Beating a Dead Horse

[fluteguy18]

Sorry to bring up the sore topic, but for the first time today I thought of something. I know that most of us think that gold plating is merely cosmetic. What about platinum plating?

I only ask because I was faced with quite a conundrum this evening. One of the new members of my studio is a Taiwanese foreign exchange student. Her flute is an Altus 1307 ( solid .958 Brittania silver). What makes it unique is that it is platinum plated. I've picked up solid silver flutes (sterling and brittania) and compared them to my flute, and mine is usually heavier. This flute had far less gizmos on it than mine, but weight SUBSTANTIALLY more than mine.

The thing is, is that when we were trying to figure out what it was made of (her English isn't too good and she wasn't even sure herself), we didn't have access to any model information. Playing it, I was sure it wasn't a silver flute. The response was all wrong for a silver flute. But now that I know it WAS a silver flute with platinum plating, I am revisiting my experiences with similar instruments. And to be honest, I've had quite a few.

Specifically I remember a series of Muramatsu flutes I tried at the NFA convention last year. I tried several of the same model, but with some that were platinum plated. I thought it was just the headjoint, but thinking back on it, I do remember thinking that something was different about them.

So here's my question. We usually write off gold plating as a cosmetic feature. But what about platinum? It looks like silver, so you aren't gaining much. It's density is far greater than gold. It's enough that I noticed a difference in weight when compared to another silver altus flute that was very similar. We know that changing the weight of a flute changes the sound, but what about this? And furthermore, if it is to be concluded that plating in general doesn't impact the sound of an instrument, then does that mean going back to the drawing board to the metals debate?

I was completely shocked when I found out it was silver with platinum plating. I was sure it was either white gold or platinum.

[pied_piper]

Before discussing the plating aspect, you have to consider that comparing the weight of two different flutes would be inconclusive unless you also compare the wall thickness.

Now assuming that both flutes were the same wall thickness, plating is usually so thin that it's affect on the total weight would be insignificant. Now, if it was platinum clad instead of just plated, that could make some difference in the weight since there would be a layer of each metal bonded together instead of just flashed on by electroplating.

I believe that the Muramatsu is platinum clad rather than plated. The Altus, I have no idea.

As far as your certainty that the Altus was either white gold or platinum, the color can be deceptive. White gold is still slightly yellow in color (unless it's rhodium plated). If you place white gold beside silver or platinum, you will notice that it is definitely more yellow in appearance - it's not like yellow or rose gold, but still more yellow than silver. I have a 14K white gold head joint on my silver flute and the color difference is still apparent. Without a direct comparison though, it can fool a lot of people.