If it’s an old (simple) system, an headjoint of a new (Boehm) system flute is never going to fit. You need to be sure that the quality of your flute is good enough or it will not be worth the buy… Is there any maker’s mark? Can you post a picture?
I’m going to have a new headjoint for my old flute from Sam Murray for about 320 euros. You may want to buy locally though, where are you from?
Unless its a boehm style tube but old system fingering in which case a boehm style headjoint custom fitted would be ideal. Hard to know if we don’t see the flute. Is it conical or cylindrical?
Wow 320 euros is very reasonable Lorenzo, how long was qotued for the wait?
Is it for the Thomas Glen you got off ebay?
Jem Hammond (“jemtheflute” around here) may well be able to help, and it may even be more possible than you might think to restore your existing headjoint, however badly you think it’s worn/damaged. He’s up in North Wales, which is a fair way away from you … but there’s always the post. I’d send him a message (PM), if I were you. I know he’s got a lot on at the moment , but he’s full of useful advice in these matters.
Yes it’s for the Thomas Glen
I gave the deposit in November and if Sam doesn’t say for the third time “pass again next week” (I’m living in Galway now), he should make it on tuesday. I’m very excited about it!
As per above posts - yes, post some pictures so we know exactly what you’ve got and what state it is in. It may indeed be more repairable than you think - show us!
If it is a cylindrical head for a conoid simple system flute, probably a majority of the makers on the Makers List (which I’m due to update as soon as I get a chance…) are quite happy to make new heads to fit old flutes. Quite a few specifically offer that on their websites (Abell, Hoza spring to mind) and most will do so if you talk to them. Go have a browse.
Ben seems to know where you’re situated (mod’s eye view?) - if you tell us (put it in your profile?) I may be able to make more specific suggestions for resources within your reach.
Nice Lorenzo, looking forward to hearing it after you get used to it. A Murray was the first good flute I was introduced to and played, wasnt mine but I played it often. Few fllutes have compared since , a bit like first loves.
And the thing about first loves, and first flutes, unless you’re really lucky enough to find someone/thing early enough that you’re going to learn to live with over the years … is that you never had to live with them over the years, so they’re bathed in that misty rosy light of imbecilic imagination.
I highly recommend Chris Abell. He makes some might fine headjoints. I know many people order head joints from him for their wooden flutes and their silver flutes. In my own experience, they are easy to blow and have a great sound.
“A listing of makers of wooden headjoints for silver flutes; and makers of silver headjoints with wooden embouchure plates.”
This might not be what you’re looking for, even if some of the makers are the same as the ones listed on this forum. Again, a picture of your flute would be useful, it might not be worth a new expensive headjoint…
Chris’ headjoints are really worth the money. His headjoint transformed my David Williams 5 key from a good flute to a great flute. Much easier to play, better tone control and dynamics.
I agree with Lorenzo. You really need first to be sure what it is you have. Many mainstream music shops, even flute specialists, will be out of their depth with anything other than modern Bohm flutes. If your flute has a tapering body (getting narrower towards the foot) and a cylindrical head, no head made for a Bohm flute (where the head tapers towards the mouth-hole and the body is cylindrical) will serve. Not only will a modern Bohm head not physically fit into the body of your flute due to different tube sizes and design of the join, even if you have a new head fitted to your flute’s body, unless yours is indeed a cylinder-bodied Bohm flute, it WILL NOT WORK CORRECTLY. You MUST only have one tapered section and the other MUST be cylindrical - so either tapered head and cylindrical body or cylindrical head and tapered body. If you have all cylinder or two tapers, the intonation (tuning of the scale and between the octaves) will be wrong and the flute will simply not play correctly/usably.
So, at least tell us the form of your flute, or post some pictures so we can see (you have to upload them to a web-host like Photobucket, then post the links into your posts here). We can then advise you specifically.
If I understand this right and the outside of the head is around 25mm in diameter, it’s more likely a Boehm type bore. Then, I’d guess the 19mm diameter was measured in the bore at the slide end of the head.
Yes, photos and a bit more info about those measurements.
I’m guessing the 25mm measurement is for the outside diameter of the head but from the way the measurements are given, it’s hard to be sure. If the outside diameter of the head is 25mm and you were to give it a 19mm cylindrical bore, the embouchure hole would only be about 3mm deep…
If you give it a Boehm type bore instead, the embouchure hole depth will be around 4mm. Some of the simple system, Boehm bore flutes from the 19th C. were around 4.2mm, for example.
, but he’s full of useful advice in these matters.