Armstrong Fajardo Wooden Headjoint

Fajardo Armstrong wooden headjoint

> African blackwood
> Unlined
> Thinned with raised lip-plate
> Features patented internal adjustable wedge
> Very rare and a unique design

This unlined wooden headjoint has an easy embouchure cut, giving lots of rich sound all the way to the bottom. Beautifully made and finished, it works particularly well on a silver flute.

The headjoint’s designer, Raoul Fajardo, aimed to produce a wooden head that would bring the sound of a traditional wooden flute to modern silver flute players. But he also conceived a different type of headjoint, where the internal taper was provided by a separate wedge. He found a number of advantages, which he set out in his U.S. patent, granted in 1977. Not only does the design simplify production, but also ‘...a superior tone quality is achieved because the air jet that enters the embouchure hole hits a non-cylindrical wall which has a favorable effect on transient sounds and harmonics.’

Armstrong manufactured Fajardo’s design, but their version left the wedge free both to rotate and to move up and down the bore. The wedge is held by a pair of rubber O-rings near the crown that also take the place of a conventional head cork. The care with which this aspect has been done is exceptional, for the O-rings grip enough to feel solid and to make an air-tight seal, yet can easily move when manipulated by two fingers on the crown.

The result is that the player has the freedom to experiment and make adjustments to both sound and intonation. Different combinations of player and flute will no doubt benefit from different wedge positions. In practice we quickly found a position that worked for us, and settled down to enjoying a very good modern-style wooden headjoint.

These unique headjoints were discontinued by Armstrong so they rarely turn up. We are delighted to offer this example, which comes in its original case, with free fitting to your flute.