Hey there,

Well,do you guyz know of any other flute headjoints that fits a Yamaha YFL-381 body ( besides yamaha headjoints themselves )??? Im looking to upgrade the headjoint only due to budget constraints...

THANKS!

It is normal to have to get a headjoint slightly adjusted to fit a different brand of flute. Often adjustments also have to be made within a brand - i.e. heads are fitted to each flute that they are associated with... Even within a brand there may be thousandths of a millimetre difference in diameter - enough to make a head jam or be too loose.

Good technicians have specialised equipment for making the necessary adjustments.

So there are dozens of brands of headjoint that could be fitted to your flute. Apart from the `regular` flute makers, there are also manufacturers who specialise in heads only.

Budget constraints?
Why not the Yamaha heads? They make several different cut /taper choices for about $679 that can transform a flute tone. They should be a bit more economical and fit into your budget better than any of the other options such as Hj specific designers, especially for that model of flute. Not that your model is a bad choice for a student flute. I mean, are you ready to invest in a $1500+ head joint on a student level body? Not that I`m against doing this, but of course one would need to try out a few different head joints until they find the tone and response that makes their playing magical and that could be time consuming and costly in it`s own right.

Then you run into the issue of a possible problem with the body/pad condition and no head joint change is going to fix that. or maybe it`s a dent or a loose cork plug in the head and that can be just an easy fix at the shop.

~Bilbo

I agree completely.

Dood, are you quite sure tht the head is your limiting factor, and not yourself or the state of repair of the flute, which could be corrected far more cheaply.

Just about any head joint can be adjusted to your flute.

Used Powell Signature and Muramatsu headjoints can be found for around $500 on the net or at flute specialty shops. There are tons of other brands such as Burkhart, Landell, Tom Green, Drelinger, etc out there too.

I`m looking at new head joints and flutes right now too. Good luck on your search.

If you consider an older head joint, definitely try it and compare it with modern ones first, before you buy. There have been big changes. I have a Muramatsu `old` headjoint which I do not use, because it plays no better than a student Yamaha head.

How would you be able to date a head joint? Wouldn`t one normally just try out a bunch of different head joints to determine which is the best for them?

I have played on some older headjoints (even plated) that truly blew away even some of the newer ones. So don`t completely rule an older one out.
Some people actually prefer the older style Muramatsu flutes because of the older headjoints on them.
I for one, myself, prefer the newer ones though when it comes to that brand but, I should add that I am not particularly thrilled with their headjoints, either.

I have a friend who sells a bunch of different brands of headjoints for good prices. He will send them to you priority mail free of charge to try for two weeks.
This may be something that you may want to look into.

His email is aluger@tranquility.net
Phone 1-877-844-9630.

I bought two headjoint from him. He is a really nice guy.

Oh darn. I just went out this afternoon determined to get a head joint and bought one. A Natsuki P2. http://homepage2.nifty.com/natsuki-f/english/headjoints.html

It`s funny. I was prepared to mail order a Muramatsu wingcut for $750 just from reading descriptions on websites, but decided to hit a local flute shop and tried a few head joints in person. The quality between the few I looked at were so different. This $650 Natsuki played as well as a their $950 plain Muramatsu, the wing-cut at $1050 was not as good as the plain Muramatsu and a $900 Powell was absolutely horrible (which I think was really set up that way as it was a Muramatsu dealer).

So far I`m a happy camper.

I think it should be added here, what you wrote in the other thread, that the Powell you compared was an old, small-embouchured-hole one.

Unfair comparison really. And overpriced?

wow ok..every1 has their opinions.

yes...it might be me thats limiting my progress.

it also might be my flute...because i recently tried an altus...and it blew me away...completely...(perhaps its one of the only pro-flutes ive tried!)...i was able to control volume and stability much easier!( but i found it rather irritating trying to pitch F# )

i also got an offer...the highest model of jupiter flute ( sterling series not demici )for around 300-400 US bux. ( im in singapore and he quoted 600-700 bux)shud i go for it as an upgrade?looking into the artist series as well...

i find pro-flutes `easier` to play...i simply love the feel...or may is jux s**k...HahAHhah

*I just *s__k

woops typo

I noted that I thought the horrid Powell was a set up. But in deatil the Powell I tested was pointed out to be an older model with a much smaller hole. On pricing Flute world has a Powel 2100 "P" cut on their site for $795, but I have seen cheaper for a "Powell Signature" for as low as $600 used. After testing a bunch of head joints I`m certainly not going to risk mail ordering one unless I can do a few at a time to pick out a good head joint.