Alternative Flute Pads

[AbrahamFackle]

I was looking closely at my flute today and noticed that the pads have a small flat metal resonator with a large screw in the middle. Of course, a screw in the middle of a saxophone pad is totally unacceptable (expecially if it was as large as compared to the pad itself as the flute screws), so I was curious as to whether there is a benifit to having it on a flute. I'm curious- what would happen if you put a standard brown sax resonators on a flute? Would it ruin the tone? What about leather pads instead of bladder? I finally got sick of that fishskin stuff breaking on my bass clarinet pads and got it re-padded with leather, and if it would work, I'd do it to my flute to stop the trouble before it starts. Thanks

[bruce bailey]

Those are the standard type of flute pads. Bundy and some Armstrongs use snap in pads that have a nylon snap that looks like a sax resonator but the pad is the same felt type. The problem that you would have using sax type pads is the thickness. A flute pad is less than half the thickness of a sax pad and you will never get the key ehight much less the angle to be right. A good pad job on a flute should last at least 5 years and I have seen some that are more than 20 years but that is stretching it as raot sets in.
The way to pad a flute is to remove the screw and washer and put the new pad in using paper washers or shims to get the proper thickness. This makes the front and rear seat the same. Too many washers and the back hits first and too few make the back leak. The small trill keys use the same system as saxes (and piccolos) whereby the pads are floated in place with an adhesive.
Over the years I have thought about using a sax system, but finding the pads would be a problem and adjustments would be a greater problem. There is a type of pad (Straubinger) that has various materials built up but they cost over $100 a set vs. about $10 for standard pads.