Klarinet Archive - Posting 001260.txt from 2000/05

From: "Ed & Carol Maurey" <edsshop@-----.ca>
Subj: Re: [kl] Shame on Leblanc?
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 19:37:14 -0400

Actually, the horn was owned by a kid who probably wouldn't have known a dud
from a gem.
Ed Maurey
----- Original Message -----
From: Roger Shilcock <roger.shilcock@-----.uk>
Subject: Re: [kl] Shame on Leblanc?

> Perhaps, too, Ebay was seen as being the ideal means of getting rid of
> what turned out to be a rogue instrument.
> Yours,
> Roger S.
>
>
> On Mon, 29 May 2000, Lars Kirmser wrote:
>
> > Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 09:57:47 -0700
> > From: Lars Kirmser <syrinx@-----.com>
> > Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
> > To: klarinet@-----.org
> > Subject: Re: [kl] Shame on Leblanc?
> >
> > Sounds like you had a very bad day. I dare say this was an anomaly with
> > regard to the Leblanc. I have had good results with all the pro line
> > Leblancs received in our store (so have the many thousands who prefer
them
> > to the R13's). I think, however, that it is hardly fair to imply Leblanc
is
> > an irresponsible manufacturer. I am reasonably satisfied that what you
> > discovered with the one Concerto (that you got via Ebay) was exactly as
you
> > have described, but let's be fair, one experience is hardly a reasonable
> > test for the condemnation of a manufacturer or their product. Believe
me,
> > all manufacturers let a few blatant examples of poor quality control out
> > the door by mistake. Would you have written a similar post had the eBay
> > purchase been one of your beloved R13's? I suspect not. I further
suspect
> > that the negative acoustical aspects that you described were perhaps
unique
> > to you as a performer, combined with the mouthpiece/reed/ligature set up
> > you use; that particular instrument may play perfectly for another
> > player/set up, who knows. Don't give up on Leblanc after one bad
> > experience. All of the major manufacturers are doing an amazing job at
> > providing us with a broad range of good quality instruments to choose
from.
> > Were we to lose any of them (the manufacturers) we would all be that
much
> > poorer for it. Best Regards, Lars Kirmser
> >
> > At 03:47 PM 5/26/00 -0300, Ed & Carol Maurey wrote:
> > >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
> > >
> >
> >
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>
>
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