I have recently bought a new Muramatsu EX (c foot) and when I play low C to C# the C key stays down. If i move the c key with my finger it moves up fine but it feels sluggish. This also sometimes happens when i play A, Bb, B. The Bb key stays down even after I have taken either my thumb off the Bb thing or taken my finger off the F key. Any suggestions anyone??????

As it is a new instrument take it back to the store you bought it from & sorting it should be covered under the warranty. If the store is at a distance they might agree to you taking to a local repairer to get sorted.

Good luck.

Are all the springs working properly? I mean, are all of them locked in place?
But anyway I agree that you must take it to the dealer and ask for warranty.
Maybe this flute has been stored for a while before you bought it and need just a regular cleaning and oiling.

Yeah, all the springs are in place

The only problem with taking it back to the dealer is that its in Japan and I'm in Australia, I tried to call them today but none of them spoke English

Tricky then but maybe an e-mail would work better although I expect it will be a battle anyway as you are not in the same country. You could talk to the Murumatsu importer in Oz (if there is one) but don't hold your breath! This is the penalty you pay for buying from abroad along with the hassle of dealing with customs to avoid paying more import tax on its return to Australia. I think the only practical thing you can do is to find a local, recommended flute repairer & get him to sort it - it's worth spending the money as it's an expensive new instrument rather than fiddling about yourself & possibly causing more problems.

Good luck.

Wise words above. In any case you would have to send the instrument by mail or other available shipment method. It will be cheaper and a lot safer to find a local way to get this flute working again. Must not be so difficult, since if there are fine flute makers in Australia, there must also be good technicians.

Is it new, or did you buy it used? It may have a spring which needs a little more force, possibly a binding rod due to a bent tube or rod, or possibly needs to have the rod and tube cleaned and re-oiled. It's also possible there is some mechanical interference - check that the ends of the rollers are not rubbing on the D# touch piece. I know Australia is a HUGE place, but I happen to know of a couple excellent techs there. Maybe one will pipe up. I should not cost much to get it fixed up, probably not much more than shipping and insurance would cost. How mechanically inclined are you? As long as you keep cleaners/oils off the pads and do not remove the pads, it's not too difficult to disassemble the foot joint to clean/lubricate. Getting it together is a little like a puzzle - you need patience.

Jim

It's new. I've tried taking the footjoint appart and putting key oil on there but it hasn't seemed to do anything. I might try taking it to a flute fixer. Do any of you now a good flute repairer in Newcastle or if not Newcastle then Sydney

Thanks, although I'm not sure that I'll be in Auckland in the near future. I ended up contacting the Japan place where I got my flute, and their warranty won't cover it getting fixed here in Australia, but they will fix it for free, if I go back to Japan or I post it there....I think I'll just pay for it to be fixed here, or come to you if I'm in Aukland