Figuring out where to service your flute can be a challenge. But, hopefully, this guide will help you find a place that you will feel comfortable with.
Just as your car requires services at regular intervals so too does a flute. On average a standard student flute should be serviced once a year. This will allow it to stay a fully functional flute and help to prevent it from requiring more expensive repairs. Professional flutists are usually required to service their instruments more frequently however this is because theirs gets a lot more use.
Generally, there are three different types of places you can take your flute in for a service. I highly recommend using either a flute specialist or a reputable technician. Many music stores that sell flutes also offer servicing however I would only take an instrument here if you really had no other option.
And so the question arises of…
Flute specialists are great because their entire business is built around flute, their quality is excellent and their staff are always helpful. There are only two that I’m aware of that service both Victoria and New South Wales. While they are both located in New South Wales they both travel down to Melbourne periodically so it’s still worth looking into. I also know many university-level flutists who ship their flute to them for their once-a-year service. Which, I believe says a lot about the quality of their work.
Flute Tree & The Woodwind Group
https://www.flutetree.com.au
https://www.woodwind-group.com.au
1 / 111 Moore Street
Leichhardt
NSW 2040
Flutes and Flautists
https://flutesandflutists.com
140 Sailors Bay Road
Northbridge
Sydney
NSW 2063
Understandably, shipping your flute to New South Wales or waiting for a particular weekend for someone to be in town might not be your thing. In which case, the best place to get your flute serviced is with a technician. There are a number of different technicians set up around Melbourne and you will find their prices can vary quite substantially. I personally will only send my flute to technicians who I know will do a good job and if there isn’t one in your area they are definitely worth traveling to. Here’s a list of technicians whose services are excellent.
Furness Repair Studio
Andrea Jelleff
https://www.furnessrepairstudio.com.au
Wantirna
Andrea is an excellent technician although she is very busy so be prepared to book your flute in well in advance. She also trained Amanda Morrison to help ease some of the workload.
Morrison Music
Amanda Morrison
https://www.facebook.com/aj.morrison.music/
Mt Evelyn
Amanda does an excellent job with all brass and woodwind instruments and she is one of the best-priced technicians I have encountered.
Broken Wind
Don Stewart
https://www.brokenwind.com.au
Thomastown
Woodwind Repairs
Ian Gordon
https://woodwindrepairaustralia.com.au
Highett
Ian is an experienced technician who is a little on the expensive side however he does service some of the instruments from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra so his prices account for both his experience and reputation.
Donnelly’s Brass and Woodwind Repairs
Paul Donnelly
https://www.dbwr.com.au
Rye
Paul is another passionate and experienced brass and woodwind technician who is happy to give you a rough quote by either phone or email.
Many retailers offer brass and woodwind servicing however I would only ever use them as a last point of call. When compared to technicians they tend to be on the expensive side and the quality service they deliver is usually not as high. Nevertheless, here are the main retailers that also service flutes:
Ozwinds Brass and Woodwind
https://www.ozwinds.com.au
213 Moreland Rd, Coburg VIC 3058
Shop 578 North Rd, Ormond VIC 3204
Ozwinds is a family-run business that began in the 1980s with Brian Ebert. Over the years it has expanded into one of the main retails for Brass and Woodwind in Melbourne. They are a little on the expensive side but being located relatively close to the city in both Coburg and Ormond the price is often overlooked by their accessible location.
Unfortunately, not everyone who has gotten instruments serviced through them has been 100% satisfied with their work. But at the same time, they also have many happy customers.
Fine Music
https://finemusiconline.com.au
228 Auburn Road
Hawthorn, VIC 3122
Fine Music seems to be a little better with their flute servicing and they will do a good job with the service. They are, however, a little bit on the pricey side.
The Music Place
https://musicplace.com.au
339 Clarendon St
South Melbourne, VIC 3205
The Music Place is very hit and miss in terms of flute servicing. They are however good for on-the-spot repairs but definitely not recommended a full service. They are also super expensive.
