Exceptional wooden cylinder Buffet-Crampon antique French flute with Dorus key According to New Langwill Index, this wonderful flute has been carefully crafted between 1862 and 1865 by Buffet-Crampon in Paris. Triple signed. Embossing shows: "Lyre symbol – Buffet-Crampon & Cie à Paris – Brevetés S.G.D.G – BC monogram". Cylinder wooden Boehm antique French flutes are already very rare and sought after. On top of that, this lovely Buffet offers a unique feature, so much interesting: the famous Dorus G# key! Thanks to this special mechanism, the tube was pierced with a single hole for the G#. Compared to the usual two-holes opposite G# system, the inline single hole Dorus system is way better so as not to disturb the air flow and get a pure sound. We can find the Dorus key on some XIXth century conical wooden Boehm French flutes, but it is very, very rare to find it on a cylinder one! I know only a few examples made by Louis Lot or Godfroy Aîné. No other... This is what makes this Buffet Crampon a unique piece for the musician, the collector or the museum. Be sure if you miss this one, you won't have any chance to find another... Think about it! The flute is in very good condition considering its age. Apparently, the instrument has been played a lot during its long life (150+ years...). We can see several professional repairs, the last restoration is obviously old but pretty well done (please see pics). Pads are still ok. Original maillechort resonators are still present. Recently, the flute has been entirely disassembled, cleaned, oiled and adjusted. Mechanism shows very little play between keys and between sections. The action is quick and light. The flute plays well from low to high notes with a fantastic pure and clear sound. Very singing, very special! An absolute and exclusive delight... Full length: 680 mm. Sounding length: 603 mm. Plays at 438 Hz. Comes in original case in good condition. Original key, working lock. Don't miss the opportunity to buy this exceptional instrument, masterpiece of musical history! Very few remain on the market today : they are so cherished by professional musicians and sought after by collectors. Be sure it will be quite impossible to find another like this one, safely shipping from Europe and at this price!