The Flute Center of New York chose to carry the Howel Roberts wooden head joint as we feel Howel produces the finest wooden head joint available anywhere. We hope everyone will avail themselves of this opportunity to try one and hear for yourself the difference and color change you can gain with your present flute. These head joints offer a wonderful addition to what you already play. You will enjoy playing a totally different, yet familiar flute!

One can choose between a thick or a thin wall head joint. They can be fitted to any flute body, creating combinations of untold contrast and color. The thin wall head joints have a raised lip-plate which is carved out of the wood. An inlay along the lip-plate can be requested with the Grenadilla heads, creating a contrast to the dark wood. The thick wall head joints, being a larger size, possess completely different tonal qualities and are somewhat darker in sound. Both the thin and the thick wall head joints respond and project extremely well.

The wood used for the Howel Roberts wooden flute is seasoned African Blackwood (Grenadilla), with Cocuswood and Cocobolo available on request. These woods have long been known for their tonal quality and unequalled stability. Grenadilla has a tonal quality that is bright and clear. It projects extremely well over the flute's full range. Cocuswood is a dense, brown wood producing a rich, colorful sound. Cocobolo is less dense than the other woods and offers a smooth, warm sound.

A wood head joint on a metal flute is a fascinating combination and a real compliment to much of the flute's repertoire.

The player can choose between a thick or a thin wall headjoint, and of course all present Howel Roberts' wooden heads can be fitted to the flute creating combinations of untold contrast and colour. The thin wall headjoints have a raised lip-plate which is carved out of the wood. An inlay along the lip-plate can be requested with the grenadilla heads, creating a contrast to the dark wood. The thick wall headjoints, being a larger size, possess completely different tonal qualities and are somewhat darker in sound. Both the thin and the thick wall headjoints respond and project extremely well.

The wood used for the Howel Roberts' wooden flute is seasoned African Blackwood (Grenadilla), with Cocuswood and Cocobolo available on request. These woods have long been known for their tonal quality and unequalled stability. Grenadilla has a tonal quality that is bright and clear. It projects extremely well over the flute's full range. Cocuswood is a dense, brown weed producing a rich, colourful sound. Cocobolo is less dense than the other woods and offers a smooth, warm sound.



A wood headjoint on a metal flute is a fascinating combination and a real compliment to a lot of the flute's repertoire.

It is not a new idea. Theobald Boehm found this combination to be outstanding and was always keen to recommend it.

The type of wood headjoint you choose largely depends on what you expect from a headjoint and on the type of music that you want to play. But some players simply prefer the quality of sound produced by a certain type of wood.

The types available are particularly suitable for wood headjoints due to their tonal quality, reliability and stability.

African Blackwood (grenadilla) is the most common wood for the orchestral woodwinds. The tonal quality is bright and stays clear and direct over the flute's full range.

Cocuswood has always been the elegant one among the various flutemaking woods. A dense, brown wood. It gives a clear, colourful sound. Direct, rich and pure in quality.

Cocobolo is an attractive colourful wood with an interesting grain. Due to it's lower density it offers a smooth, mellow sound with plenty of warmth.

Boxwood has for centuries been used for making woodwind instruments. It has a bright, sweet quality that can also be made rich and colourful by the player.

The thin wall headjoints have a raised lip-plate which is carved out of the wood. They are made in the modern style, responding and projecting extremely well. The mounts are of sterling silver. An inlay along the lip-plate is available with the grenadilla headjoints, creating a contrast to the dark wood.

The thick-wall headjoints, being a larger size, possess completely different tonal qualities. They have a more traditional embouchure style and are also available in boxwood.

They are finished with mounts made of artificial ivory.

Every Howel Roberts' headjoint is individually handcrafted using the finest materials - with special attention to detail and form.

Whether thick or thin-wall, these unique headjoints respond exceptionally well, satisfying the most discriminating musicians.

Flute Center of New York is the sole distributor of the Howel Roberts head joint for North America.