Klarinet Archive - Posting 000114.txt from 2004/12

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] History of two old clarinets - old leblanc
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 23:39:46 -0500

At 08:20 PM 12/5/2004 -0500, Don Hatfield wrote:
>That's what I figured, Bill. But as I read your post I realized something
>funny...well, to me, at least. I worked in a music store for twelve years,
>and saw a couple of Leblancs with this mechanism, as well as a couple of
>Selmer Signets with the Mazzeo mechanism. The funny thing is I never took
>time to play any of them, to compare or just see what they are like.
>Were/are there advantages in either system compared to a standard clarinet?

Oddly enough, I really don't have any experience with them, either. The
Stubbins mechanism was clearly was designed to give a better throat Bb
using the register key, which it no doubt does, but with the disadvantage
of added mechanical complexity and, thus, unreliability. The Mazzeo either
allows or requires some alternate fingerings to gain its advantage, I
believe, in addition to the cost of mechanical complexity. I believe on
some Mazzeo models the mechanism could be switched off if desired. Now
that I spend a day or two a week working in the shop instead of being on
the road 5 days, maybe I will get a chance to play with one sometime!

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org