lol my personal test for a headjoint is "would I loose sleep over this if I gave it up?"

Exactly!! I was thinking the same thing.

you know, i wouldnt lose sleep at all. and thats not because im an insomniac either. im going to wait and keep trying. for some reason, when playing on the brannen, things just dont feel right. its so difficult to play softly without losing my tone. on the other hand, its so hard to play loud with the tom green without nearly hyperventilating. my budget is so tight and i cant exactly just wait to save up more money. its either i get something now and upgrade later on or i can just say goodbye to most of the competitions and auditions i have coming up this spring. its that vital.
i hope this new shipment of headjoints he got in friday will include the "one". otherwise im going to have to settle and what good does that do?

well, if you have any suggestions, it would be much appreciated. im pretty desperate right now.

oh, gee, dont let my boyfriend hear that one... haha

Please keep us updated. So what other headjoints do you have coming in to try? I just sold a lovely Sheridan headjoint just last month, it is too bad I didin't know you were looking for one right now

well i had a love affair with a 14k tom green in october, but i cant afford it. thats why ive been trying other tom greens. maybe one can match or surpass it.

the brannen i have right now is probably the top one ive tried. the others seemed too much like my other headjoint - too dark. too stuffy.

just like the nagaharas!

however, there was a shipment in of all sorts of headjoints, new and used. im not sure what he has, but he said he has a few miyazawas i might like. im not sure, i have a feeling that theyll be like my muramatsu.

so, in short, im not sure. i know he also has a few aristas in as well.

i would like to talk to you (kate) about selling my headjoint. you have my email, so you can either get ahold of me there or by pm here.

and trust me, ill be letting all of you know because i know i need all the help i can get. 4 ears are better than 1.

So did you not like like the Nagaharas then?

If you want a very vibrant open sound have you tried any of the Burkart heads?

I will be happy to help you with trying to sell your headjoint.

It may help if you could describe exactly what sound and characteristics you are looking for in a headjoint. I have tried a LOT of headjoints (being the flute headjoint maniac that I am) so I will try and help.

i attempted to try one (it was far too large to put in my flute). i didnt have too much luck with it. i dont think that headjoint plus my flute make a winning combination. i seem to have better luck with an oval hole, not a square one. maybe it was just the ones i was trying...

IMO, there are two big things to look for in a headjoint.

1 - Dynamics. Tone isn't nearly as big of a deal as much as being able to play well softly and also not losing what tone it has when you need to play loud.

2 - Speed. Having a lot of resistance is entirely different than it being sluggish to get on tone and make transitions. A well made headjoint will be flexible and precise.

Tone is quite honestly, a lot more up to the player than the headjoint.(barring a terrible tone/bad quality - but since we were talking about handmade examples...)

i brought home 2 more... tom greens. i fell in love! i plan on recording within the next day day or so and ill let you guys know/hear.

im so excited!





yeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!!!

That is great! Good luck with it

I am excited for you. I ended up having to buy a whole new intermediate flute. Nothing fits and Armstrong but an Armstrong.

I can't wait to her your lovely Tom Green Headjoints.

thats too bad. usually you can take it to a experienced tech and they can resize. its strange that they cant.

The problem is that the receiving end of the headjoint is a lot smaller. I thought personally that it wasn't that much smaller, but he put some calipers on it and showed me how much larger the headjoint was than my older one. My old headjoint was pretty snug.

The flute madness hit when I was driving home. I went into a store and tried some flutes and I brought the yamaha headjoint in with me. The Yamaha almost fit everything but an Armstrong. I don't know if it would fit a higher end(80B or Heritage)since all I had to work with were student models.

That tech told me that was just the way Armstrong flutes are. The tenons are small.

I traded my Armstrong for a nice 385 that looks as tough no one has ever played it. It is the cleanest most flawless used flute that I have ever seen and I got it for a used flute song. I am so happy I can't sleep!

When 7 AM get's here the neighbors are getting up!