Feedback/Reviews
You are probably thinking that I only publish the positive feedback, and leave out the negative. The honest to God fact is: THERE HAS BEEN NO NEGATIVE FEEDBACK FROM ANYONE WHO HAS PURCHASED MY FLUTE STOPPER PLUG!! To date exactly 1 stopper plug has been returned under the "satisfaction guarantee." And even that person had positive feedback. Just did not care for the sound as a matter of taste. Hey, nothing is for everyone all the time. But my flute stopper plug is pretty darn close. Frankly, I am a bit surprised at the universally positive praise, but delighted to receive it. mark seidman
PLEASE READ ON
September 6, 2010
I got the new stopper and it works great. My flute sounds much crisper and cleaner. I had no idea it would make so much difference. I left you what I consider the best feedback I have left in my ten years on eBay. Hope you like it.
David- USA
August 22,2010
Mark, Your stopper is the best. It makes my Muramatsu sing!
Laurent Bass- USA
August 24,2010
Played with your stopper for over a year now. It's fantastic !
Par Johansson-Sweden
July 24,2010
Fantastic Item!! I highly recommend this stopper.I have them on all my flutes!!
Damian- USA
July 10,2010
Fantastic, Installed it today,Works Great, Great Packing & eMails, 5 Stars All
Bill- USA
June 26, 2010
Suono migliorato notevolmente su flauto Yamaha, si fa meno fatica a suonare.OK!
Anna- Italy
June 23, 2010
item as described works great for 1953 Haynes closed hole
Michael- USA
June 4, 2010
superb, really works
Steve- USA
May 2, 2010
Super product! incredible performance, and very honest ebayer.
Fabio- Italy
April 28, 2010
Hello Mark,
I put one stopper in my Flute this morning (FAULISI head, ROOSEN Flute)The richness of sound quality and the tone are wonderfull.It's a real pleasure to play with this new plug.My Flute factor is interest by your stopper.He have your mail.Thank you and BRAVO
Frédéric Werner Professor at the Schola Cantorum in Paris
March 15, 2010
Hi. The flute plug came yesterday. I just left you + feedback and 5 stars across the board.
This is an interesting product. On my intermediate flute head joint, the one I have my students use, it not only improved the response and tuning but gave a much better tone quality.
On my hand made headjoint, it didn't change the tone or response much but did greatly even out the sound between registers. Not only do the high notes not thin out but I don't have to fight to keep them from going sharp. Your plug seems to add a bit of resistance in a nice way, helping me make a better connection with the instrument. The end result is better control and, surprisingly, better tonguing. This is the first performance product I've tried that actually improved my hand made head joint.
Overall, I'm very impressed. I have to give it a big thumbs up. I'll be recommending it to my students and the other flute players I know.
Thanks again.
Joe- USA
April 7, 2010
Hi Mark,
What a fantastic product your stopper is! I'm a long-time flutist and thought I'd give your stoppers a try. I wasn't unhappy with my overall sound or anything - I was just curious about your product. I have to say that I'm very pleased with it. I noticed a definite difference immediately. I sound like I'm playing in stereo now - it's great! Thank you!
Lisa- USA
December 20, 2009
REVIEW FOR PICCOLOIST.COM
Recently I was given the chance to try a stopper plug made by Mark
Seidman of seidmanflutetechnology.com.
Initially intrigued by the interesting shape of the little gadget, I
wasn't thinking that it was going to make a huge difference in my
overall sound. I had tried a few others before this particular plug.
Most were similar in material, having being made of Delrin, or just
your traditional headjoint cork. The little plug is very well put
together and has 3 "O" rings which the maker claims "for just the
right dampening of balance and tone control".
One downfall was my own responsibility. The cork in my headjoint was
almost 2 years old and was not easy to get out. It literally had to be
broken apart since it was glued on to the little metal plate quite
good! After getting through that, installing Mark's stopper plug was
extremely simple. Mark gives you step-by-step installation
instructions on his website.
