Hi - at first I was going to ask this in the Pealnundrum string, but on sound advice decided to deal with this separately.

I was given a website ( http://www.donmack.com/PearlFlutes/Headjoints.asp ) Which defines some of the currently available headjoints from Pearl.

As I check around, I find hj for sale described with a "J" suffix. Is there a significance to the "J"? And what of the difference of hj described as Forza, Forte, Quantz etc?

I am assuming that you can (with fitting) freely interchange most headjoints, and see there are many custom joint makers. Do some matches just plain NOT work?


What are your experiences and opinions of installing different headjoints on Pearls( I realize this may apply as muti-brand/generic also).

Are there things to be concerned with or wary about when attempting to change headjoints? Is a Powell or other make hj a good choice for a Pearl body? Have you tried it? Did it work?

You might need to get a headjoint resized to fit. I play a Pearl Dolce with a Yamaha EC headjoint. I had to get it resized to fit the body of the flute

I was given a website ( http://www.donmack.com/PearlFlutes/Headjoints.asp ) Which defines some of the currently available headjoints from Pearl. As I check around, I find hj for sale described with a "J" suffix. Is there a significance to the "J"? And what of the difference of hj described as Forza, Forte, Quantz etc?

The letter indicates the country of origin of the tube supply. J is for Japan, G is for Germany.

Descriptions of how headjoints play should be ignored. What matters is how you sound on them. If you KNOW what specs you want in a headjoint, then take some measurements and use an angle template to find matches for things you are looking for. If you are not going to do that, then you MUST play them and don't be influenced by marketing descriptions which may or may not yield the same descriptions after you've played them.

I am assuming that you can (with fitting) freely interchange most headjoints, and see there are many custom joint makers. Do some matches just plain NOT work?

At the risk of sounding redundant...YOU MUST PLAY THE HEADJOINT. There are lots of makers and cuts because everyone is different and finding the right headjoint for you is the challenge. Some fit, others won't. Headjoints can be sized WITHIN REASON. You may or may not like any particular headjoint and NO-ONE can tell you which one will work best for you.

What are your experiences and opinions of installing different headjoints on Pearls( I realize this may apply as muti-brand/generic also).

You can use any headjoint you choose that can be reasonably fit.

Are there things to be concerned with or wary about when attempting to change headjoints? Is a Powell or other make hj a good choice for a Pearl body? Have you tried it? Did it work?

If it is too big won't fit, You cannot try it without altering the headjoint. Anything that fits from too small up can be tried without altering the headjoint. You can only alter a headjoint for fit just to try it if it is too loose. Tape can be applied to make the fit close enough to play test. There is nothing you can do that is temporary on a headjoint that is too large for the barrel. If you shrink it to fit, then you've bought it to do that. Most pearls can fit many heads to try. Their size is metric so anything .015" or smaller will fit. The .016" are hit and miss, they may either just fit or may be just too tight.

Joe B

They are really $15??? I thought they would cost much more. Where can you get them?

ohhhhh. darn, I hate my Gemeinhardt headjoint...it doesnt sound too great and its quite ugly.

There are so many choices, it is enough to make your head spin! Every one that has said that it is the player NOT the flute has hit it spot on. Still, those flashy handmade flutes are nice to play on regardless. Just about anything in the 4K price range is going to be MUCH better than she has right now, you really can't go wrong there! Headjoints sound and react different for all of us. What I may like, your misses may hate. Joe has it right on in that aspect. It also depends on really how advanced the player is. Put a beginner on a gold Naghara head and you most likely wouldn't hear a difference between that one or their cheapo silver plated student one.

It always surprises me that after 30 years of playing that some flutists don't know much about the instrument they play on keep up with the new technologies. I am not saying this is a bad thing by many means. It is just hard for me to relate to because I am such a flute geek!

Joe B is right again, you really have to try headjoints as you will never know what you come across...

I found my current headjoint by Jack Moore quite by accident but I like it a lot..so see what comes your way and don't only try the big name headjoints

Thanks Joe, for info on sizing, fitting and identification.

"Personally, I think the manufacturers to some degree prey on people's insecurities" ... true in many objects and advertising ... but I would suppose it possible some folk may possibly improve their sound if only due to the placebo effect on the confidence? Has anyone possibly encountered that?

"It always surprises me that after 30 years of playing that some flutists don't know much about the instrument they play on"... yes, same as it amazes me how folk can drive for a lifetime and not know much about how an automobile works.. or a lawnmower etc..

Are ther particular cities or dealers that are reknown for having wide ranges of headjoints available for on-site tryout?

Sandy Drelinger of New York makes lots of different headjoints. He travels around the country once a year, kind of 'on tour', and lets people try out and find their perfect new headjoint. He has lots and lots of different styles, out of different metals, they cost (I think) about $1200 on up. Sometimes you can find them used for about half the price, every now and then on http://www.usedflutes.com or on ebay. They are pretty heavily promoted by Mr. Drelinger. Some people love them, others think they're ok but like something else.

I don't know of any others that go on tour like this, most of what I understand involves having several headjoints sent to you for trial. I had a Yamaha EC, a Prima Sankyo NRS-1, and a couple of other Yamaha HJs sent to me from Woodwind and Brasswind a few years ago, and picked out the Sankyo as a close second to the EC.

