Klarinet Archive - Posting 000159.txt from 1994/02

From: Charles Evans <cee1@-----.EDU>
Subj: Just how old is my Leblanc L70?
Date: Mon, 14 Feb 1994 11:20:56 -0500

>
> My Buffet Bb has a serial no. something like K814L and is stamped "Buffet et
> Cie. a Londres"; no-one seems to know just how old it is, but the tone it can
> produce has been widely admired. There is some wear in the keywork, which is
> probably irremediable. I've used an old Buffet mouth piece and a fat Hite
> mouthpiece on it; the Hite seems to take away some of the sweet quality, but
> enhances the lower partials.
> It would be much more convenient if certain subscribers did NOT send PostScrip
t

By the time I graduated from Miss. State. >Univ, I had played clarinet
non-stop :) since the 6th grade.. I guess a wonderful 11 years. Well I started
off with the super cool ebonite Vito thingy.. hten around 8th-9th grade,
I got a Leblanc L70 (37393 Serial #)... the mouthpiece was some old
clunky HS Star.. I kept my old reliable B45 from my Vitor.. which is what I
always used (the HS Star had chips in the tip of the mouthpiece).. I had
tried several mouthpieces.. and ligatures.. but ended up with either tying
string or using my dual screw (at the reed side) brass ligature (ackk I cannot
recall all the mouth piece terminatology so forgive me).. back to my
clarinet.. Most friends with Leblancs had L7's.. along with the "L70" there
was "G" here and there above or below the Leblanc symbol..never knew what
that meant.. I thin the keys are silver, but whoever owned it before me.. must
have dropped it in a vat of acid cuz htere are "dots" of corrowsionall over
the keys everywhere.. not sure why.. I routinly disassembled it to clear
new "green corrosio".. not sure why it corroded.. I upkept it very well.
wish I had it up here to noodle with.. does anyone know when Leblanc
stopped making L70s.. no one at Miss. State could tell me.. even our
professional clarifone lady.. she think late 60's... anyone.. anyone
know If I have unknowigly come across a gem.. oh allso.. have always
had tis WONDERFUL "crack down the bore... right to the C#/G# key hole..
everyonce inwhile around hte middle of 1812 overture or Pineapple Poll(sic)
I woudl get awesome fluttering wiht spit flying everywhere :) man I
loved playing my clarinet more htan anythign (Bb for those who are still
guessing).... I could get up to abtou an Ab-Bb-C(on those super daze)
abover High G.. never could solidly hit a C.. had a friend who played
Bass Clarinet, always cruised over everyone at Miss. Allstate Lions
Band with his 4-5 octave range.. he coudl go from his nornmal Low
Eb up to lesse.. F-G above high G... space above leger line 7 .. never
figured out how he did it.. but perfectly in tune..

hope to hear from ye old Leblanc players.. it seemed the best clarients
around at least when I was in High school were Buffect Crampions or Cham-
pions..(ack Ive lost my mind)...