Flute World — Local services in Birmingham

I went to Flute World this past weekend. I live about 2.5 hours away, so this isn't a trip I get to make often. First of all, I walked in and was greeted by shelves and shelves of music and accessories. Omg. I was so happy! THEN, I walked upstairs to the Pearl exhibit. So, I was blown away by how many instruments were there available to try AND THEN Bill (I can't recall his last name - sorry!) came up to say hello, see what we were looking at. At that point, I told him I recently bought a Yamaha 687, and wasn't really looking, but I'd always been curious about the tonal differences between gold and silver. I learned SO much that day. He brought out several flutes with lots of different configurations and brands for me to compare. Turns out, I'm not a huge fan of a fully gold flute. Not my thing... but it was great because I did learn what flute I would lean towards next, and I learned a lot about the idea of upgrading my headjoint in the future. And the best part was that I wasn't being sold... he genuinely wanted to teach me something, which I can absolutely appreciate. I work in music industry sales, and it was refreshing that he genuinely cared that I learned something that day instead of brushing me off because I wasn't buying or trying to push me to buy on a day I wasn't prepared to.

I can honestly say this was the best experience I've had as a customer in a music store. I also want to add that I've been buying from their online store since I was a teenager and I've always, always, always been happy with the service. If I could give this company more than 5 stars, I absolutely would.

Keep up the great work, guys, and when I am ready to spring for a new instrument, you'll be my go-to, no...

Travelled here from New Zealand, hoping to try out and purchase a new flute head and was not disappointed. Flute World has a world-class range of instruments on-hand, leaving me utterly spoilt for choice. They have a handy try-out room so I could play in peace, and they gave me plenty of practical, objective advice without ever being pushy. I didn't come away empty-handed, and I'm delighted with my new wooden head.

I'm just a keen amateur, but these folks clearly deal with everybody from beginners to professionals. Seriously, if you're seriously looking for a flute, this is THE place to go - even if you have to fly in like I did. Mind you, if you really have to mail order, then they promised me they inspect and tune every new instrument thoroughly before it ships.

Oh yeah, they also carry a staggering array of sheet music. Honestly, you have to see it to believe it. It will make your local music store cry and just give up.

P.S. To my fellow reviewer who expected to get a flute serviced for $30-50, I'm not sure who you let touch your flute, but I don't think I could get my sink unclogged for that price. After a year or two of playing, a service is more likely to cost $300, depending on how many pads need replacing. A ten year full service of a top-end flute will cost closer to thousand bucks (or more if you have to send it back to the manufacturer in Japan). Painful, but that's...

I sent my flute in for general maintenance at Flute World and was not told how much it was cost. I was under the assumption it would be between $30-$50 as a normal general instrument tuneup would cost. Upon completion of repair, I was told afterwards it cost $175 to shine my flute and repair corks ( the number of repairs was unspecified) and oiling. Generally, this type of maintenance cost approximately $50. Flute World's repair person and manager refuse to release my flute, even after partial payment, even though I specifically told the manager I was never made aware of the repair price. Even after telling the repair person and manager that I have an upcoming performance in which I need my instrument they still refuse to release my flute until full payment has been made. I told the manager of my financial situation in which she was very condescending towards and was rude in her tone. As of yet, I still do not have my flute back and will refuse to do service with this company, after 10 years of my being a faithful customer, after this issue is resolved. Flute World has poor customer service and does not make customers aware of all policies until they service your instrument and leave you in a...