Dear Group,

I have been interested in buying an Alto flute for awhile and have decided I
like the sound of the alto with a wooden head. I have heard recordings that I
really like the tone of using this combo of a quality wooden headjoint on just
silver plated bodies. I have read articles that claim the materials in the body
have little, if any, effect on the tone and am curious if anyone has actual
experience of switching their headjoint between solid silver and silver plated
bodies from the same manufacturer with any noticeable results. Price wise, it
seems I can buy a silver plated body from a higher quality flute manufacturer like Altus
for about the same price as a solid silver body from an other manufacturer such as Trevor James.

I know I have to listen to each setup to make an informed decision, but I don't
want to be shipping different bodies back and forth for trials if I can narrow
the search before hand.

Any informed opinions?

Most of the time alto is used in theatrical productions and sometimes in orchestras, so you might need to pick up and play the flute with only a measure or two to warm it...silver plated flutes are lighter and warm up faster making them more responsive and easier to play in tune on the spot..

a solid silver head joint will sound different than a silver plated one but a solid silver body does not really do that much more that a silver plated body. it just adds more weight and maybe a slight difference in the sound. The head joint makes the most difference.