After digesting some, A couple more questions come to mind.

Joe mentioned "don't be influenced by marketing descriptions which may or may not yield the same descriptions after you've played them". In that vein, I'm wondering if anybody has tried a line-up then compared their outcome with that advertised (did a friend/colleague come up with a different opinion?). An example of such advertising can be found at:

http://www.donmack.com/PearlFlutes/Headjoints.asp

I assume similar advertising is available for most brands, so please don't feel limited to Pearl.

Joe - any idea how do these manufacturers' descriptions come to be - ie the opinion of one writer, or from the input of a panel etc?


Next, I have seen mention that engraved lip plates can help prevent slippage due to sweat etc. I'm guessing that if this were a prevelant problem, then most would come engraved out of the box?
Should a player encounter slippage, is return to the manufacturer for engraving the only realistic route or can these be taken simply to any engraver/trophy shop etc, (if so, is there recommended or maximum engraving depth (ie 1/8th wall, 1/2 wall)?

So much usefull information from all! Thanks!

From that link:

PF PHN-1 Rich, warm with even projection
PF PHN-2 Direct, excellent straight forward
PF PHN-3 Rich, Dark Penetrating Sound
PF PHN-4 Full Rich Elegant sound. Responsive
PF PH-5 Bright warm sound. Excellent projection
PF PH-6 Dark, clear Sound. Quick Response
PF PH-7 Rich and powerful with simple tone core
PF PH-8 Brilliant sound with smooth intonation and excellent sound projection


If you can explain to me the difference between Rich, Warm with even projection and
Rich, Dark penetrating sound, and
Full rich elegant sound, Responsive...

What exactly does that mean?

What's the difference between penetrating and projection. What does Elegant sound mean?????
What is Full Rich as Opposed to Responsive? Is it implied that the other are not responsive?

That's what I mean by, you can't tell a durn thing from headjoint descriptions...

(BTW...NO, I DID NOT WRITE THESE DESCRIPTIONS!!!! (:-))

Joe B

Kara was certainly right - it can make a head spin! Had I not ventured to this board, such descriptions would have left me boggled, and as Annie pointed out, swimming in insecurity.

Bingo Joe! LOL! - Trying to gain pertinent info from such descriptions just leaves the reader thinking WTF? That particular lists seems to suggest you must be willing to make sacrifices when choosing... do you want to have "excellant sound projection" or "quick response" - apparently you can't have both by this list.

Visiting another website, it was suggested that sound corresponded to the metal wall thickness of flutes/headjoints, with thinner walls sounding 'bright" or "brilliant". thicker walls sounding '"dark" or "rich", and intermediate thickness giving a more "balanced" sound in comparison.

When I think of physics, this seems to make some sense, as while the velocity of sound through 2 joints of the same metal will be the same, the frequency of the transmitted sound may change as a function of change in thickness. If this is so, do the joints we have seen described have different thickness? And if they do, do the joints described as "dark" have thicker walls than the joints described as "bright"? If so, it could suggest that personal change in direction may be aided by a comparison of wall thickness (all other things being equal)

Any info reg. my all-time favorite headjoint model? Danke! -Suzie

I'll ask the factory and get back to you...

JB

When I think of physics, this seems to make some sense, as while the velocity of sound through 2 joints of the same metal will be the same, the frequency of the transmitted sound may change as a function of change in thickness. If this is so,

This is an answer that requires more time than I have right now. I'll get to in in the next couple days though..

Joe B

Visiting another website, it was suggested that sound corresponded to the metal wall thickness of flutes/headjoints, with thinner walls sounding 'bright" or "brilliant". thicker walls sounding '"dark" or "rich", and intermediate thickness giving a more "balanced" sound in comparison.

This is not so simply true as it may appear. I am not a flute player but I have done a lot of research on sound, types of metals, and thinkness of metals.

It is generally assumed that you get a softer sound out of thinner metal and a brighter sound out of thicker metal. The thought behind this is that the thicker the metal, then the harder the metal. A harder or thicker metal will allow the sound waves to bounce off the metal and be more pure. A softer or thinner metal will absorb some of the sound waves resulting in a softer sound. Also using this same understanding your articulations will speak better with a harder or thicker metal. Players with thinner or softer metals will have to work harder to get their articulations to speak.

If you have two tubes that are truly identical then there should be no difference in the resulting sound if played by the same player and listened to by the same audience in the same concert hall. If however, the placement of the lip plate is only minutely different from one tube to the next, then there will be a difference, and sometimes a surprisingly large difference.

There is your simple answer. Now, what if your flute body is thicker metal than your head joint? or thinner ?! What will the sound waves do? You can see that with all the variations possible a small change here or there can be unpredictable, unless you have been messing with this stuff for years.

I am intrigued by the multitude of questions you are asking. I think it is great to want to know. Unfortunately I think if you make your decision based on all the mathematical and theory evidence you will come out with a mathematical and theory sounding instrument and you will not be happy.

My suggestion, it is nice to know how everything is working as it can guide you, listen to your favorite players and then research what they are playing on. Then start trying out different headjoints. Pick a group of 3 and play them. Take notes. Pick another group of 3, pick a 3rd group of 3. Then take the favorite of each of those groups for your last set of three and you should be close to where you want to be. (until you change your mind in 6 months and want to do it all over again - been there, done that, and still do it).