Does anyone have an M&E polymer with keys that can tell me how they like it. People have said that the M&E is very heavy compared to other flutes, do the keys make the weight unbearable and limit the dexterity of the fingers because of the weight? I am thinking about either going wood or retrofitting keys.
Doc Jones had one of the M&E R&R models - hopefully he’ll post back here or you could PM him.
Eric
I’m interested to hear too - is the new (well, still relatively new) M&E R&R lighter than the old M&Es? I’ve seen a few people commenting that the Seerys are lighter than the apparently quite heavy M&Es.
I have an M&E 6-key RR polymer. As a matter of fact, it’s the one Doc Jones had up for sale a while back. 
Yes, it is heavier than your average blackwood “stick”, noticeably so. It’s not an issue for me for some reason. In any case it’s a darned good flute for the money. I noticed that the key springs were a bit too light on pressure (a couple of keys tended to leak a lot), but that was easily fixed.
Just some added thoughts: six keys don’t add a really appreciable amount of weight to this flute, IMO; it’s heavy to begin with. The placement of the keys is pretty good, but the G# key’s touchpoint could be moved closer to the long Fnat key’s touchpoint for better ergonomics. Aesthetically speaking, the keys are a bit ungainly-looking in comparison to other setups I’ve seen, but they work. I don’t know if Mr. Cronnolly is doing any experimenting with key placement, but I hear he’s a pleasant guy and easy to get along with. I imagine he’d give a listen.
I have one of Michael Cronnolly’s “split front” prototype flutes, which was retrofitted with 6 keys.
The keys work well and the chromatic notes are well-tuned. It is a solid, dependable flute, and still gets frequent play. He used synthetic pads which are waterproof, so it’s a zero-care instrument: no maintenance necessary.
–James
When was that retrofitted? The pads on mine are not synthetic (well, they look like your standard leather pads), but Doc Jones informed me that the keywork on the M&E I bought from him (R&R design, standard embouchure) was of a new make from what he’s used in the past; in fact Mike reportedly told him that that flute was the first with such keys; kind of a collector’s item. These keys are supposedly of Pakistani manufature, and appear to be chrome plated.
They may very well be synthetic. I’ve got an antique that was repadded a few years before I picked it up. The pads very much look like leather. But when I felt them, I could tell they were synthetic. When you touch them you can feel that it’s a thin “skin” over a soft material.
From looks alone, they’re very convincing. And you can take into account that I am a professional leatherworker.
I’m pretty impressed with the material, too. This flute had not been played for a while before I got it, and a few of the pads were not reseating properly when the key was released. I was pretty sure it was going to need re-padding to be playable. However, after a few weeks of playing it, they have all worked in nicely, and I’m not having trouble anymore.
Michael, I notice an ongoing tendency for the long Fnat to leak after a while. What I do (having assumed the pad is natural, of course) is occasionally take a bit of paper towelling, wet it w/ jojoba oil and, inserting it between the key’s tonehole and pad, press the keypad down against it with the idea of making the pad more supple from the jojoba oil. Works every time, and very well; I’ve only done this maybe 2-3 times since the flute has been in my care. If it’s synthetic (and I have no reason to doubt you ), it’s interesting that my original reasoning, such as it is, applies in this case, too!