 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-04-04 11:19
Hi,
Can someone just tell me how to tell the difference between an old Noblet 45 clarinet and 40?
Thanks,
Steve
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-04-04 12:25
Actually, I'll describe the particular clarinet that's caught my eye.
It has the words Noblet Paris, with Noblet at the centre of a diamond logo and Paris just underneath. At the top of the diamond there is the letter N.
Underneath the diamond is written France.
Serial no. 62383.
Any ideas what this is?
Steve
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2005-04-04 16:53
As I mentioned in my post to your other thread, the older 45's have a diamond shaped logo, the older 40's have logo that looks sort of like a TV screen. The instrument you are looking at is a 45.
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-04-04 17:52
Jack,
I must stop drinking this italian grappa!
I re-read the last thread carefully. You said:
"Older model 45's have a diamond-shaped logo, so the two models are easy to tell apart."
You're absolutely correct and I hang my head in shame.
Now where's the other bottle....?
Steve
PS I just bought it for $160 from Ebay.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2005-04-06 16:01
Jack,
Other than the logo, what are the physical differences between the older 45 and 40 models? That is, in terms of the quality of the wood, keywork, etc.
I called Leblanc today and asked that question. However, the person I spoke with didn't know. She said that I'd need to talk with a dealer. (???) From what she told me about NEW Noblet 45 and 40 models it sounds like the differences are mainly in the keywork...with the 45 having an additional key(s). She gave me the impression that the 45 and 40 models have the same quality of wood. However, I don't know if that is actually true or not.
Do you or someone else on the Forum know about this?
Thanks, Roger
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-04-06 20:16
-- "I called Leblanc today and asked that question. However, the person I spoke with didn't know. She said that I'd need to talk with a dealer. (???) " --
Yep. Welcome to the 21st century. :-(
I'd also be interested to know. I've heard the same question asked about other clarinets for ages, and have never seen a satisfactory answer.
Going on the little snippets of info I've already found, I doubt that it's in the actual wood. More likely to be the way tenons are finished, quality of keys, an additional minutes having the bore smoothed, even the case it comes in? I don't know.
Thus, it will probably sound the same but look and feel just slightly better.
But, hey, that's what marketing is all about!
Steve
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: susieray
Date: 2005-04-06 20:17
The Noblet 45 has gold plated springs, and the 40 does not.
Also the C#/G# key has it's own separate post mountings
on the 45. Although I have seen some 40's with separate
posts also...not sure why some do and some do not.
sue
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Mills
Date: 2005-04-06 21:19
Dear Stevensfo; Yikes, A Noblet full- Boehm! The 45 was the top of their line. They also had 46-50. I once had the 49 and 50 which was the full-Boehm while the 49 had them all except the Eb extension. The 49 was the best blowing without the low Eb extension. Now gone, the pivot screws had heads to tighten them into the post just right, again after ware, by grinding out the post's hole a little to turn the screw more. This is the attentive hand-made aspect of the clarinet's assembly. They were built until 1988 or so. Maybe they are slightly higher pitched than the pro Leblancs, then you can use a Vandoren 5JB, they play realy good. Sincerely, Ken
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2005-04-07 13:32
Thanks for the replies. Personally, I'm not going to be concerned about what model my mid-60's Noblet may be. My repair tech did some custom tweaking to its keywork and it plays beautifully. I especially love the Noblet's dark, fat, sweet sound and good intonation. I find it comparable to the dark, fat sound of my vintage 1930's Buescher saxophones. For me, my Noblet is kind of like the old Volvo that I drive. It doesn't have the bells & whistles or sex appeal of a brand new car. But, it's rock-solid and it does the job of providing transportation better than any car that I had in the past. My Noblet sat in a closet for close to 40 years before a friend gave it to me and I had it restored. Even though the clarinet was in an unplayable condition -- pads and corks were shot -- there was nothing wrong with the wood. For me, that says a lot about the quality of the materials used in the old Noblet clarinets. Now that it's been restored the old clarinet glows...and has a beautiful sound. For me, this is all that matters.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: susieray
Date: 2005-04-07 15:29
A friend of mine plays a Noblet 45 with the engraved bell which his father bought new for him when he was in middle school. He is 58 now so I guess he got it around 1960. He played it all through high school and then joined the army and played the same horn in the army band.
When he got out of the army, he quit playing for 30 years....just a little over a year ago he decided to start playing again. He is playing that old Noblet 45 and he sounds great. He really likes that horn and wanted another one just like it for a backup so I found one for him on ebay. He is hoping his kids will be inspired to play if they can use one just like Dad's (by the way, this guy didn't get married until age 42 and now has five kids between the age of 3 and 13, so he will have children around for awhile yet).
Sue
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarispark
Date: 2005-04-07 22:04
Jack Kissinger wrote:
>As I mentioned in my post to your other thread, the older 45's have a >diamond shaped logo, the older 40's have logo that looks sort of like a TV >screen. The instrument you are looking at is a 45.
You've answered a question I was going to post. I have a clarinet with the logo that looks "sort of like a TV screen". My unanswered question is...does each series have its own set of serial numbers? Could a 45 have the same serial number as my 40? Or do they number all the clarinets in order of when they were made, no matter what series they're part of? If they just number right through regardless of series, my clarinet is just slightly newer than the one Steve is looking at.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: kal
Date: 2005-04-08 22:23
>As I mentioned in my post to your other thread, the older 45's have a
>diamond shaped logo, the older 40's have logo that looks sort of like a TV
>screen. The instrument you are looking at is a 45.
I hear this quite often, so I've accepted it as fact. Now my question is: Has it been this way as long as the 40 / 45 designation has existed? How long has that been? Was there such thing as a 40 or 45 in the "D. Noblet" era (oval logos)? How about the 27?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
