How often are there problems with the bamboo splitting?
Almost never any serious problem. All my instruments are guaranteed indefinitely against cracking serious enough to affect playability or structural integrity. Of course, slamming a flute in a car door or letting your dog chew on it is another matter! You might be surprised by how often those catastrophes happen. Careful selection of raw material, proper treatment during the building process, and especially binding the tube with nylon wrappings guard against severe cracking. Some of my own favorite flutes that I’ve had for 10-15 years have hairline cracks, but these don’t cause problems. (Some people even swear a flute improves when the wall structure is flexed up a bit like that).
