Description
The mission of our Elan headjoints is to enable beginning flute students to perform better on their student model flutes and have more success in their musical lives. Boasts the same exacting specifications as in our complete line of professional model Geoghegan Headjoints, but this headjoint is affordable enough for anyone! Designed to improve intonation, as are all our other models, this headjoint provides a nice full sound. The tube, lip, wall, and Power Bands are made of nickel silver and plated in sterling silver.
Wilson Melo (verified owner) –
This headjoint turned my 1960 Rudall Carte into a totally different instrument. Strong low notes and a completely in tune and well balanced flute all the way. Thank you.
Jane (verified owner) –
I recently purchased the Elan Headjoint for my Yamaha YFL-581H flute. What a difference it has made! I feel that my tone quality is richer, technical passages and soft dynamics are easier, and I am now more in tune when I rehearse with my community band. Thank you.
Carolyn H (verified owner) –
I bought this headjoint for use with a late-1970’s Armstrong Emeritus flute. It provides a strong, resonant tone throughout the range of the instrument, and it is easier to control pitch and dynamics, especially in the very high and low ranges. This headjoint is especially nice for solo work. I am very pleased with my purchase.
Reynaldo B. –
I was told about the Elan Headjoint by our private lesson teacher who had a student get one and it change her sound for the better. I was interested in it because of the price and if it was a good as she said it was, then this is a good option for my low income students who can’t really afford to purchase a step up flute. OMG! This headjoint is amazing! I put it on my Trevor James Virtuoso and the tone quality I get is amazing. The ability to have such a big dynamic control is great and the clarity in all three octaves is superb. I am definitely keeping this headjoint and can’t wait to try the sterling silver with 14 karat rose gold bands/riser with my Burkart flute. So happy with this purchase, I have shared this with other flute band directors in my area.
William H.V. (verified owner) –
I must say that the Elan headjoint is probably one the best deals one can get. This headjoint truthfully has the playability of other headjoints costing 3-4 times as much. Its got a very solid tone throughout all registers. The low register is particularily stable. Not only can you play loud and clear and articlate cleanly, it doesnt overblow easily in the lowest octave. The middle register is very clear yet full sounding, and the high register is round and easy to control. 5 stars
Mark Bishop –
I bought the Elan to use with my Gemeinhardt and have been extremely pleased with it’s playability. Now it is much easier to flip between my saxophones and flute.
So yes, I highly recommend this headjoint.
Gregory Zobac (verified owner) –
GEOGHEGAN ELAN & STERLING SILVER+14K ROSE GOLD RISER HEADJOINT REVIEWS
Gregory Zobac
This is a long review for those who want more detail. If you just want the summary, see the last paragraph.
FOR BACKGROUND:
I am a woodwind doubler (primarily single reeds) who occasionally needs to double on flute for musical shows. (I studied single reeds with teachers from the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Lyric Opera, have a music degree from U. of Illinois, and play at a competent level on those instruments.) On flute I needed a more responsive headjoint that would speak easily when switching on the fly from reed parts because with my stock step-up level flute headjoint I had trouble quickly “finding my sound.”
I have a bit of a physics background and have had a good deal of success adding strategically placed mass to the bodies of my saxophones and soprano and bass clarinets to enhance their response and tone quality. When I read Michael’s description of his “brass weighted” crown and stopper approach to headjoint physical design , I was intrigued. After a very informative and friendly phone discussion with him I placed an order for an Elan.
ELAN HEADJOINT REVIEW (Written Fall 2022)
My first Elan headjoint was purchased to mate with a Gemeinhardt 33SSB flute made in the early 1990’s but I didn’t realize that the barrel on that instrument was .01” too small to fit the standard sized Elan headjoint I had ordered. What a disappointment – I was so eager to try it out!!!
Now for the good news. I had an old student model Artley laying around that this Elan would fit. Voila! Oh my!!! That flute was transformed!!! Tone quality, ease of response, intonation, dynamics, articulation – everything!!! It no longer played like a student flute. The low register was especially rich, and the 3rd register rang without shrillness. I quickly ordered a second Elan sized to fit my Gemeinhardt barrel and received it in timely fashion. Because of its playability, I gave the “Elan enhanced” Artley to one of my 4th grade granddaughters who is just beginning to play and she is getting off to a fast start!
STERLING SILVER & 14 KARAT ROSE GOLD HEADJOINT REVIEW (Updated Jan. 2023)
As the Gemeinhardt, too, was improved significantly in all facets with the Elan headjoint, needless to say I became a believer. As a result, I ordered a Sterling Silver+14k Rose Gold Riser Headjoint to further enhance my experience. When it arrived, once again I was not disappointed! The response was very comparable to the Elan – but the depth, resonance, and overall tone quality was even further enhanced.
Because I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t simply experiencing “new equipment infatuation,” I’ve waited to update this review. My first performance with the new setup came on the REED 3 (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, & Flute) book of the musical, “Beauty and the Beast,” and I was more than satisfied with how the headjoint responded in a performance situation. My flute playing colleague on the flute/piccolo book even complemented my tone quality!
After some months now of almost daily flute playing, my satisfaction and delight with my Geogheagan headjoint has only increased, along with my playing facility. Inspired by my Geogheagan headjoint experience, I decided to invest in a new flute with a Sterling silver headjoint and body made by a man who once made flutes for two legendary Boston flute companies to pair with my new headjoint. Once again, the Geogheagan headjoint improved this instrument over its admittedly quite good, hand-cut, headjoint.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Every instrument I’ve paired with a Geogheagan headjoint plays significantly better. Both Michael and his wife, Kristen, are a delight to do business with – pleasant, competent, and timely. Whether you are a serious player, a music educator with flute students, or an avocational player looking to enhance your enjoyment of flute playing, you really need to give one of these headjoints a try. You won’t be disapppointed!
(I was not compensated in any way for this review – all of these comments are from my heart!)