They scheduled a consultation with me on Zoom, where I told them the qualities I was looking for, what I do, what I’d tried, and what I liked and disliked.

During the week of Thanksgiving, I received 5 headjoints to try. It was a little frightening to see the invoice for $15,000!

The Powell was a little too big for my flute. The other Williams headjoint had Adler wings, which I liked on the McKenna headjoint, but not so much on this one, for some reason. Arista was almost the same one as I had tried before, but with a silver lip plate. Martin Gordon didn’t fit well in my flute (though I know this is adjustable), and was also more than I was looking to spend.

I didn’t do a side-by-side comparison of McKenna and the Williams headjoint I ended up purchasing, but I felt confident in my decision after my trials. I definitely got the qualities I wanted in the Williams headjoint, and I knew at that point that this headjoint was a “bargain.” It is used, and has some scratches and tarnishing on it, but that’s not something that bothers me. In the end, the price was was a big selling point. I realized that it didn’t really make sense to buy a headjoint that cost almost half the price of my current flute.

It’s funny how we project ourselves into the things we own, and I definitely saw this in headjoint shopping. Of course, the first priority is the sound, but I think we also use the look of the headjoint as a way to express ourselves. Some people like elaborate engraving, or colorful gems on the crown. I realized that I actually really did not want that. The look of this Williams headjoint gave me the perfect (for me) restrained elegance. There’s a little gold ring around the crown, which is a nod to the gold riser. You don’t see the gold riser unless you look under the lip plate, but it definitely influences the sound.

I am so pleased with my purchase! I got what I wanted at the price I wanted (under $2000). And now I have access to new frontiers of tone color, dynamic, and articulation!

Pages: 1 2