I’ve been reading the comments on this board about good starter flutes and had pretty well decided on the Cronnelly R&R polymer - then enter stage left my whistle teacher (and regular flautist) who said “forget polymer, just go for wood”. I have also recently come across Yvon Le Coant of Brittany who makes them in ebony but know nothing of Yvon or his reputation - can anyone help? Has anyone played a Le Coant flute?
Ebony draws lots of bad reviews–especially
that it isn’t durable. If you’re wanting a wooden
flute, there is likely better wood. The question
is how much you want to spend and how long
you can wait. Searches here may be helpful.
Check Dave Copley and Patrick Olwell,
among others.
Are you sure the Le Coant flutes are “ebony”?
A few months ago we had a similar discussion about Gilles Lehart’s flutes - his are made in “Ébonié de Mozambique” which translates to blackwood!
I’m delighted with my 6-key Lehart - which I’ve had since Easter. but I learned alot from the M&E flute that I started on, and it was certainly available much more quickly.
regards,
Pamela
Thanks Pamela - one thing I’ve learnt is that you can get a blackwood/ebony/grenadilla flute reasonably quickly at reasonable prices (Le Coant, Rutzen, et al), but if you want real quality be prepared to wait months/years and pay a stack of wonga. I think I’ll go the M&E polymer route, I am a beginner after all.
Nick
Never played one by Le Coant, but if it were me, I’d go for the Lehart. Price can’t be beaten and neither can the flute. But then again, I’ve never tried to keep this bias personal! I wonder if Le Coant uses a similar design to Jil…anyone know???
Rob
Hmm…
Trick is French and, I gather, German woodwind makers, when they speak of “ebony” mean Dalbergia melanoxylon which Americans call African blackwood, and happens to usually come from Mozambique.
Le Coant uses “ébène du Mozambique” Dalbergia melanoxylon.
Same misleading French denomination refers to his alternative wood as “bois de violette (du Brésil)”. This is not purpleheart, but your “kingwood” (Dalbergia Cearensis)
Okay, so now I’ve spoken to Lehart and Zub’s mates who say “Lehart is the man”. Got sold on his flutes, then discovered there’s a nine-month waiting list (and I really wanted one in 1-3 months). Doh!! So now what do I do? Get a polymer M&E now or wait the 9 months? 
Why choose?
Buy a M & E now and get on Leharts waiting list. When the Lehart is done sell the M & E. They seem to retain there value pretty well around here. 
Colin
Weird as it may sound, for a handmade custom blackwood flute, I wouldn’t really say that waiting 9 months is much of a “waiting list”. That’s more like the minumum time it would take to make a good flute! But indeed, I can understand the need to have an instrument. So I would agree- get a polymer flute, get on Jil’s list and then swap out the polymer once the Lehart is ready. I did the same thing with a Healey keyless…except that when I sold the Healey keyless for the Lehart, I actually made more money than the Lehart 3-key cost! Go figure!
-Rob-
I went to Brittany in the spring and met M. LeHart. I guess I was fortunate as the waiting period fro me was only a few weeks after I visited him. His instruments (my five key at least) is wonderful - yards better than the M&E (and it was no slouch).
The people I play with are very pleased with the sound and the ability to round out our little groups sound.
If you want a beautiful looking and more importantly wonderfully sounding instrument, you can’t do much better
Chuck
9 months is not bad (seems right for the human species, anyway), but it is not the time it takes to make a quality flute. 9 months is not bad because Lehart has only recently begun to gain the attention he well deserves. When I ordered my Hamilton keyless, the wait was 4 months, which ended up six. This was three years ago. Since then, the price has nearly doubled (still good) and the wait can easily be a year. This has to do with popularity and reputation.
It takes a maker in the two-week period to actually make a flute, a bit more for keys, but this is assuming there is a stockpile of wood aging, with some ready to go. Some makers don’t over-stock their wood supply (storage?), so they set wood aside as the orders come in. Some makers take their time, tweaking forever ‘til they’re satisfied, but these makers are usually, by default, the least busy. Most of the wait has to do with people like us, ordering lots of flutes from a particular maker one on top of the other.
Lehart’s 9 month wait is still short by most Irish flute makers’ standards. Great flutes; I’d go for one.
Thanks folks; it’s pretty obvious I’ll be ordering the Lehart. By the sound of it it’ll appreciate over time anyway! I like the idea of a polymer to get me going, I may well buy one in the interim, though if the waiting list is short I would assume they sell at a loss. Good idea whoever said it!
