 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: darby
Date: 2001-05-14 03:10
Hello, it's Darby. Lately I have been seeing a lot of metal/silver Noblet clarinets for sale on e-bay. I would like to have a metal clarinet and was wondering if Noblet is a good brand? I have asked about others before, but want to hear from you on the quality of the Noblet since they seem to manufacture good quality wooden clarinets? Thank you again.
Darby
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2001-05-14 03:21
Opinions are divided. I have had two. (noblets, opinions I got lots of.) One had a serial number under 1400 and had the logo "Noblet Paris" in a raised diamond on the bell. This one played pretty good, definately better than some of the student models I have worked on The older had a serial number around 4000 and no raised logo and was not especially good. Even my 12 year old could tell the difference between the two horns. He took the.older one to school and eventually lost it. sigh.
Leblanc offered metal Noblets up until 1972. By the end, they were the cheapest clarinets in the noblet line. I strongly supsect that quality dropped off by the 1960s.
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Author: William
Date: 2001-05-14 14:32
I have a metal Noblet (serial #142, gold lacquered body, burnished silvered keys, tuning neck) that plays very well and has an unusually good sound when I use my Kaspar mp. The bell has the name, NOBLET, France, engraved in a rounded oval. I have always suspected that this instrument was manufactured back when clarinet makers were trying to build quality, professional-grade metal clarinets for military and other traveling bands and that I was lucky enough to find it for sale in our local Buy and Sell shop. For me, its use has been for some jazz gigs and annual apperances with my Univerisitys Alumni Marching Band. Always seems to attract some attention. But enough cyberdribble and back to your concern. There are probably some metal Noblets on Ebay that are good, like mine, but most likely, there are others that should be made into lighting appliances. Look for low serial numbers, extras like detachable necks, lacquering, engraved logos, etc. and be conservative in your bidding--I paid $20.00 for mine, locally. Good luck and good clarineting!!!!!
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Author: Mike B.
Date: 2001-05-15 04:15
Darby,
I have one of those raised diamond Noblet's that Jim Lande mentioned. It is a very nice horn with good sound and intonation. Of similar quality is the "Cleveland" model made by HN White. Cleveland's can also be had on eBay from time to time at a reasonable price.
The best metal clarinets are the pro-models. These tend to be more costly than the Noblet or Cleveland. Three excellent players (in no particular order) are:
1. Silva-Bet made by Cundy-Bettoney
2. Silver King made by HN White
3. Selmer pro model
Of these three, the Silva-Bet and Selmer sound most like wooden clarinets. The Silver King has a brighter, jazz sound. All have a nice big sound and are really fun to play.
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2001-05-16 03:06
Mike
You sound like you have played a lot of these old metal horns and I agree with your assessment. A few other folks made metal clarinets that they sold as either pro or intermediate quality. (I would like to get more catalog pages to research this further.) If you see an adjustible barrel or an articulated C#/G#', then there is a fair chance that the horn was not run of the mill. Of course, the top makes often came with lots of options. Silva bets were offered in a ton of configurations up to full boehm with gold plating. However,, you could get a standard looking three piece with non-adjustible bell, and it was still a fine instrument.
A few makers, early on, offered double walled metal clarinets and my impression is that these were all intended as pro horns. Makers included Haynes (solid silver), Penzel Muller, Treibert, Conn and Rampone I have a Treibert and it is excellent.
By the early 1930s, the single walled models became very popular and were sold by the thousands. In addition to the Silver King, Silva Bet & Selmer, I have seen high end horns by Penzel Muller, Conn, Buescher, Pedler and Buffet. The Conns were marked C.G. Conn and have relatively narrow bores and short chimneys and would be good for someone with small hands. Less of a big band sound than other makes, these might be good for orchestra work.. Interestingly, there was one pan american model that looked exactly the same and people seem to think all pan americans were student models. Still, just because a model was intended to be top quality, it may not be to your taste. I have worked on two Bueschers and have played a third that was professionally restored. I was not especially impressed. However, I have heard some other people rave a bout them.
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