Klarinet Archive - Posting 001106.txt from 2003/04

From: Dan Sutherland <dan.sutherland@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Remarkable Similarity.....
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:47:22 -0400

I believe the instruments are the same. In fact I have one with a case and
body labeled "Yamaha" with a bell labeled"Vito". My guess is that about
eleven years ago Yamaha merely contracted Leblanc to manufacture the
instruments with their label inscribed. I've seen a fair few in my former
life as a repairman.

The key work, but for the position of those set screws, was superior to the
rival "Bundy" offering. Keys were difficult to bend and sometimes broke
off instead. Clamping them in position and soldering them back together
was one of the more time consuming and difficult repair
challenges. Earlier models tended to break in the middle of the clarinet
body like the soprano Vitos. They came with unique bladder and felt pads,
only available from Vito. The Yamaha version was more likely to have
leather pads.

If you loosen the centre clamp that holds the instrument together you can
rotate the joint to get at that screw. Thin bumper corks are required
throughout because clearances are tight and bending the keys to adjust them
is inadvisable.

Dan

At 09:06 PM 4/22/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>Last night I was working on a Vito (plastic) bass clarinet. Tonight I am
>working on a Yamaha YCL-220 U.S.A bass clarinet.
>
>In most regards the mechanisms are identical. This includes a rather nasty
>design flaw in which you cannot get to the set screws that regulate the
>left hand stack keys because they are under the trill keys. (The upper and
>lower joints are semi-permanently attached).
>
>What should be a 10 second adjustment becomes a ten minute dissassebbly
>and re-assembly.
>
>Anyway, does anybody know why these two brand/models are so similar? Does
>LeBlanc make them for Yamaha? Did Yamaha hire a spy and steal the
>blueprints from a locked safe in Racine? I'd like to know.
>
>Walter Grabner
>www.clarinetxpress.com
>bass clarinet repairs and mouthpieces
>
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