- Made in France in 1893
- Silver-plated seamed maillechort
- 0.014″ tubing
- Soldered tone holes
- Open hole
- Pointed keys
- Inline G
- C-foot with teardrop D# key
- Embouchure: 10.0 mm x 11.9 mm
- Weight: 383 g
- Sounding length: 603 mm
- Traditional scale
- A=440 Hz
If you want to make a flute technician cry, hand them a Lebret flute to repad. Louis Leon Lebret is best known for his Art Nouveau flute design and unconventional construction. His flutes are notoriously difficult to repair!
However, #688 isn’t one of those flutes. It was made early in Lebret’s career before he started experimenting with new construction techniques. So, this flute is quite conventional in design and appearance. (And ease of repair. Your technician will thank you!) We’re not sure when Lebret built his first flute in the Art Nouveau style. We are aware that #1038 is also constructed in this conventional style, and the earliest example of the Art Nouveau style we’re aware of is #1682.
Despite its conventional appearance, the sound of 688 is characteristically Lebret throughout. It has a large, textured sound that is consistent in all registers. The low register has quite a bit of bite and is flexible enough to explore new tonal colors. (If you’re familiar with Bonneville flutes, you’ll likely hear some similarities.)
The flute plays well at A=440 Hz with the headjoint pulled out to 1/4″.
The flute was overhauled and restored in 2019 by Gary Lewis and has had minimal playing since then, so the pads are in excellent shape. The plating is also smooth, with no signs of pitting or wear. The flute is housed in its original case, although the latch is non-functional.
Price: $2,625
Sold as is. Sales tax applies to purchases within California. For inquiries on purchasing, please contact Gary Lewis.
