- Seamed, silver tubing, 0.0155″
- Body is original Bonneville 3924, circa 1910
- Reconstructed headjoint and foot
- Pointed arms
- Open hole
- Inline G
- C-foot
- Embouchure: 10.0 mm x 12.5 mm
- Embouchure wall: 0.197″
- A=440 Hz, traditional scale
- Sounding length: 600 mm
- 423 grams
This flute has an interesting history. The current owner found the Bonneville body (3924), but it lacked a head and foot. In the early 2000s, he commissioned flute maker Francisco Candelaria in Manila to overhaul the body and construct a seamed head and a seamed foot. The result is a flute identical in appearance and playability to an original silver Bonneville. Very impressive!
Candelaria emulated Bonneville’s style exquisitely – the teardrop Eb key, pointed arms, matching ferrules, and a well-crafted traditional embouchure. You won’t find any modern overcutting or undercutting on this flute’s embouchure! Besides Candelaria’s embossed logo, the only clue you’ll find to the head’s contemporary origin is the angle of the blowing edge of the embouchure plate. Candelaria also placed his initials on the side of the C# key to identify the foot as his. Other than that, the foot could pass as an original.
We compared this flute side-by-side against two Bonneville flutes – one solid silver and the other silver-plated. The reconstructed flute plays identically to the originals. The sound from Candelaria’s work has the same large, warm, textured sound you expect from a Bonneville. The low register is rich with lots of body and character, and its tonal colors carry seamlessly into the upper registers. With a finely focused airstream, you can hear the coveted French glow. There was also no difference in key action in the foot between Candelaria’s foot and Bonneville’s foot. Simply stated, this flute plays like an original silver Bonneville in every aspect.
The intonation is very even and stable at A=440 Hz with the headjoint pulled out 3/8″. The flute also plays comfortably at A=442 Hz with the head at 1/8″-1/4″, though you may need to make minor adjustments consistent with a traditional scale. There is no evidence that the body has been retuned.
