanism as you put the pieces together. Keep your hand away from the embouchure as well. Never put your finger in the embouchure to lift it out of the case. This is a critical area and needs to be protected.
A note of caution: If it is difficult for you to put the headjoint on the body joint, your piccolo should be serviced by us or an authorized Hammig Piccolo technician. If too much pressure is applied in assembling the piccolo you could damage the head- joint or mechanism.
Swabbing the inside of your piccolo:
We recommend using a silk oboe swab with a string and weight to remove the condensation from the inside of your piccolo. You can extend the life of your pads and reduce instrument maintenance by swabbing out your piccolo after each time that you play.
Protect your piccolo from temperature extremes, especially when you are going from a warm building to cold temperatures. The quick contraction that can occur may contribute to a crack in the wood. We recommend that you insulate your piccolo case when moving between temperature extremes (with a bath towel for instance).
Warm up the headjoint with your hands before blowing into the embouchure hole. This also helps to prevent cracking, especially in the headjoint which has thinned wood at the tenon and is more prone to cracking.
Fingerprints can be removed from the mechanism by using a 100% cotton cloth slightly dampened with water. Do not use cloths that have been infused with a silver cleaning chemical. Do not use silver polish on your piccolo. Your instrument is best stored in its case when you are not using it. Keep your case clean, and store accessories in the case cover, not inside the case.
Maintenance for your piccolo:
Your piccolo should be adjusted, cleaned and oiled (both the wood and mechanism) about once a year by our staff or by an authorized Hammig repair technician. Your headjoint should be oiled more frequently, perhaps 2 to 3 times a year.
The New England Flute Shop will make any adjustments to your new piccolo free of charge for 6 months from the date of purchase. This does not apply to instruments which have been adjusted without direct authorization. This offer excludes repair work due to accidental damage or misuse. Shipping charges to our shop are the responsibility of the customer as are insurance charges in both directions.
Straubinger Pads are now available for your Hammig Piccolo. Our customers have concurred with our own testing, in that the:
- quickness of response is better.
- tone quality matches better in all registers.
- resonance of the piccolo is improved.
- dynamic range increases.
Please give us a call for more information on upgrading your piccolo with Straubinger Pads.
Your Guarantee
The Hammig guarantee against defects in manufacturing is to the original purchaser when purchased from an authorized Hammig supplier. This limited warranty covers defects in workmanship and materials as well as cracking for a period of one (1) year from date of purchase.
