Klarinet Archive - Posting 001172.txt from 2000/05

From: "Ed & Carol Maurey" <edsshop@-----.ca>
Subj: [kl] Shame on Leblanc!
Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 14:47:52 -0400

------@-----.C0481800
charset="iso-8859-1"

As an experiment I've been buying different clarinets on eBay and giving =
them a thorough playing, measuring and evaluation. When I'm thru with =
the instruments I simply sell them on eBay. Harmless fun.

I recently bought a Leblanc Concerto Bb to scruntinize. It had had very =
little use an was in perfect playing condition. The first thing my =
machinist's eyes noticed was a misalignment of the posts that hold the =
right hand B-F# slivver key: ugly, but harmless. The bell had been =
slathered in some varnishy wood filler glop. I guess good wood is hard =
to find these days. The nickel plating was wearing off the rings only =
to reveal bright, red, copper. Nickel plates just fine directly over =
nickel silver and when it eventually wears off it doesn't look =
"two-tone." Manufacturing idiocy! These faults were pretty =
superficial, but did not bode well.

How'd it play? The scale was generally very good. The main twefths were =
very nice. When it was really wamed up it centered on 440 with my Pyne =
M. The throat tones, however, were flat. I eventually traced this =
problem to more sloppy manufacturing: the barrel's socket was half a =
mm deeper than the top joint's top tenon. This gave a gap unseen to the =
player. I put in a 1mm tuning ring and the thoat tones were actually =
sharpened! [Surely, Eddy Daniels horn wasn't like this.]

The altissimo register was flattish and absolutely demanded adding the =
Eb-Ab key. The high F# was hideously flat... repulsive.

The tone lacked the sweetness of an R13 and, to my ears, was rather =
undistinguished. I found my R13, in general, more pleasurable to play.

One last bit of poor manufacturing to expose: The minimum bore is =
advertised as .577"....it was .579" as measured in both top and bottom =
joints. That wouldn't pass in my shop.

Granted, this is only one sample and, perhaps, the only lemon Concerto =
ever made. However, I don't think I'll bother looking in eBay for a =
Concerto A to audition.

Ed Maurey

------@-----.C0481800--

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org