ive been wondering about new/used headjoints. ive been looking at them (just looking because im broke) and trying them out. however, im not very educated in the "headjoint realm." what headjoint do you prefer to play on, what type of sound does it make (dark, bright, etc.), and why?

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the "why" should be "why do you like it"


oops.

What head I play on depends on what goals I have for the music. I have a gold Tom Green flute and the headjoint that I got with it is fantastic for most things (orchestral and solo music especially)...A nice dark, rich, easy-to-blend sound with lots of choices for tone colors. However, for the really energetic stuff that moves all over the range of the flute, or when I need a really fast response or huge volume, I prefer a Landell titanium head, because I can push it to limits a traditional head couldn't handle. Of course, what we prefer should have absolutely no bearing on what you choose (if you happen to buy in the future), as a headjoint is a very personal choice. As you've probably noticed, every head is slightly different, even amongst those with the "same" cut, so you have to play as many heads in your price range as you can, and then choose the one that best suits your needs. Consider also that not all heads play well on all flutes, so be sure to playtest any potential purchases on your own flute body, and be sure that that body is in good repair, or you won't get a realistic idea of how that headjoint might perform for you. Hope some of that helps!

My favorite headjoints to play on would be my Sheridan (in which I bought back) which is silver with a 14K riser and then my Butterfly Goosman which is silver with a 14K gold lip and riser.

I like the Sheridan when I want a fuller more robust sound. It is not bright, but has a tad of depth that I suppose you could call darkness that I like. It does not project for me as well as my Goosman, so I use this for smaller ensembles.

The Goosman I love! It is so easy to play on it is almost effortless. Because of this though, the resistance level is not as high as on my Sheridan. I would describe it as playing rich, creamy, smooth, dark and articulation on it is amazing and the best out of any headjoint I have tried. This one is my favorite, but I still tend to over blow on it at times.

What kind of headjoint will you be trying out?

i tried a nagahara, an arista, a drellinger, and a few others ones that i cant think of at the top of my head. a new headjoint is on the top of my list of things to buy since my current stock headjoint isnt the right "fit" for me. i seem to be overplaying it. but of course, im different. and yes, i do realize that what works for one person may not work for me. its kind of like a good pair of pants... i wear a 2 in some brands and i wear a 4 in others. it doesnt mean that theyre wrong or bad, it just means that they have a different fit. im just curious is all...

Where did you try the Arista? I've been headjoint shopping, but no vendors seem to carry them. I want to try every maker I can get my hands on before buying.

Tim,
Phil Unger at the Flute Center of NY carries them.

i tried it at the flute specialists here in michigan.

I'm thinking of getting a titanium headjoint soon. Everyone says it's different - can I get your opinions on it?

I'm convinced titanium will eventually replace silver, though, for the bodies. Lighter and stronger.

http://www.liquidmetal.com/index/ - it's only a matter of time before someone uses this to make a flute. identical to titanium in most every way except heat resistance(same as aluminum)

Titanium will not be replacing flute bodies for a few years yet, as the techniques to create the mechanism and attach it to the tube are far from perfected. I was working with Jon Landell a couple summers ago while he was at work on the second titanium body flute ever, and in the process of creating the mech, one of the ribs (which were silver) snapped off the body. As for the titanium headjoints, I think they are fantastic, but they are not suitable for every type of music. If you're going to be playing big, high energy things (mostly orchestral and some solo work, I would say) that require extremely fast response and amazing flexibility, then the Ti heads are great, but I wouldn't choose to use a Ti head for chamber work or things where I need to play extremely sensitively. As with any other headjoint, you need to try it and see what you think, because you may dislike them as much as I like them.

The metal I mentioned is a special titanium alloy that's made to be more amorphous - like glass. A melting point of aluminum(1/3 of normal titanium) makes it very easy to fabricate.

All the advantages of titanium. None of the difficulty. Landell should seriously look into it.(yes I sent him a letter about it)

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oh - about the sounds, I play solo and folk/rock entirely, so fast and loud to keep up with the bass and (sometimes) guitar... I want to try one out sometime soon ;)

I don't know much about that alloy, but fabrication of the parts was not the issue...Finding ways to connect it all together was. There may be different techniques that are available to bond parts together (for example, ribs to the tubing) with that new alloy, but unless that's true, no matter how easy it is to fabricate, manufacturing an entire (operating) flute will still be difficult. And of course, there's still the issue of soldering other metals to Ti, should a customer so desire it. As we all know, many flutists are particular about the materials that go into their instrument.