The very first thing that stood out was that my lower register just
seemed to "pop" out (in the words of Emeril, "BAM!"). I'm used to
playing on a colorful headjoint that I absolutely love, but all of a
sudden the notes seemed to feel more powerful and have a bit more life
to them. I thought that playing up through the registers that I would
lose some vibrancy or quality due to the low register's new
brilliancy. Not the case! Both my middle and high registers were not
affected by Mark's plug and the flute just seemed to play more
effortlessly than it ever did before! Tone and pitch were not affected
at all.
Consider playing low-register passages from "Syrinx" or parts from the
Khachaturian "Concerto". For articulation, try the allegro from Bach's
"Sonata in C Major". For the high register, I played Ran's "East Wind"
and overall found that something like the Dutilleux "Sonatine" was a
good piece for all three registers. However, a student flutist would
fare well on just their scales.
The sound is not brassy, nor is it fake or shrill. I still sound like
me, but I feel more powerful and feel like I am projecting more. I
imagine something like this would work wonders in most flutes,
especially for those who are seeking a new headjoint or flute. Perhaps
you wouldn't need to go there quite yet....
Consider trying a stopper plug made by Mark Seidman before spending
thousands on a new headjoint. He does give you a 7 day money-back
guarantee and for only $25 (which includes shipping, $10 more for
international) it is a steal! Mark himself says, "no other stopper
plug in the world creates this shape space around the tubing for
maximum resonance".
I played on my new setup for the first time in a recent Christmas
concert with my orchestra and have not taken it out since! The other
flutist in the orchestra also tried my flute and agreed that it
sounded great! Overall I would rate this an A+ buy because of the
final result being so positive. Go get one for a flutist for
Christmas!
For more information on the stopper plug by Mark Seidman or to
purchase, please visit Mark's website at
www.seidmanflutetechnology.com
(Cristina Ledford tested the Seidman Flute Stopper Plug on a .017
Silver Muramatsu flute with a Silver Lopatin headjoint and a 14K
riser)
February 9, 2010
This stopper has changed my playing forever...I Love It.
Kennith- USA
February 8,2010
I recently purchased one of these plugs for my Fiancee’s flute; and it is absolutely wonderful! I am a music teacher and will be promoting your product as much as possible.
Thank you.
Jeremy- USA
January 27, 2010
Hello Mark, Please know that I am thrilled with the two plugs I bought from you. Your response and service could not have been better, installation was successful, and the tone and ease of playing are wonderful. Being a bit squeamish, I installed the first plug on an old Artley flute that I leave out all the time just to pick up and play a bit whenever I walk by it. That gave me the confidence and eagerness to put the other one on my Powell. The ease of bringing out clear high and low notes was everything I had hoped for, and the tone of the whole range a thrill. I'm so glad I found out about your plugs and happy to have them. I did not see anything about life expectancy, so I assume they will last for a very long time - thus not need replacing with every cleaning and adjustment. Thank you for inventing such a neat product.
Carolyn- USA
January 25, 2010
Okay, Mark - I got your stopper today. I can't say I'm any closer to virtuosity, but my old Haynes is MUCH more responsive. I'm a believer! Please send me another for my second head joint. Many thanks for a terrific product.
Craig - USA
October 9, 2009
Your stoppers arrived safely today. I put one in my Powell flute, because the cork is very old and I seldom play the flute anymore, and see, it sounds great!! I will introduce it to people here in Zürich, I think it is fantastic. It has the effect Arthur Lora described in the fifties. Florent Hofinger also did experiments in this direction, by the way. Thanks a lot!
Maurice Heugen - Zurich Opera Orchestra, Switzerland
October 4,2010
Thank you Mark.
So far I am liking your stopper best of the ones I have tried. I tried the Robert Bigio (Zirconium) stopper. The sound is great with lots of core to the sound, but there's a hollow thing happening in parts of the middle register that I find uneven and unsettling.I haven't fully tried the Lafin because the screw at the present moment is too long. It sounds good and very clear but a little tight.
