In the spirit of talking about the plethora of different options that are available for flutes, I am focusing this week on options that are available to customize your lip plate and/or riser. There are many things that can be added to this part of the flute, often for a reasonable cost, since the surface area is relatively small compared to the entire headjoint or body of the flute.

One of the most common options that is often found on intermediate flutes is a gold-plated lip plate. This adds some color variety to the headjoint, but does not change the sound quality of the instrument, since it is just a layer of plating, as opposed to a solid material. However, this can be useful for players who have a silver sensitivity, as the gold replaces the silver resting against the bottom lip. Yamaha intermediate series flutes come with this option standard, and many other brands offer this option for little to no extra cost. On the other hand, adding solid gold (or other options such as rose gold) to the entire lip plate will change the quality of the sound, and of course will add an additional cost (which varies by maker). For example, Pearl Flutes offer a solid 10k gold lip plate as a standard on their CODA series, as shown here.

Lip plate risers are also available in a variety of materials. The riser is what elevates and attaches the lip plate to the headjoint tube, as seen in the picture below:

This customization option is becoming more popular with intermediate to semi-professional level instruments, as it can drastically change the sound of the instrument for a relatively reasonable price, as the amount of material used is fairly small. A 14k gold riser is a very popular option that is available on many makers, such as Miyazawa, Altus, and Haynes.

There are nearly infinite options available to make your flute sound just the way you want it, especially when shopping for a semi-professional or intermediate level flute. Adding a headjoint customization is a perfect way to make your instrument uniquely yours. Call Erin to see what is available in the shop!