After attending Marina Piccinini’s concert in October, I was struck with the thought that some of the colors and articulations she was using were unavailable to me on my current instrument. I decided to explore that thought, and ended up trying a lot of headjoints, a few instruments, and learning a lot.

I’ve had a history of waiting too long to upgrade my instruments. I think it’s partly intimidation over the large expense of an instrument, and feeling overwhelmed about making an important decision. However, I realized I’m now at a stage in my development where I need to take responsibility for upgrades, and not rely on a teacher or mentor to tell me when it’s time.

I took almost 3 months to arrive at my decision to purchase a Burkart S4 9K headjoint. I had previously been playing on a David C. Williams silver headjoint with gold riser.

Here is the process I went through to choose and purchase my headjoint, as well as some thoughts and tips from my experience.

Trial #1: Carolyn Nussbaum

I set up an appointment at Carolyn’s, which is pretty convenient (about an hour away from Denton) for an in person trial. I probably tried about 20 headjoints and a handful of flutes. This was a useful starting point for identifying the qualities I was looking for.

I came home with two headjoints, one which I clearly preferred: Mancke with silver tube, 18k gold lip plate, platinum riser. More about my first trial in this post, including recordings comparing that Mancke with a McKenna headjoint and my own Williams.

I loved the Mancke headjoint so much I played it on a performance the day after taking it home from the store. It felt so much easier to control, though not necessarily easier to play. I felt like the response (note beginnings and ends) was more nuanced than my Williams, and that I was able to access colors that were new to me. In particular, I found richness and depth in the low register, and brilliance (without harshness) in the upper register.

Trial #2: Flutistry

I also submitted a trial request to Flutistry, which is where I had purchased my Williams headjoint. They sent me four headjoints, two which didn’t fit my instrument. The two that fit were Powell and Burkart. Interestingly, while searching my email history just now, I realize I told the salesperson that I preferred the Burkart.

Trials #3, 4, 5, 6…: Flute Center of New York

At the same time, I sent a trial request to FCNY, which was picked up by Alyssa, a flutist I had crossed paths with several years ago while living in LA.

She suggested I join ClubFC, which allowed me to get free shipping (both ways) on all of my trials, as well as small commissions for purchases made by my students. Incidentally, one of my students was on the market for a new flute, so that seemed convenient. But mostly the free shipping! There was no charge for joining, just an agreement to be signed.

I have to say the customer service I have received with FCNY was by far the best of the three companies I worked with. Alyssa took time on a number of occasions to check in with how my trial was going, if there anything else I wanted to try, and my thoughts on individual headjoints. She didn’t hesitate to send me anything I was interested in (and I was open to trying anything, especially with free shipping!). So excellent service from FCNY, which is what ultimately led me to purchase from them. My experiences with Carolyn’s and Flutistry were satisfactory, but they never followed up with me about additional trials. Since I was working with Alyssa and FCNY’s large inventory, I never ended up contacting any other businesses.

The first box of headjoints was all 14K tubes, and I wasn’t crazy about any of them. I felt like the sound was too dark, and I missed some of the brilliance of the silver tube. After that trial, I asked to try more combinations of gold and silver (every brand has its own version of combining metals).

I also did my own work scouring FCNY’s online inventory for specific headjoints I was interested in, and requested those.

In the second trial box of headjoints from FCNY, I found one I really liked- the Burkart S4 with 9K gold tube and lip plate, 14K riser, and silver crown.

I continued to try the rest of the headjoints in FCNY’s inventory that Alyssa recommended/I had requested, though I kept the Burkart to compare. I was even able to compare it with the same Mancke headjoint that I’d originally liked from Carolyn’s (though obviously not the exact same instrument). By this point, my sound preference had shifted to the warmer sound of a gold tube.

In my final headjoint trial box, I received a used Burkart headjoint with a platinum tube and 14K gold crown. While the headjoint didn’t fit in my flute, I did try the gold crown on the 9K headjoint and loved the response. I inquired about upgrading the crown, which would have been an extra $850, or $1000 to purchase alone.

