Klarinet Archive - Posting 000038.txt from 1997/12

From: "Gene Nibbelin" <gnibbelin@-----.com>
Subj: Leblanc Concerto 1189 A Clarinet
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 1997 22:07:02 -0500

Greetings from a current clarinetist retread and former retired banker -

Although I've been on the list for several months, this is my first
posting. After a 46 year layoff from the clarinet, I resumed playing and
practicing (2 to 4 hours a day, with very few missed days) about 2 years
ago. I feel that I have progressed, in many ways, past the level at which
I was playing in the early '50s, when I decided not to further pursue a
professional classical clarinetist career.

If any of you other struggling retreads out there are interested in the
course of study that I have followed to regain my "chops", I would be glad
to pass along the info at a later date. It's not complicated.

The reason for this posting is that I am attempting to try out and possibly
purchase a new or nearly new Leblanc Concerto 1189 A horn. My original
idea was to try out both Buffet and Leblanc Bb and A sticks and pick the
pair that best fulfilled my wishes for instruments that plays easily and
that you don't have to "fight" from register to register. My present A is
a circa 1930 French Selmer that is apparently tuned at 444, and even with
an extended barrel and pullling out other joints, is very difficult to play
any where near in tune even in our small community orchestra, which, of
course has it's own intonation problems. And my Selmer is not helping any.

I've been told by a large music retailer that there is a 10 to 12 month
wait on back order for the Concerto A from the French Leblanc factory. (I
recall reading a recent posting concerning a similar wait for an Eb soprano
clarinet from Leblanc or it might have been Buffet.) Has anyone else
encountered this back-order
problem?

Does anyone out there have a 2 to 3 year old Leblanc Concerto A that they
wish to sell (after I've tried it out, of course). Or a pair of similar
aged Leblancs that I could compare with a pair of Buffets.
If there are any retailers with this horn on the line, please don't be
bashful - let me hear from you.

As an alternative to the Leblancs, I am going to try a pair of Howarths of
London and compare them with the Buffets. I will be very happy to hear any
comments concerning the Howarths vs Buffets vs Leblancs.

I was very impressed by the comments in earlier discussions concerning
Leblancs vs Buffets, but the Howarths were not included. Any help on this
out there?

Contact me through klarinet listserv or my email:
gnibbelin@-----.com

Address:
Gene Nibbelin
2001 N E 2nd Terrace
Cape Coral, FL 33909
941/772-7836