My dad is aspiring to play the flute. he has had no luck thus far. so one day he asked me if they make a fipple head that you can put on a flute. I looked all over the internet and only found this: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4422364.html This discovery lead me to believe that such a fipple head does exist. But i still cant find it anywhere. If anyone has seen this before or knows where i can get one, please let me know.
AFAIK, Tony Dixon makes duo-headed low whistles - you change the head, ant it becomes a flute. But that’s not a fipple for a flute, that’s just a duo-headed low whistle.
There is such an item - however, I’m not sure if it’s still manufactured. Doc Jones was selling one for Jessie Driscoll not long ago. It’s called “Eklute”.
Hope this helps.
Reg
There is such a thing that has been produced commercially but they stopped making them in the 80’s. It was made by Eklute for use with Boehm flutes. I’ve only seen one for sale and it didn’t even last 24 hours on the market.
Sweetheart and Dixon make instruments with both flute and whistle heads. I believe the The Whistlesmith makes such a beastie as well(at a much lower cost).
Now, depending on the make of the flute(assuming it’s an Irish flute) perhaps the maker would be able to help you.
I’d like to see a picture of it. How does it work? (Assuming it doesn’t turn the flute into a low whistle).
It … uh… it turns the flute into a low whistle…
And they made these for concert flutes? That would look odd.
odder…
than this?
What is THAT?? 
I just found this one: http://www.tinwhistles.us/jubilee/vertical.htm would this work with a regular transverse flute? the concert style ones. And I have a dixon duo, maybe if i just jammed the head from that whistle into the flute…
For some reason I was a bit fascinated by the Eklute that Doc had for sale, and after a little poking around, I found that I had saved the photograph of it from Doc’s site. Doc, I hope you don’t mind!
Reg
sorry!
I would think that a fipple would sound fine. Of course, it would limit the amount of “color” that could be generated in the sound. Having a direct emboucher gives a lot more flexibility than would be available with a fipple.
I have considered the possibility of turning a keyless “Irish” flute into an end-blown one. I am sure that would be theoretically possible ( I would probably be the only interested party). LOL The only problem is the bore on the top end of a conical flute is a bit larger than might be practical for a kaval “mouthpiece”. I don’t know enough about flute physics to know what reducing the bore at the top end would do.
JonC, what do you think ? We could turn my practice flute into a flute-kaval… a fluval. 
…john
Wow! I’m impressed. Really looks weird, though.
Or a kaFLUTE
Well, boehm flutesu se tapers the other way, so I imagine it’d work at least… I dunno how well. It’s definately work a shot.
I was thinking you might mean something like this…
A little ‘fipple like’ channel that attaches over the hole. Of course, this is for a fife, but maybe there’s something out there for a silver fflute that wouldn’t interfear with the existing embaucher plate. If you’re handy, I think you could make something like this from hollow brass rectangular channel, and some engineering know how. I’d give it a go, but don’t have a silver flute to try it out on.
and on a side note…
200 POSTS!?!?!?! What the heck have I all been saying?!?!?! 
Well in one case the body tapers, the other the head tapers. But, neither tapers in both directions. Might be an interesting experiment. Anyone know of some pvc stock that tapers?
…john
It’s true taht neither taper in both directions, though each gives the same effect as the other.
I’ve read at a quena-making site that heating PVC and hammering it produces the same effect as a conical bore. The bore is “tapered” then, just not.. well, conical. More, eh, well, flattened. Anyone know more about this? I definately intend to try this out.
I was thinking more along the lines of heating the PVC and then doing a “taffy pull”. (of course there is the chlorine gas problem…)
…john