I agree with this. You might read the FAQ section Phineas put together about headjoint shopping. An important point made there is that these types of heads (professionally designed and hand-tooled) are almost always going to be different from each other, even when made by the very same person. In other words, just because a Goosman head, or butterfly-style lip plate design, works for one of your friends does not mean you will get the same result. There are many variables that affect how a flute head will respond.bvconway wrote: My preference would be to try out as many different flutes and headjoints as possible, and not restrict oneself to one maker, or one headjoint. Even switch back and forth if your embouchure can handle it.
And then, sometimes some things work for some people, and don't work for others. This is an important point which I hadn't considered. We all try to universalize things, or assume it applies to everyone, but, life is not so simple.
I recently tried a gold Goosman head joint (and I think it had the butterfly lip, but I can't remember). In any case, I hated it. But that doesn't mean that it was a bad head. It only means that my particular flute, matched with that particular head and my own playing style was not a good one. I'm certain there are plenty of flutes out there that that particular head would be great for; my instrument (and me) just wasn't one of them.
Personally, I think the butterfly thing is just a gimmick that will eventually fade over time. I also think they are ugly. But that's only my opinion and I can't predict the future.
SK