Powell Craftsmanship at a Step-Up Price — Plus a Touch of Gold
There's a moment when a flutist outgrows their student instrument — and the Powell Sonaré PS-705K was built for exactly that crossroads. It brings the handcrafted headjoint tradition that Powell has built since 1910 into a thoughtfully designed intermediate package, made at the Powell workshop in Massachusetts. What makes the 705K stand out from the standard 705 is the Aurumite 9K lip plate: a sterling silver headjoint tube fitted with a lip plate that fuses 9-karat gold with silver, giving you a blend of silver's projection with a bit of warmth and color the pure silver plate doesn't quite deliver.
This particular configuration — B footjoint, offset G key, French open holes, and a C# trill key — is well-suited for advancing players who want maximum flexibility. The C# trill is available only on offset models, and it opens up passages that would otherwise require some pretty creative workarounds. The offset G is the ergonomically friendly layout that most intermediate players prefer, easing the stretch in the left hand without sacrificing anything tonally.
If you've been playing on a silver-plated student flute and you're ready to hear what a solid sterling silver instrument actually sounds like under your fingers, this is a meaningful step forward.
A Headjoint Built by Hand — With a Little Gold in the Mix
The headjoint is where a flute's character lives, and Powell takes that seriously across every Sonaré model. The Signature II headjoint included on the PS-705K is handcrafted, hand-cut, and hand-finished at the Powell workshop — the same process used for their professional Signature and Custom instruments. The sterling silver tube provides focus and clarity, while the Aurumite 9K lip plate adds a subtle warmth that players often find helps ease transitions across the registers.
The hand-cut embouchure hole is shaped to optimize airflow, giving you a responsive, full-bodied sound that reacts to the nuances of your air support. It's the kind of headjoint that rewards good technique and grows with you rather than capping out.
Sterling Silver Body, Built the Powell Way
The PS-705K body is solid sterling silver, produced at the Powell Massachusetts workshop using the same patented Zinki drawn-tone-hole technology (U.S. patent #7,420,109) found in their professional instruments. This means consistent tone holes with even walls throughout, which translates directly to predictable response across all registers.
The keywork is nickel silver with silver plating, built with French pointed arms and open-hole (French) cups. The mechanism uses 10K white gold springs — a spec you'd typically encounter on professional-tier instruments — which deliver smooth, even key action that stays consistent through long rehearsals and performances. This model ships with the C# trill key, which sits comfortably under the right hand and unlocks trill passages in the upper register that are notoriously awkward without it.
Configuration Details
The PS75BOFTR_40613 breaks down specifically as: sterling silver body, Signature II headjoint with Aurumite 9K lip plate, B footjoint, open-hole (French) keys, offset G key, and C# trill key. The B footjoint adds the low B and also contributes a slightly darker overall resonance that many players prefer for orchestral and solo repertoire. Offset G is the standard comfortable hand position for most players, and the C# trill gives you an option that the split-E configuration doesn't include.
Product Features:
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Headjoint: Powell Signature II, handmade sterling silver with Aurumite 9K lip plate (K Style)
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Body: Solid sterling silver, made at Powell's Massachusetts workshop using patented Zinki technology
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Mechanism: Nickel silver, silver-plated, with French pointed arms
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Keys: French (open hole) configuration, offset G key
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Footjoint: B footjoint
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Springs: 10K white gold springs
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Optional features on this config: C# trill key
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Level: Intermediate
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Made in: Massachusetts, USA (headjoint and body; keywork fitted and finished at Powell workshop)
Brand: Powell Sonaré
Model: PS-705K (PS75BOFTR)
SKU: PS75BOFTR_40613-2-0
Condition: New
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