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. 

75th Anniversary Flute

When we stopped in to the repair office this week, our technician had one of the 75th Anniversary flutes in for a COA -- so we thought it would be a good opportunity to share more information on these flutes.  Powell Flutes celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2002, and in honor of the landmark, offered limited edition "75th Anniversary" Custom flutes.  There were a total of 25 anniversary flutes made.

For this special edition, customers had the option of sterling silver, Aurumite 14k, 14k gold, or platinum bodies. Mechanism materials and other options were consistent with today's Custom flutes, which you can see by clicking here to view our online spec chart.

The 75th Anniversary flutes did have several special features including gems, special engraving, and anniversary ring designs.  Silver flutes came with a ruby inset in the upper barrel ring and crown.  Aurumite, gold, and platinum flutes had a diamond inset in the upper barrel ring and crown.  All flutes had the 75th anniversary logo engraved on the barrel and the 1930s style flat anniversary rings.  An additional feature that was optional on 75th Anniversary flutes was a special lip-plate engraving, described as "Anniversary style lip plate engraving, a brilliant realization of a 1930's Verne Q. Powell original."  Each flute also came with its own Certificate of Authenticity, which listed the flute's complete specs and was signed by Powell President, Steven Wasser.  The anniversary flute we spotted in the shop was silver, as you will see in the photos below (along with an example of the lip plate engraving).

75th Anniversary lip plate engraving

75h Anniversary silver barrel with ruby inset, Anniversary logo, and 1930's style flat rings

75th Anniversary silver crown with ruby inset

Closer view of the crown

Side view of the crown (which also had the 1930's style ring)

Changing the Crown

We recently opened up a discussion on our Facebook page inviting readers to post questions for our blogs.  The question selected for this week's Flute Builder came to us from Cara West.  She asked, "Could changing the headjoint crown be a good alternative to changing a headjoint?"

We checked in with Rebecca Eckles on this one.  Rebecca told us that there are several things that could make a difference with your headjoint, including the cork assembly.  She said that many people haven't had their headjoiut corks changed in a long time, so it's possible that air could be leaking from a loose cork.  When this is the issue, once the headjoint cork is replaced, the headjoint seals properly, and air flows freely.

As for the crown specifically, Rebecca tells us that it is a good place to start -- especially if you do not have the money for a new headjoint.  Obviously, there is a big difference between a few hundred dollars and a few thousand dollars!  However, the effects of changing the crown are really subjective and depend on the player.  Rebecca tells us that crowns are "different things to different people."  When it comes to headjoints, a new crown can certainly "give it new life."  She says, "Sometimes the crown is called the magic button."  We thought that summed it up perfectly!  So, if you are curious, try some different crowns, and see what they can do for you!

Many headjoints without crowns in the testing room!

A few crowns to try on the headjoints in the testing room.

Headjoint Show Stoppers

In our last installment of the headjoint series by Steven Wasser, we take a look at the cork assembly and crown.

The headjoint has a cork assembly and a crown at the “dead” end of the headjoint tube.  The purpose of the cork assembly and crown is to prevent the waste of the player’s air stream from going up the headjoint rather than down into the flute tube. 

Some cork assemblies have been developed using o-rings that allow the upper end of the headjoint to vibrate more.  In our experience that vibration actually diffuses acoustical energy.  We draw an analogy to high-end speakers which are often made very heavy in order to produce the purest, most accurate sound possible.  Based on this analogy we want the upper end of the headjoint to be as dead as possible so that the blowing energy creates the strongest possible acoustical wave down the flute tube.

Many headjoint makers have also experimented with the size, shape and material of the end of the cork assembly.  Each shape and material has pros and cons but, on balance, the flat disc made of plated brass or nickel silver seems to work best.

Finally there is - the crown.  This component is decorative as well as functional.  The weight, material and shape of the crown all create subtle acoustical differences.  

Cork assembly

Another view of cork assembly.  Crown screws into the threaded end.

Crowns in silver and gold (10K, 14K and 19.5K).

Underside of crown (where cork assembly attaches).