Yours on the other hand seems to have a nice balance of features in the sound that I find quite useful. I will continue evaluating, specially when I get your new version. I'll have a chance to try it in a week or so since I have some out of town gigs this coming week.I would like to pay you for your stopper, do you accept paypal? Thank you so much, Peace
Marco- USA/Venezuela
"Peace & Prosperity"
www.sunflute.com
September 4, 2009
Hello Mark, Well I stayed home today with a slight reaction to the flu vaccine I got yesterday, which was a good enough reason to spend the past 1.5 hours flute playing with your plug in my 14k headjoint. At first I thought the upper register was a bit thinner and maybe not as much resonance in b2, c2, c#2, but since I have been only playing on a Folkers &Powell Full Circle wood headjoint for a while, it was just a matter of reorganizing my embrochure to the metal headjoint. I just finished playing Carnival of Venice and am absolutely thrilled with response & sound change of my heajoint (it came with an Ogren Stopper, so I have never played it with a cork stopper). Amazing!!!!!! Did I tell you I am thrilled with the improvement? There is also an added POP to the notes. I think is opened up this headjoint (which is really a very nice head on its own, but its just that much more now).
I have tried Bigio delrin stopper&crown and Ogren Stopper on this headjoint as well as other headjoints but at this time I must agree your stopper is superior in results. I was afraid of the word Clarity in your description, as in my mind that usually is synonymous with bright& thin, like some of the Japanese flutes, maybe loss of resonance, but that is not the fact with your stopper. I just did a buy now on another stopper. I will try it on my silver Dana Sheridan headjoint. Sorry for my long winded review! Dee- USA
December 10, 2009
Congratulation! This is one great plug!
Do you make one for alto and bass? Those really need the low register response!
Thank you! Petri - Finland
September 10, 2009
Thank you for your kind and gracious reply. I am sorry for the tone and words of my knee-jerk reaction. I regretted it immediately after hitting the "send" button. When I showed the photo of your stopper to Bob Ogren (our flute tech who designed the one we sell) he said; "Way cool!" I asked him why he wasn't upset, and he said "we obviously think alike and have similar interests. Wish them good luck!" So I offer you my apologies and thank you. Obviously God intended our paths to cross because I was way overdue for a lesson in humility! God bless YOU!
Paul Leithold - USA
October 13, 2009
It really is working ! With this plug my standard silver Muramatsu
(from the 70´ies) got a much louder, wider tone, without missing the accuracy and easiness to play. It was very smooth and easy especially in the high level before, because the embouchure plate has been altered years ago by J.R. Lafin, but now it achieved fullness and a little more richness of volume, esp. in the lower level. Very good piece of invention!! Andreas- Germany
September 3, 2009
The upper register is VERY responsive now. THanks! Ted- USA
September 4, 2009
The stopper works well on my wood flute. Thanks! Larry- USA
September 6, 2009
I installed the plug myself, a simple procedure really, a much easier process with threading the delrin stopper. Again, I played yesterday morning and am just amazed at the change in the performance of my gold headjoint. Feel free to use my comments on your website. I think you are really on to something with your product. Thanks again. Dee- USA
September 7, 2009
I blew my flute last night at a gig and there is a
noticeable difference. I can do multi-phonics
without even thinking about now. Thanks very much! Ted- USA
September 12, 2009
Excellent! My flute has never sounded so good! Lynn- USA
September 14, 2009
The stopper plug has arrived and was easy to install. It definitely makes a difference. Top octave notes E and F sharp seem easier and the top octave is less shrill. Steve- United Kingdom
September 15, 2009
Better then ever!!!! Raytin- Thailand
September 19, 2009
Arrival safely today. It's a GREAT SOUND! Very kindly & Fast response. Thanks!! Katsuyuki- Japan
September 22, 2009
I received the stopper yesterday and you definitely didn't exaggerate!! It's so simple, and so brilliant. I'm going to orchestra tomorrow night and tell the other flautists about it. The change in richness of sound quality is amazing- D USA
September 22, 2009
Thank you for working on my flute! It sounds great and better than before.
