 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bwilber
Date: 2011-10-18 15:20
Hi Everyone.
I have a Normandy 4 clarinet and can't find out how old it is and am wondering if anyone can give me an idea. The serial number is #A33929. It has the newer logo with the pointed top at the top of the logo but the painting is white not gold and the logos are only painted on and it has blue needle springs, which I think are original. Any help you can give me would be appreciated.
Thanks
Bonnie Wilber
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-10-18 15:30
Is this an A clarinet? I've never seen a Normandy clarinet with a letter at the beginning of the serial number but perhaps that signifies being in the key of A in this case.
According to the serial number list on Steve Sklar's site http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clsnLeblancNormandy.htm your clarinet was probably made in 1964. You can also compare your logo to the ones on that site for confirmation.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2011-10-18 19:23
According to my ongoing research, Bonnie's Normandy 4 is most likely of 1983 vintage.
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Author: bwilber
Date: 2011-10-18 20:35
Hi Again. This is a Bb clarinet. Thank you for helping me.
Bonnie Wilber
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-10-18 20:50
Ursa wrote:
> According to my ongoing research, Bonnie's Normandy 4 is most
> likely of 1983 vintage.
Do you have a serial number list other than the one I linked? Finding info on Leblanc/Normandy/Noblet clarinets is always iffy and I would appreciate having another source. Thanks.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-10-18 20:54
I dated a Normandy 4
'till she got mad and showed me the door.
Got over my fright,
joined a horn-dating site,
with Miss Uebel I'm dating once more!
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2011-10-18 21:27
Steve, I need to do more work before going public with my findings.
I haven't confirmed many dates, but the evidence I've collected suggests that there were the following sets of serial numbers for Bb soprano Normandys:
1. The Original Normandy (shared G#/A post, inline trill keys mounted on 3 sets of posts) and the Normandy Special (Buffet-style trill keys)
2. The Transitional Normandy (like models 7 and 10, but having trill keys mounted on 3 sets of posts as with the Original) and the Normandy France Reso-Tone (a plastic Normandy Special)
3. The Normandy 4, 5, 5P, 6, 7, 8, 10, 10P, 14P, 140P, and 208 (this is the list on Steve's site).
4. The Normandy 14 (the USA-made Reso-Tone)
It's possible that the Specials made after the Transitional models were introduced had the letter suffixes added to the serial number.
The Eb's I've been able to study also seem to confer with the third series of numbers.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-10-18 23:48
Thanks Greg. Sounds interesting and I'll look forward to reading your findings when you finally release them. I have kind of a soft spot for Normandy clarinets as my first non-student clarinet was a Normandy 10.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2011-10-19 02:30
Glad you found the post useful, Steve. I, too, have been frustrated by the lack of information on the Normandy. After examining original ads, price lists, brochures, and instruments, I've found that most of what's posted on the Web is inaccurate as well as incomplete. As these instruments will continue to remain in circulation for decades to come, I hope to provide better documentation for their use and appreciation. With the skyrocketing cost of entry-level clarinets today, the Normandys provide a lot of "bang for the buck".
My first decent clarinet was (and is) an Original Normandy, with handsome unplated German silver keywork. It's been treated to a very thorough overhaul and upgraded with a Backun MoBa grenadilla barrel. It plays beautifully, and looks great too.
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