Headjoint question

[tallbeartx]

I have someone who has a new headjoint on their Christmas wishlist. They currently play a Haynes Amadeus. My question is (and please forgive me this may be a stupid question but I'm not the musician in the family!) if I purchase them a new headjoint, will any headjoint fit their Haynes Amadeus, or do I need to specifically shop for a Haynes headjoint? Thank you so much for your input!

[Zevang]

Hi, this is really a complicated mission the one you've got!

There are two points that make it complicated. First that for every headjoint you should buy, even if it's a Haynes, there is no guarantee that it will actually fit any flute. It must be properly fit by a technician (or you may be very lucky... . Some people uses plumbers tape (or teflon tape) when the headjoint is smaller than the body of the flute, so at least it's possible to experiment the instrument, but only as a temporary measure. This leads us to the second point. A heajoint, whatever you choose to buy, must fit the player. But how is this accomplished? The player must actually test play it to find out if this is a good fit. That's the reason the flute shops usually keep many brands and models available for test playing. There is one of them that is the best for this particular person. Not that other headjoint would be unplayable, but there is one that is the best, among the available at the shop. Think about this as if you were trying shoes at a store. There is always a model and a size that fits better your feet.

[tallbeartx]

Thank you so much for such a thoughtful reply, Zevang! Although I normally prefer to give a gift that can be touched and held when opened, perhaps in this case a gift certificate would be the best solution so the player can select the headjoint that they feel best with. Best regards!

[Zevang]

Excelent idea!

All the best,

Zevang

[JButky]

Thank you so much for such a thoughtful reply, Zevang! Although I normally prefer to give a gift that can be touched and held when opened, perhaps in this case a gift certificate would be the best solution so the player can select the headjoint that they feel best with. Best regards!

When I was in Retail, I would have the gift giver make an appointment and I made up a special gift certificate card with the appointment time date, etc and have it personalized. I would always make a big deal about welcoming those customers when they showed up for the special event. It made things very exciting for the player who received those envelopes and had a special time to look forward to.

[tallbeartx]

What a fantastic idea, JButky!