Thank you. Annie K. (age 13) USA
September 22,2009
THIS THING WORKS!! Dramatic improvement to flute.Easy to install. FAST shipping. Deena USA
September 26, 2009
Flutes sounds really great. Just ordered another plug to show other flute players in our Community Symphony Orchestra at West Virginia University. Heikki USA
PLEASE READ ON
September 6, 2010
I got the new stopper and it works great. My flute sounds much crisper and cleaner. I had no idea it would make so much difference. I left you what I consider the best feedback I have left in my ten years on eBay. Hope you like it.
David- USA
August 22,2010
Mark, Your stopper is the best. It makes my Muramatsu sing!
Laurent Bass- USA
August 24,2010
Played with your stopper for over a year now. It's fantastic !
Par Johansson-Sweden
July 24,2010
Fantastic Item!! I highly recommend this stopper.I have them on all my flutes!!
Damian- USA
July 10,2010
Fantastic, Installed it today,Works Great, Great Packing & eMails, 5 Stars All
Bill- USA
June 26, 2010
Suono migliorato notevolmente su flauto Yamaha, si fa meno fatica a suonare.OK!
Anna- Italy
June 23, 2010
item as described works great for 1953 Haynes closed hole
Michael- USA
June 4, 2010
superb, really works
Steve- USA
May 2, 2010
Super product! incredible performance, and very honest ebayer.
Fabio- Italy
April 28, 2010
Hello Mark,
I put one stopper in my Flute this morning (FAULISI head, ROOSEN Flute)The richness of sound quality and the tone are wonderfull.It's a real pleasure to play with this new plug.My Flute factor is interest by your stopper.He have your mail.Thank you and BRAVO
Frédéric Werner Professor at the Schola Cantorum in Paris
March 15, 2010
Hi. The flute plug came yesterday. I just left you + feedback and 5 stars across the board.
This is an interesting product. On my intermediate flute head joint, the one I have my students use, it not only improved the response and tuning but gave a much better tone quality.
On my hand made headjoint, it didn't change the tone or response much but did greatly even out the sound between registers. Not only do the high notes not thin out but I don't have to fight to keep them from going sharp. Your plug seems to add a bit of resistance in a nice way, helping me make a better connection with the instrument. The end result is better control and, surprisingly, better tonguing. This is the first performance product I've tried that actually improved my hand made head joint.
Overall, I'm very impressed. I have to give it a big thumbs up. I'll be recommending it to my students and the other flute players I know.
Thanks again.
Joe- USA
April 7, 2010
Hi Mark,
What a fantastic product your stopper is! I'm a long-time flutist and thought I'd give your stoppers a try. I wasn't unhappy with my overall sound or anything - I was just curious about your product. I have to say that I'm very pleased with it. I noticed a definite difference immediately. I sound like I'm playing in stereo now - it's great! Thank you!
Lisa- USA
December 20, 2009
REVIEW FOR PICCOLOIST.COM
Recently I was given the chance to try a stopper plug made by Mark
Seidman of seidmanflutetechnology.com.
Initially intrigued by the interesting shape of the little gadget, I
wasn't thinking that it was going to make a huge difference in my
overall sound. I had tried a few others before this particular plug.
Most were similar in material, having being made of Delrin, or just
your traditional headjoint cork. The little plug is very well put
together and has 3 "O" rings which the maker claims "for just the
right dampening of balance and tone control".
One downfall was my own responsibility. The cork in my headjoint was
almost 2 years old and was not easy to get out. It literally had to be
broken apart since it was glued on to the little metal plate quite
good! After getting through that, installing Mark's stopper plug was
extremely simple. Mark gives you step-by-step installation
instructions on his website.
The very first thing that stood out was that my lower register just
seemed to "pop" out (in the words of Emeril, "BAM!"). I'm used to
playing on a colorful headjoint that I absolutely love, but all of a
sudden the notes seemed to feel more powerful and have a bit more life
to them. I thought that playing up through the registers that I would
lose some vibrancy or quality due to the low register's new
brilliancy. Not the case! Both my middle and high registers were not
affected by Mark's plug and the flute just seemed to play more
effortlessly than it ever did before! Tone and pitch were not affected
at all.
