Well, folks, it’s finally ready. I sent this flute off to Jon C. for a little work and he did a wonderful job. He made a new crown (it didn’t have one when I bought it), replaced the cork strips on the tenons, the cork in the headjoint and worked on the cork under the keys. It looks and plays great! This flute has a very nice tone and you can really push the lower octave. To sum up: Gilles Lehart, 6-keys, African blackwood, copper rings, comes with a plastic pistol case. I’m asking $1500 for it. Here are some pictures. Sorry, I don’t have a digital camera, just a cell phone camera but you’ll get the idea.
i got to hear tiff’ play it, and play it myself…it feels and plays very similar to my R&R, maybe the closest of all R&R model’s that i have played.
the slimness and weight…the keywork is very nice too…this is a great flute.
Tiff’ is a great player as well.
Thanks Eilam. I don’t know enough about the R&R models to make any comparisons so you’re the man. But I can play this flute at session and be heard over pretty much anyone. Yep, that includes pipes, too. If you wanna hear it being played I recorded Farewell to Erin, link in my signature, using it. Doesn’t give a very good idea, however, because of my poor recording equipment . . . not to mention my lack of skill.
You mentioned that it was made from Ebony, not Blackwood, as is the norm for Irish flutes. Is your new Lehart also Ebony or Blackwood? Just curious-it probably doesn’t make any difference in tone, I imagine, but it’s interesting just because he used it instead of Blackwood.
I’ve also heard of one other flutemaker using Ebony, and that was George Ormiston. I would imagine Ebony would be used instead of Blackwood because of supply and price, or quality of the available woods to the flutemaker at the time. Just as others use Mopane and Boxwood, or Rosewood for that matter.
Has anyone heard of others using Ebony too?
I think that if Eilam is impressed with how it sounds so close to his original Rudall and Rose, it must be a very nice flute! I doubt he says that lightly, either, being a connoisseur of Irish flutes, with experience gained from his fine flute collection. I value his judgement, certainly.
I would like to play one someday to see how they do play and sound-it’s probably as close as I’ll ever come to a real Rudall and Rose! But Leharts are not easy to come by here in the US, so I would think it would be a very desirable flute to the USA fluters, just from Eilam’s comments.
Anyway, some lucky person will get a very nice keyed flute! Good luck to them and you with the sale.
Hi Barry. Yes, my new Lehart is also ebony. I value Eilam’s opinion for sure and am glad he got a chance to play it. I sure like the sound that comes out of it!
my Rod Cameron is made of Ebony as well.
i think Ebony is a bit more of a dry wood (compared to the resinance Rosewood family) and brittle, giving a bit more of a lively tone, that’s my experience with recorders as well…it does need a bit more of a regular oiling, wheres, in my experience, Blackwood can go a long way without any maintenance.
i very much doubt that any maker who chooses to work with Ebony does in order to save money…it’s more delicate to work with, and i’m sure the reason would be a desired tone, kind of like why some choose cocus over blackwood.
after playing Tiff’s flute, i posted on this board, looking for a keyless LeHart (about 6 months ago). like the LeHart, my R&R is also pillar mounted keywork (based on David M’s site, it’s the first R&R with pillar mounted keywork…as well as round seating for the pewter plugs) which i find very aesthetic and user friendly since the blocks take more space between the toneholes…
anyway, great flute, great price, from a great person…
I think we have a linguistic contretemps here! In French they tend to refer to all black hardwoods as “ébène”, not just what we more strictly call “ebony” Indeed, a “cabinet maker” or other worker in hardwoods is an “ébéniste”, regardless of what timber he actually works in! Gilles Lehart’s new website (English version) makes it clear that he actually uses Grenadilla (African Blackwood) for his flutes and bombardes. Compare with the French version of the site where the timber is named “ébène de Mozambique”.
True ebony is (as I believe/have read) generally not used for flutes due to it being not very resonant/tonally dull and very prone to splitting, as well as unduly heavy/dense without any benefits from being so so far as flute makers or players are concerned.
Thanks for clearing that up, Jem. When I saw “ebene” on the care instructions sheet that came with the flute (which is all in French, BTW) I thought it did mean ebony. And thanks for posting the link to his website. This is the first time I’ve been able to view it. Just came up as a blank page for a little while. So I suppose it is African Blackwood after all. I’ll edit the original post.
i’ve made recorders from both woods…
ebony is not oily like African Blackwood, and many times the billet has a fine hairline crack in the center…one ends up going through more wood to get a piece suitable to work in, but it’s far from dull, it has a very crisp tone, some recorders have this feeling like maybe glass would.
Blackwood is much more stable to work with and also maintaining.
The Lehart is most certainly blackwood, but Eilam’s right that ebony was and is used for recorders, and many Baroque flutes were and are still made in true ebony, not grenadilla (blackwood). The wood is more fragile, less oily, and has a different sound, but an appropriate one for Baroque flutes/recorders. I’m not positive, but I don’t think African Blackwood was available during the Baroque period in any case for makers to use, or prefer, if they had. Lehart and other R&R types use a lined head slide - this would probably be a really bad idea with ebony - blackwood seems to hold up much better with the metal-in-wood scenario.
I have a couple of ebony antique flutes with lined heads, you are right, bad idea! the flutes in ebony- Butler 6 key, Gerock & Wolf 8 key, Clementi 8 key.
The old makers also used Madagascar ebony, that looks just like Cocuswood, but when you turn it, smells like your dirty clothes hamper!
The pending sale didn’t go through so I’ve got the flute back and it’s for sale again. Price dropped. Let me know if you have questions. If you really care to hear a sound clip here’s one but keep in mind my recording equipment is of inferior quality.
Also, Farewell to Erin in my signature was recorded using this flute.
This is a really good flute: If you want or need a keyed flute, this is a steal. Seriously, a keyless flute from many makers will sell for right around $1500 these days and their 6 key flutes sell for twice + as much. Not to mention the waiting times.
Really, if you’re on the fence about a keyed flute, this is a no brainer.
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But I can play this flute at session and be heard over pretty much anyone. Yep, that includes pipes, too.