Flute purchase advice please

[SunnySpirals]

Hi! I am taking up my flute again after not having played for 35 years and can’t decide what to do.

I still have the Artley 18-0 student flute I was bought in 1979. I upgraded it with a silver head joint in 1985. It made a big difference to the tone but I know nothing about the head joint. It has no markings on it at all. The Artley flute still plays well although is rather overdue a service. There is a little pitting on one key and it needs a professional clean.

Thinking I fancied a newer flute, I bought a second hand Yamaha 211s made in 2006. This is a very nice flute, plays well but feels very different to my Artley. I am not sure I like the tone so much- it’s less subtle. With this in mind I bought a Yamaha 311 Solid silver head joint to go with it. Sadly, when it arrived, I thought it sounded worse than the stock head joint and was harder to play! So I have returned it.

So I don’t know what to do. I have seen a Gemeinhardt K G special flute ( solid silver) at a good price and am tempted but I have read comments about Gemeinhardt flutes saying they are unreliable and vary a lot flute to flute.

I would like to try my old silver head on the Yamaha flute but, sadly, it doesn’t fit! The diameter is too big. I could get it altered but then it wouldn’t fit my Artley..

I’m going round and round in circles ( and rambling!).

Does anyone have any thoughts?

[pied_piper]

Your best bet would be to visit a specialty flute store that stocks and sell a wide variety of headjoints. That way you can a wide variety of headjoints to find something that suits your preferences and needs. Many major cities have such a shop.

I would not recommend trying to get your Artley headjoint resized to fit another flute for the reasons you already mentioned.