Consider playing low-register passages from "Syrinx" or parts from the
Khachaturian "Concerto". For articulation, try the allegro from Bach's
"Sonata in C Major". For the high register, I played Ran's "East Wind"
and overall found that something like the Dutilleux "Sonatine" was a
good piece for all three registers. However, a student flutist would
fare well on just their scales.
The sound is not brassy, nor is it fake or shrill. I still sound like
me, but I feel more powerful and feel like I am projecting more. I
imagine something like this would work wonders in most flutes,
especially for those who are seeking a new headjoint or flute. Perhaps
you wouldn't need to go there quite yet....
Consider trying a stopper plug made by Mark Seidman before spending
thousands on a new headjoint. He does give you a 7 day money-back
guarantee and for only $25 (which includes shipping, $10 more for
international) it is a steal! Mark himself says, "no other stopper
plug in the world creates this shape space around the tubing for
maximum resonance".
I played on my new setup for the first time in a recent Christmas
concert with my orchestra and have not taken it out since! The other
flutist in the orchestra also tried my flute and agreed that it
sounded great! Overall I would rate this an A+ buy because of the
final result being so positive. Go get one for a flutist for
Christmas!
For more information on the stopper plug by Mark Seidman or to
purchase, please visit Mark's website at
www.seidmanflutetechnology.com
(Cristina Ledford tested the Seidman Flute Stopper Plug on a .017
Silver Muramatsu flute with a Silver Lopatin headjoint and a 14K
riser)
February 9, 2010
This stopper has changed my playing forever...I Love It.
Kennith- USA
February 8,2010
I recently purchased one of these plugs for my Fiancee’s flute; and it is absolutely wonderful! I am a music teacher and will be promoting your product as much as possible.
Thank you.
Jeremy- USA
January 27, 2010
Hello Mark, Please know that I am thrilled with the two plugs I bought from you. Your response and service could not have been better, installation was successful, and the tone and ease of playing are wonderful. Being a bit squeamish, I installed the first plug on an old Artley flute that I leave out all the time just to pick up and play a bit whenever I walk by it. That gave me the confidence and eagerness to put the other one on my Powell. The ease of bringing out clear high and low notes was everything I had hoped for, and the tone of the whole range a thrill. I'm so glad I found out about your plugs and happy to have them. I did not see anything about life expectancy, so I assume they will last for a very long time - thus not need replacing with every cleaning and adjustment. Thank you for inventing such a neat product.
Carolyn- USA
January 25, 2010
Okay, Mark - I got your stopper today. I can't say I'm any closer to virtuosity, but my old Haynes is MUCH more responsive. I'm a believer! Please send me another for my second head joint. Many thanks for a terrific product.
Craig - USA
October 9, 2009
Your stoppers arrived safely today. I put one in my Powell flute, because the cork is very old and I seldom play the flute anymore, and see, it sounds great!! I will introduce it to people here in Zürich, I think it is fantastic. It has the effect Arthur Lora described in the fifties. Florent Hofinger also did experiments in this direction, by the way. Thanks a lot!
Maurice Heugen - Zurich Opera Orchestra, Switzerland
October 4,2010
Thank you Mark.
So far I am liking your stopper best of the ones I have tried. I tried the Robert Bigio (Zirconium) stopper. The sound is great with lots of core to the sound, but there's a hollow thing happening in parts of the middle register that I find uneven and unsettling.I haven't fully tried the Lafin because the screw at the present moment is too long. It sounds good and very clear but a little tight.