I decided to purchase the headjoint as it comes, with the silver crown, and work with it for a while. I figure I can make a better decision about that upgrade once I get to know the headjoint better.

Trial #7: Burkart

As per the recommendation of this great blog post I found while searching for headjoints, I also asked to try any other of the same headjoint available.

Before purchasing (and after a conversation with my good friend Jess) I contacted Burkart directly to see if there were any discounts available, but they suggested that I complete the purchase through FCNY.

They were already aware that I was looking to purchase a headjoint, as Alyssa had contacted them to figure out the price of the 14K gold crown and its availability.

The Burkart representative did say they had one more S4 9K that they could arrange to send me through FCNY. Interestingly, when I asked Alyssa if there were any other Burkart S4 9Ks available, she said no. I mentioned my conversation with Burkart, and she said she would ask about that. It turned out that they were able to get me the other one if I paid first. Since my decision was already made at that point, I paid for the headjoint, and they arranged for Burkart to send me the other S4 9K for comparison.

Now this was a very interesting trial! I feel like you can even see the difference in the two headjoints, which I asked Burkart about, and they told me this: “The embouchure hole is first machined to dimension specs, then finished by hand. There can be some visual differences in the overcutting, which allows air flow, but most of the “magic” is done in the undercutting, which can’t be seen without the proper tools.”

The second headjoint I received felt very different to me, and didn’t have the smoothness and elegance in the sound and vibrato that I loved in the first. I’m not sure I would have picked the second headjoint out of the bunch. This taught me that headjoints are truly individual, and while you can find consistent characteristics in different metals and makers, there is also a lot of variation in these handmade instruments. Meaning: try everything! Think of each headjoint as different, even if it has the same “name.”

For the sake of trying everything, I also tried switching the crowns to see if I could tell the difference… and I could. The attack felt different- more direct. But I had grown to like the attack of the headjoint I’d been playing on. While less quick, it also felt more refined (once I learned to time it right).

Part of that difference may have been the fit of the crown itself. While the one that was originally on the first headjoint screwed on easily until it neared the end, the second crown had a tighter fit and needed a bit more guidance.

Ultimately, I decided to keep both the headjoint and crown of the first Burkart S4 9K.

Here’s what I love about the headjoint I chose:
-Clear response at beginning and end of notes. I feel like it “airbrushes” the attack and taper for me a little, where I had to work really hard to control that on my previous headjoint.
-Response and depth of sound in low register.
-The way the vibrato resonates beautifully within the sound and doesn’t get harsh in the upward part of the vibrato wave.
-Sound is very smooth and elegant, with brilliance but not harshness or tinniness in the upper register. Some headjoints responded well in the low/mid registers, but thinned out when I blew in the 3rd octave.

A few thoughts/tips:

1. Ask if there are any discounts available. If you are able to pay outright, ask for a cash discount. Both Carolyn’s and FCNY said that there was a 2% discount for cash/wire payments (which I used), presumably because they don’t have to pay the credit card fees. It’s not huge, but makes sense for a large purchase.
2. Try everything! Each headjoint is individual. And definitely try used instruments for the best value.
3. What you like at the beginning of the process may be different than what you like at the end, so take your time and try not to get swept away too quickly by finding “the one.” You will hear different things, and get a better idea of what you like and what you are looking for as you try more instruments. Give yourself time to do that research.
4. I don’t believe in a “forever” instrument. Tastes and playing change over time, as well as what instruments are available. I think it’s wise to periodically check out what is on the market. If you end up finding that your current setup actually works the best, good for you!
5. Work with multiple businesses to have the most options.
6. Be conscious of how the headjoint fits in the barrel. In one instance, I noticed that I had the tape a bit too big and it was a tight fit, but I tried playing it anyway. Then I adjusted the tape, making it slightly smaller, and the instrument vibrated differently.
7. Something new I learned was about the composition of gold. As you might know, karats refer to the percentage of gold (24K is pure gold). However, it can be combined with a variety of different metals, including nickel, copper, silver, and zinc. That means 9K or 14K could be a different blend of metals from one maker to another, presumably affecting the sound.