Chances are if you are just starting off on flute, you will not be able to notice a huge difference between the old Yamaha vrs the new one. The 381 will not play any different then a student Yamaha flute. You get the bonus of holes and a solid silver CY head which is cut the same as on there student line models.

Chances are if you are just starting off on flute, you will not be able to notice a huge difference between the old Yamaha vrs the new one. The 381 will not play any different then a student Yamaha flute. You get the bonus of holes and a solid silver CY head which is cut the same as on there student line models.

Actually I do notice a difference in tone quality between the two flutes. The 381 seems to have a sweeter tone, for lack of a better term, than the 24N. The 24N to me sounds very metalic or like a cheap metal flute. The 381 is a bit more responsive too.

The differences in response and tone could easily be related to the fact that the head is loose on the 24N. Until you at least put some teflon tape on there, or even get it fit properly, it's not really a valid comparison. The flute that's in good repair is always going to play better than one that you know is leaking.

The differences in response and tone could easily be related to the fact that the head is loose on the 24N. Until you at least put some teflon tape on there, or even get it fit properly, it's not really a valid comparison. The flute that's in good repair is always going to play better than one that you know is leaking.

Well that's a very good point. I'm going to try the teflon trick today as soon as I can get to Home Depot.

I usually use Glad Press-n-Seal plastic wrap to keep the seal right between my two headjoints and my two flutes. (I have not had my Prima Sankyo headjoint fitted, it's a tad loose in my Pearl and fits my Yamaha well.)

I use scissors to cut a small rectangle out of the Press-n-Seal wrap and then smooth it onto the tenon. Sometimes I need a smaller, or larger, piece to make the fit better, but it lasts for weeks.

Regular plastic wrap, I have not tried, and I suspect that it would not work well for more than one use.

As far as the response of the headjoints goes: on one hand, they should both have the CY cut, and should be really similar. On the other hand, especially if they were not robotic-machine cut, the embouchure holes could be different enough to notice a definite response difference.

The difference in nickel-plated versus solid silver may also be a factor. (Although I'm sure the opinion will come up that the design of the embouchure is the majority influencing factor.) When I first played my silver-head Gemeinhardt, I was blown away by the ease of response, especially in the low register. I had played on an Armstrong 104N, a nickel-plated instrument. I've gone back to the old nickel flute several times, and the response does not change with the improvements to my embouchure.

The fit of the headjoint may have been overlooked if WWBW changed a gold-plated lip head for a silver one.