A: Many folks wonder how they can test our flutes, piccolos and headjoints. Well, we have tried to make it as easy as possible for flutists from all parts of the country. Here's how:

We Love Visitors
If you live in or are planning a trip to the Boston area, please give us a call. We love visitors and would be happy for you to stop by to test our instruments. Since our workshop is such a busy place, we do ask that you contact us in advance to schedule an appointment. Our shop is open for visits Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Map and Directions

Considering your options prior to a purchase?
We've heard from too many diappointed people who had not tried one of our instruments before making their purchase. Don't let that happen to you!
The experienced staff at Burkart-Phelan will help determine your needs and send a flute, piccolo, or headjoint to you for trial.
More information is available on our trial & ordering page.
Click here to download our credit card authorization form.
A valid credit card number is required for security purposes, and a fee will be charged for all shipments to cover shipping and insurance.
We do not offer rentals.
Please, serious buyers only.

Burkart on the road...
We frequently give lectures and exhibits at universities and flute festivals throughout the country. Our 'Upcoming Visits' page is updated frequently with the latest information. (To request a visit to your university or flute festival, please call us, send us your brochure, or e-mail.)

International Dealers

We have professional representatives in Asia, Australia, Europe, Central America, Canada, Mexico, & South America. These dealers carry samples of our instruments, and will help you arrive at the best choice when ordering a Burkart Flute or Piccolo, Burkart & Phelan Flute or Piccolo, or Global Piccolo.

Q:  Do I need to limit playing-time to break in my new piccolo?

A: No.
You're spending a considerable amount of money on an instrument. Do you want to hear that you can't play this piccolo you've been dreaming of for a long time?
As long as you follow some of the simple guidelines below, there are no restrictions on playing your new instrument for 1, 2, 3, or 10 hours per day. Just be sure to swab appropriately.
We have faith in the quality of our wood-aging process. We want you to play your new instrument as much as possible.

Question anyone that might tell you otherwise.

Q:  Do you offer financing?

A: Yes. Please view our financing page for more information.

A: Please call us at 978-425-4500 to discuss your specific needs, and we will guide you to the right instrument to fit your circumstances and financial requirements.
This page details similarities and differences between all 3 piccolos.

A: Wooden instruments do tend to crack more readily in the dry, cold periods of the year. Some precautions can be exercised:

1) Try to minimize exposure of the instrument to frigid (sub-zero) temperatures.

2) Avoid playing the instrument immediately when it is brought in from the cold. When it is cold, close the keys and blow warm air in at the tenon end (without the headjoint). The wood body changes temperature much more slowly than the silver keys, therefore, don't assume the body is warm when the keys feel warm. Take your time. Separately, wrap your hands around the headjoint and blow warm air through the headjoint while cupping your mouth over the embouchure hole. Assemble the piccolo, then you are ready to play.

3) If you must sit in a performance, waiting and waiting for that piccolo entrance, try to keep the instrument warm close to your body or in your hands.

4) Do not leave the instrument close to a heat source. Example: There may be a radiator or baseboard under the desk you always place your briefcase or instrument case on.

5) Oiling the body does not prevent cracking. This is not recommended for the player because it is easy to get oil on the pads and adjustments. Oiling may be done in the repair shop, and it is only a surface treatment.

Q:  Can I put a new head joint on my old flute (and other related questions)?

A: First of all, there is no conspiracy with regard to the inner diameter of the flute. Boehm determined empirically that 19mm was an optimum inner diameter for the C flute long ago. Some of us flutemakers have experimented with 19.5mm and 20mm since then, but the vast majority of flutes today use 19mm. By the way, 19mm equals 0.748 inch (just short of 3/4" which is the diameter of a penny! That means that you can use a penny to gauge the bore of your headjoint or your flute body and compare it to others! Just make sure you don't push it in so far you can't retrieve it.