Music Junction
https://www.musicjunction.com.au
204 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn East
159 Whitehorse Rd, Blackburn
Please do not get your flute serviced with Music Junction, it is really not a good idea.
And that’s pretty much it. If you know of other places or technicians who I am yet to encounter (or have deliberately left off the list) then please leave their details in the comments below cause I would love to check them out.
If you have recently gotten your flute serviced then please let us know where you ended up going and if you’re happy with the service.
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This was really helpful, so thanks heaps!
Just wanted to say though, Donnelly’s has moved from Bentleigh East – I’m pretty sure they’re Rye based now. It says this on their website, too, but it might be useful to update here since some people only look at places close to them. :)
Hi Zoe
Thanks so much for letting me know. I’m located in the Dandenong Ranges so sometimes I miss these things. I shall make sure I update the page.
I came across your website after having issues with the Azumi flute I purchased, there wasn’t any padding under the keys and didn’t get pointed out until flute teacher had a look at it after few months, so back to the workshop to have it done. But the screws kept coming up.. often enough that I questioned if this is normal. No one could answer me so I direct the question to Azumi and round round it goes back to the place where I purchased, and now organising it to be back to the workshop again. Like you said never 100%… Tho I was satisfied with their service, but the issue is never fixed :( After reading looks like there is nowhere that gives you 100% quality of service.. Hopefully this time round cross fingers..
Hi Karen
I’m sorry you’ve been having so much trouble with your flute. I hope you manage to get it sorted. If you still having problems with it maybe try sending it to a different technician so you can get a second opinion on it. However, screws should not keep coming out! After 20 years of playing, I haven’t had a screw come out of my flute. The only flutes that I’ve had screws come out on are school student flutes which are prone to sitting in cupboards unused for long periods of time and often get treated a little rough. Usually, when it starts to happen repeatedly I put it on the pile of instruments to send off to get serviced. With a special note to mention the loose screws. Hopefully, your flute is still under warranty. I would definitely be politely demanding them to fix it or give you a new instrument, especially if it was brand new.
All the best, and I hope it’s fixed soon.
Looking from the top down, I have had horrible experiences with TWG and cannot say anything good about them. Crooks. I’ve also met the guy behind Flutes and Flutists and didn’t get the idea that I’d be well treated. It seems that repairers in Australia have an idea that musicians (or their parents) are idiots with too much money. I’ve had far more poor service experiences here in Australia than when I lived in Canada, worked in the US or when I was performing in Europe. Even my tours of New Zealand have landed me in repair shops with higher ethics and standards. I wish I could find a repairer who actually fixes the flute instead of just giving me a bill while looking down on me for how I play, what I play and who I play for. Most career musicians live scattered lives and money is seldom plentiful. Repairers need to read the blogs; all us players are paying their bills and deserve to be treated better.
Sounds like you have lots of experience dealing with repairers and not a lot of good ones, especially in Australia. Service people should never judge a musician for what they choose to play, with whom they play or how frequently they play! Your experiences sound awful.
Just out of curiosity where do you currently get your flute serviced? Sometimes I wish I had the skills to do it myself but there just isn’t enough hours in the day to master everything.
FYI,
Some time ago my wife went to one of your recommended flute repair persons listed on your web site. Living in the Lilydale area she went to the nearest to us looking for convenience. I must say the quality of work was not good at all and yes the repair person was cheap but my daughters flute played worse than before it was serviced. Took it back and it was still not playing any better.
We asked her teacher where to go and recommended us to take it to Ozwinds in Moorabbin.
Her flute has never played better than it does now. The service we received at the store was totally amazing and their workshop facility was incredible to see.
Hello,
I am so sorry you had a bad experience with someone I recommended :( I am glad Ozwinds were able to fix it. I shall have to do some more research into this. It is possible Ozwinds has a different service person from the one they use to use. I presently have two my student flutes in with the repair person closest to Lilydale so I will be very curious to see how they go.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
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