Im going to purchase a Lafin headjoint in sterling silver with 18k riser and adler wings....tried it today with my sonare flute and the head was very resistant rather than the signature free blowing head, so I guess there is the capability to do more with sound colours etc, and I could get quite loud without the notes cracking.
I am looking to match the Lafin headjoint to a better flute body, something like the altus 1107/1107, miyazawa 402/br402 or powell signature. Do you know if the head will fit all these flutes, and which will work best if any people have experience of trying lafin heads with different bodies. This is just so I know what to try when I go to find a body, as I wont be able to try out all the possibilities.
Lafin Headjoints
Moderators: Classitar, pied_piper, Phineas
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flutepicc06
- Posts: 1353
- Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 11:34 pm
It depends on the specs of the flute and your individual head whether they'll be a good match. Heads can be sized a certain amount, but too much sizing can change the playing characteristics, and if the head is larger than the barrel accepts, too much sizing can actually destroy the head. It's best to size a small head joint to a larger barrel, so if at all possible, find out the outer diameter of your head at the tenon, and the inner diameter of a potential purchase's barrel to limit the instruments you're looking at. The best option would be to take the head with you when you playtest flutes to determine how well it works on a given instrument, because even if it fits and works well for others, it may not feel or sound the best for YOU.
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sidekicker
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2006 5:58 am
- Location: Scottish-American in Oklahoma
If you have not done so already, I would advise you to read the FAQ section we have on this board concerning head joints. You will find it in the General "hang out" place of this forum.
Maybe I've misunderstood your post, but it sounds like you have tried a Lafin on, or are planning to match a Lafin to, a flute that is not going to be the one you will ultimately be playing on. It's really important when head joint shopping to already have the flute with you that you plan to match the head to. Just because you played on a Lafin head with some other instrument attached to it (i.e. the flute you plan to upgrade from) does not mean you are going to get anywhere near the same result with what you end up playing on. Many people mistakenly, IMO, believe that if the head is to your liking on one flute it will be the same on whatever you end up playing on, or if someone else they know has good results with a particular head maker you will get the same on any instrument you acquire. The head absolutely has to be matched to the flute you plan to put it on, and cannot be judged thoroughly by simply playing on it with another body attached, especially if it is tried out on a flute you plan to put away in the near future in favor of an upgraded model.
To me, you are doing this somewhat backwards. My advice to you would be to purchase whatever flute you plan to buy first if that's what you are going to end up doing, then test heads on that instrument. You may find that a Lafin on whatever you buy is not for you after all even though you were satisfied with it on your pre-upgrade flute. You may very well shell out an awful lot of money for a great head for your pre-upgrade flute, only to find that it doesn't pair up well (or as well as maybe another maker's head) with the newer flute you buy later. Lafins are wonderful quality head joints for many people; they are also (like every high quality hand-tooled head) a significant financial investment. It really comes down to how well it will match with your flute and playing style. So you need the flute first, IMO, before you can judge whether that particular style/maker will give you the results you are looking for.
And I agree with flutepicc on the sizing issues you raise. I would be very, very leary of purchasing a head that will take a lot of work to fit properly to the body (either by adding more metal, stretching it, or trying to make it smaller). Radical methods of fitting a head to a particular body can, and often do, completely change the qualities of the head joint -- probably the very qualities for which you purchased it.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
SK
Maybe I've misunderstood your post, but it sounds like you have tried a Lafin on, or are planning to match a Lafin to, a flute that is not going to be the one you will ultimately be playing on. It's really important when head joint shopping to already have the flute with you that you plan to match the head to. Just because you played on a Lafin head with some other instrument attached to it (i.e. the flute you plan to upgrade from) does not mean you are going to get anywhere near the same result with what you end up playing on. Many people mistakenly, IMO, believe that if the head is to your liking on one flute it will be the same on whatever you end up playing on, or if someone else they know has good results with a particular head maker you will get the same on any instrument you acquire. The head absolutely has to be matched to the flute you plan to put it on, and cannot be judged thoroughly by simply playing on it with another body attached, especially if it is tried out on a flute you plan to put away in the near future in favor of an upgraded model.
To me, you are doing this somewhat backwards. My advice to you would be to purchase whatever flute you plan to buy first if that's what you are going to end up doing, then test heads on that instrument. You may find that a Lafin on whatever you buy is not for you after all even though you were satisfied with it on your pre-upgrade flute. You may very well shell out an awful lot of money for a great head for your pre-upgrade flute, only to find that it doesn't pair up well (or as well as maybe another maker's head) with the newer flute you buy later. Lafins are wonderful quality head joints for many people; they are also (like every high quality hand-tooled head) a significant financial investment. It really comes down to how well it will match with your flute and playing style. So you need the flute first, IMO, before you can judge whether that particular style/maker will give you the results you are looking for.
And I agree with flutepicc on the sizing issues you raise. I would be very, very leary of purchasing a head that will take a lot of work to fit properly to the body (either by adding more metal, stretching it, or trying to make it smaller). Radical methods of fitting a head to a particular body can, and often do, completely change the qualities of the head joint -- probably the very qualities for which you purchased it.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
SK