Powell Headjoints

Powell has four headjoint styles and a number of options for tubing, lip plate and crown materials, as you will see in the text below.

Philharmonic

The Philharmonic has a relatively broad, flat lip plate. Articulation is crisp and clean, and the style produces a deep, rich tone with a broad dynamic range.

Soloist

The strength and flexibility of this headjoint allows the player to fill a hall or perform the quietest passages easily, with complete command. The slightly curved lip plate offers quick articulation and a full range of colors.

Venti

The Venti was developed by Mr. Paul Edmund- davies to mirror his experience of singing in a cathedral choir. This headjoint has excellent depth of sound through all three octaves, and a very resonant and free third octave.

Signature

The Signature uses the lip plate of the Soloist style in combination with a specially designed wall to produce a relatively free blowing headjoint with the “Powell Sound.” * Signature style is only available with .016" sterling silver tubing, lip plate and crown. A 14k wall is an option.

Tubing Sterling silver .014" Sterling silver .016" Aurumite 9k  Aurumite 14k            9k rose gold 10k yellow gold                    14k white gold                      14k rose gold                       19.5k rose gold                    Platinum                                Grenadilla wood	Lip Plate Sterling silver 9k rose gold 10k yellow gold 14k rose gold 19.5 rose gold
Wall Sterling silver 10k yellow gold 14k rose gold 19.5k rose gold Platinum	Crown Sterling silver 10k yellow gold 14k rose gold 19.5k rose gold

Headjoint Styles

Have you ever wondered what style of Powell headjoint you have?  If you purchased the headjoint in the last 24 years, there is definitely a way to find out.  However, if your headjoint was made before 1990, chances are that it will not have been assigned a serial number,  In fact, Marketing Manager, Christina Cobas, helped shed some light on the subject.  She said that when Mr. Powell opened his company in 1927, he had one headjoint cut.  This remained for several decades, and the headjoints were not assigned serial numbers.  All of the headjoints were not exactly the same, though, because the headjoints could be cut to a basic style and then adjusted to allow for certain characteristics that the customer preferred.  She shared that in the early days of the company, Mr. Powell knew that teachers and performers liked their headjoints a certain way, so the headjoints would be customized to meet the preferences of the customer's teacher.

Fast forward to 1990, and serial numbers were assigned to headjoints since there were different styles available.  Today, there are four headjoint styles: Signature, Soloist, Philharmonic, and Venti.  The computer database at the Powell office maintains all the records of the headjoints by serial number.  The database records provide specs on the headjoints, including the style and materials (of the tube, lip plate, and wall).

In order to find out what style of headjoint you have (assuming it was made within the last 10 years), you will first need to find the serial number.  The serial number is etched by hand in the inside of the headjoint, between the cork assembly and crown.  So, you'll need to unscrew the crown and then look for the serial number.  Flute finisher Karl Kornfeld helped us a bit by telling us that the number should be located on the side opposite the embouchure hole.  It can be difficult to see the number, so we made a video below to demonstrate.  You may need to use a magnifying lens -- or even the zoom feature of your camera or smartphone to help get a better look.  Once you find the number, you'll need to contact Powell to find out what style you have.  Unfortunately, only the flute serial numbers are searchable through Powell's online search feature on the website.  However, the website does have a "contact us" page that lists contact information for the company.

* Note - If your headjoint is more than 10 years old, the serial number will be on the underside of the lip plate.