What varies is the wall thickness. So the inner diameters are the same, but the outer diameters are not. Hence, a different headjoint may be loose, fit just right, or not go into your flute barrel. A machinist, toolmaker, or flutemaker can measure your flute to tell you what the wall thickness is and what the inner diameter of your barrel joint is. With that information, there are quite a few flutemakers and headjoint makers who would be happy to send you headjoints on trial. The more skillful ones will make sure that the position of the embouchure hole and taper of the tube are appropriate for your instrument.

The relationship between 'round' and 'rectangular' shapes and the resulting response and timbre of the headjoint is not so straightforward. In general, (BIG CAVEAT), round holes tend to make 'sweeter' or 'lighter' headjoints whereas rectangular holes tend to make 'bigger', louder, or more robust headjoints. This is due to the fact that rectangular holes offer a longer straight front edge for turning air into sound than do rounder holes. And, rectangular holes usually have a larger geometric volume than do round holes. This betters the 'impedance matching' that is critical to efficient sound generation.

Under- and over-cutting are methods for improving the air-flow through the embouchure hole. Again, they tend to make a headjoint more free-blowing and more efficient as a sound generator (louder).

I hope this is a help. Please remember that what REALLY matters is how the headjoint plays, not what it looks like.

Q:  If you send me 2 headjoints to try, will they sound exactly the same?

A: The hand making of flute headjoints is certainly an art. It requires production of a piece in precious metals to "museum quality" standards. It demands a mature understanding of the relationships of shapes to sound production. One pass of the file or scraper can dramatically change the way a headjoint responds. Material properties - hardness, stiffness, mass - are significant in making a superlative headjoint.

The repertoire of the accomplished headjoint maker does not include voodoo, chance or gimmicks - rather art is combined with science. Every Burkart handmade headjoint will be very consistent within styles, but each will have its own "personality." How wonderful for the player to have choices in matching playing styles and tone production to a hand made headjoint!

Q:  What are the pad choices available to me with my new flute or overhaul of my old flute?

A: We offer a choice of a traditional felt pad or the Straubinger flute pad in our instruments.

Our Pisoni brand pad is made of a firm, thin felt, backed by cardboard and uniformly wrapped with a 2 layer treated skin. It is stable in most environments, very durable and quiet to the touch of the player.

The Straubinger pad is a thin, plastic backed pad with a synthetic felt, wrapped uniformly with a treated skin. In performance these pads add resonance and brilliance to the sound of the flute. The acoustical benefits make this pad our recommendation for most players.

Q:  My current piccolo doesn't have a high B. Can anything be done to fix that?

A: "My most frequently asked question" says Lillian Burkart. Some piccolos just don't and never will. It can be a combination of the placement of the trill tone holes, the length of the body and bore size. If your high B suddenly disappears when it was there before, swab the instrument. Water in the headjoint and body can inhibit high B production. Also high B's respond better with the headjoint pulled out a little bit; a good reason to have an A-442 piccolo that can be comfortably pulled out.

Q:  I love the sound of my old piccolo but the intonation is terrible and the high register is very resistant. Can you fix it? Will a new headjoint help?

A: In general, the smaller the bore of the conical piccolo, the easier it is to hit the high notes. However, small bore instruments also have very shrill, bright sounds such as some German piccolos or copies. Many very old piccolos have large bores contributing to their rich sounds, but bad intonation and stuffy high registers. Achieving warmth, ease and good pitch can only be had with the right combination of bore size, tone hole position and optimal headjoint embouchure. Try ours!

And remember, piccolos improve not just with age, but with playing. When we see a one year old Burkart piccolo that has enjoyed a lot a playing, the "maturation" is incredible.

Q:  What causes the terrible buzzing I hear in my piccolo sometimes?

A: 99% of the buzzes occurring in piccolos can be attributed to the double pad skins of the trill pads. A vibration is set up between the two skins at certain frequencies which is particularly obnoxious on the piccolo. It comes and goes depending on humidity or dryness of the pads. Our recommendation: cork pads in the trills.

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