:roll:
Hello Nick
Thanks for telling me about this forum. Its really good!
Great info you got from everyone - so I am also going to go for a Lehart and can practise on my sweetheart piccolo and the polymer - which should arrive tomorrow just before going to Ireland!! - until it arrives.
A Lehart sounds just the job to demonstrate how fantastic Welsh Traditional music is!!!
Does anyone know about the hole size and hand span needed for the Lehart? (My hands are probably medium. Fingers about 1.5 cms wide and I can stretch an octave on the piano !) I’ve played a Rutzen and the spacing on that was about my limit - any bigger and I’m struggling with the 4th finger of the right hand. (I have a big cylindrical e flat bamboo flute and can’t use the last hole!!)
Thanks to all
Cariad
I’m glad Gilles’ flutes are getting such good press - I’m absoluted delighted with mine! Wonder if that means his waiting lists will get longer…
On the question of hole size and stretch - I had played an M&E R&R keyless for a year before my Lehart arrived. I did notice some difference, but adapted to it quite quickly. The Leharts 5th hole is large, but I have small fingers (about 1.4 cm) and cope - I’ve noticed that I’ve developed a bit of “right hand piper fingering” but that works. As for the stretch, I can actually stretch to an octave and a 3rd on the piano, but I don’t think it’s that stretch (which tends show thumb and little finger flexibility) that counts - it’s more the ability to stretch the third and fourth fingers away from each other, and that’s developed for me.
My flute is a 6-key, and I can honestly say I use all the keys, regularly, with the exception of Eflat.
Anyway, good luck - I remember how hard it was to wait for my flute…
Way to go! My polmer M&E should arrive within days and the Lehart is ordered, so thanks to all for the suggestions and good advice. Now…can I adjust from from fipple to embouchure…
Hi Nick,
Way to go yourself! Ordering 2 flutes at once 
Since the pricing link on Gilles Leharts page seems broken, do you care to share the price and waiting time he quoted for the flute.
When my piggy bank is fat enough I have hopes of aquiring one of his Bb flutes. Until then I’m happily playing away on my 6-keyed Cotter.
Enjoy the flutes - flutes are great instruments!
Cheers,
Jeroen
Hi Pixyy - haven’t heard from you for ages. If you’re going to the festival in Ireland this weekend you can meet up with Cariad, our latest C&F member.
Gilles’ prices are very reasonable - he quoted in euros and I converted to sterling, so the price for a keyless blackwood is £378 (use your converter to get back to euros/krone). I won’t be bothering with keys, and the wait is 9 months. Don’t yet know if flutes and me will become a partnership, but hey, I’ve gotta give it my best shot!
That is a spectacular price for a flute - I can see his waiting list growing rapidly at prices like that. Lehart certainly seems to be getting some good press at the moment, is he about to become the next “big thing”?
I’m on Hammy’s list at the moment so I feel your pain as far as the waiting is concerned. Enjoy the M&E when it comes.
Cheers
Graham
Actually Graham you can get keyless blackwoods for less (eg Rutzen), but from what I hear you need to pay 3 or 4 times the Lehart price to get his quality and sound. Sounds like a great investment to me!
[quote=“pandscarr”]
On the question of hole size and stretch - I had played an M&E R&R keyless for a year before my Lehart arrived. I did notice some difference, but adapted to it quite quickly. The Leharts 5th hole is large, but I have small fingers (about 1.4 cm) and cope - I’ve noticed that I’ve developed a bit of “right hand piper fingering” but that works. As for the stretch, I can actually stretch to an octave and a 3rd on the piano, but I don’t think it’s that stretch (which tends show thumb and little finger flexibility) that counts - it’s more the ability to stretch the third and fourth fingers away from each other, and that’s developed for me.
quote]
Thanks for this! I just measured (flat against a ruler!!) that I can stretch about 6cm from 3rd to 4th finger of right hand - do you think that will do it!!! I hope so coz I’ve just spoken to M. Lehart (oooh! what a nice french accent 'ee 'as!! 
) and ordered a 5 key D flute from him! Better start playing more now to stretch my fingers!
For those who were interested in price and waiting list he quoted me 925 Euros (extravagant for me - better get a 2nd job!) which (I think) is about just over £640 (but the only thing I’m good at with money is spending it - 
so that might not be right. Nickt probably knows coz he’s cleverer than me!!)
Waiting time he gave me was 8 months…
Shame you’re not coming to Ireland Nickt - looking forward to meeting Pixxy (thanks for msg Pix!!)
Cariad