Yours on the other hand seems to have a nice balance of features in the sound that I find quite useful. I will continue evaluating, specially when I get your new version. I'll have a chance to try it in a week or so since I have some out of town gigs this coming week.I would like to pay you for your stopper, do you accept paypal? Thank you so much, Peace
Marco- USA/Venezuela
"Peace & Prosperity"
www.sunflute.com
September 4, 2009
Hello Mark, Well I stayed home today with a slight reaction to the flu vaccine I got yesterday, which was a good enough reason to spend the past 1.5 hours flute playing with your plug in my 14k headjoint. At first I thought the upper register was a bit thinner and maybe not as much resonance in b2, c2, c#2, but since I have been only playing on a Folkers &Powell Full Circle wood headjoint for a while, it was just a matter of reorganizing my embrochure to the metal headjoint. I just finished playing Carnival of Venice and am absolutely thrilled with response & sound change of my heajoint (it came with an Ogren Stopper, so I have never played it with a cork stopper). Amazing!!!!!! Did I tell you I am thrilled with the improvement? There is also an added POP to the notes. I think is opened up this headjoint (which is really a very nice head on its own, but its just that much more now).
I have tried Bigio delrin stopper&crown and Ogren Stopper on this headjoint as well as other headjoints but at this time I must agree your stopper is superior in results. I was afraid of the word Clarity in your description, as in my mind that usually is synonymous with bright& thin, like some of the Japanese flutes, maybe loss of resonance, but that is not the fact with your stopper. I just did a buy now on another stopper. I will try it on my silver Dana Sheridan headjoint. Sorry for my long winded review! Dee- USA
December 10, 2009
Congratulation! This is one great plug!
Do you make one for alto and bass? Those really need the low register response!
Thank you! Petri - Finland
September 10, 2009
Thank you for your kind and gracious reply. I am sorry for the tone and words of my knee-jerk reaction. I regretted it immediately after hitting the "send" button. When I showed the photo of your stopper to Bob Ogren (our flute tech who designed the one we sell) he said; "Way cool!" I asked him why he wasn't upset, and he said "we obviously think alike and have similar interests. Wish them good luck!" So I offer you my apologies and thank you. Obviously God intended our paths to cross because I was way overdue for a lesson in humility! God bless YOU!
Paul Leithold - USA
October 13, 2009
It really is working ! With this plug my standard silver Muramatsu
(from the 70´ies) got a much louder, wider tone, without missing the accuracy and easiness to play. It was very smooth and easy especially in the high level before, because the embouchure plate has been altered years ago by J.R. Lafin, but now it achieved fullness and a little more richness of volume, esp. in the lower level. Very good piece of invention!! Andreas- Germany
September 3, 2009
The upper register is VERY responsive now. THanks! Ted- USA
September 4, 2009
The stopper works well on my wood flute. Thanks! Larry- USA
September 6, 2009
I installed the plug myself, a simple procedure really, a much easier process with threading the delrin stopper. Again, I played yesterday morning and am just amazed at the change in the performance of my gold headjoint. Feel free to use my comments on your website. I think you are really on to something with your product. Thanks again. Dee- USA
September 7, 2009
I blew my flute last night at a gig and there is a
noticeable difference. I can do multi-phonics
without even thinking about now. Thanks very much! Ted- USA
September 12, 2009
Excellent! My flute has never sounded so good! Lynn- USA
September 14, 2009
The stopper plug has arrived and was easy to install. It definitely makes a difference. Top octave notes E and F sharp seem easier and the top octave is less shrill. Steve- United Kingdom
September 15, 2009
Better then ever!!!! Raytin- Thailand
September 19, 2009
Arrival safely today. It's a GREAT SOUND! Very kindly & Fast response. Thanks!! Katsuyuki- Japan
September 22, 2009
I received the stopper yesterday and you definitely didn't exaggerate!! It's so simple, and so brilliant. I'm going to orchestra tomorrow night and tell the other flautists about it. The change in richness of sound quality is amazing- D USA
September 22, 2009
Thank you for working on my flute! It sounds great and better than before.
Thank you. Annie K. (age 13) USA
September 22,2009
THIS THING WORKS!! Dramatic improvement to flute.Easy to install. FAST shipping. Deena USA
September 26, 2009
Flutes sounds really great. Just ordered another plug to show other flute players in our Community Symphony Orchestra at West Virginia University. Heikki USA