 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sinebar
Date: 2009-04-02 14:14
Does the Lablanc Pete Fountain, with it's big bore, play out of tune?
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-04-02 14:42
I used to play the instrument that I have seen described as the "predecessor" to the Pete Fountain model, a 1950s-era Dynamique (serial no. 673--I don't own it anymore, but if you do and you're reading this, you've got my old horn), Leblanc's wide-bore model of the era. I had no intonation problems with it at all. I think Pete Fountain himself used to play on a Dynamique, but I can't confirm that.
According to this website, Leblanc's philosophy, at least during that time period, was to err on the side of good intonation (as opposed to sound).
I imagine the current Pete Fountain model is similar, since it's supposedly modeled after Pete's old wide-bore Leblanc.
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Author: sinkdraiN
Date: 2009-04-02 15:57
I have a Leblanc LL (all extra keys) as a spare...and that instrument is very similar to the Pete Fountain.
Has a sort of flute sound to it. Big bore...cylindrical. It's a weird clarinet but it does play in tune with an interesting sound.
The intonation on my LL got real strange on wide tipped mouthpieces pitched at 442. Otherwise all other mouthpiece worked fine so long as the mouthpiece was pitched at A440 like the vandoren 13 series mouthpieces.
My Opus and R13 is much more forgiving of different styles of mouthpieces. Stick with a lower pitched mouthpiece that's not super open and you'll be fine.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2009-04-02 16:24
I've owned both the LL and the Pete Fountain and they both play rather well in tune. Nice big tone.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2009-04-02 19:06
I have a Leb Dynamic 2 with the fork Eb/Bb and the articulated C#/G# [2 of the 4 additional keys to make a Full Boehm] and it plays well in tune. I believe P F must have liked the easier fingering it allowed, and so continued with Leblanc. I also have a Selmer R I F B where the alt. Ab/Eb and low Eb also come in handy for more # and b key signatures [IMHO] . Not having an LL, but owned an L-7 ["intermediate" bore 14.8 mm], I agree with the good intonation mention above. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Neil
Date: 2009-04-02 23:11
My Pete Fountain plays fairly sharp on the chalumeau A and B, according to my tuner. My sense of pitch is so bad that I don't notice it, though. I don't know if anyone else does.
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Author: sinebar
Date: 2009-04-03 01:48
Neil wrote:
> My Pete Fountain plays fairly sharp on the chalumeau A and B,
> according to my tuner. My sense of pitch is so bad that I don't
> notice it, though. I don't know if anyone else does.
How do you like it? Would you say it's worth $2500?
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2009-04-03 14:27
My 1960 Leblancs (not marked at that time but essentially same as LL) also tend to be rather sharp on a/b chalumeau, they are quite heavily undercut on the lower joint which I think tends to cause this especially when playing pp. The keyed B is rather better here than the forked B for pitch. The second register notes are spot on.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-04-03 14:34
From what I remember (though can't find the old gleblanc.com site with all the models listed anymore as that's gone) the Pete Fountain was available in several versions, also available in almost full Boehm system, but didn't have the LH Ab/Eb key and may or may not have descended to low Eb. They also had gold plated keys and fittings.
There was also a Vito version of it (with gold plated keys), but in standard 17/6 configuration.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: William
Date: 2009-04-03 16:43
Interestingly, in an interview pubished in The Clarinet, Pete credits his "sound" to one of the "best sound engineers in the business". He also said that while he "doesn't get Vandorans much anymore", he uses a classical mpc/reed set up. Don't recall if he mentioned any specific mouthpiece.
So, to get that "Pete Fountain" sound, rely more on a good audio person rather than a "PF" clarinet.
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Author: sinebar
Date: 2009-04-04 02:57
William wrote:
> Interestingly, in an interview pubished in The Clarinet, Pete
> credits his "sound" to one of the "best sound engineers in the
> business". He also said that while he "doesn't get Vandorans
> much anymore", he uses a classical mpc/reed set up. Don't
> recall if he mentioned any specific mouthpiece.
>
> So, to get that "Pete Fountain" sound, rely more on a good
> audio person rather than a "PF" clarinet.
But does Pete actually play the clarinet bearing his name? Just curious. If not then what clarinet does Pete play?
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Author: Neil
Date: 2009-04-04 03:55
"How do you like it? Would you say it's worth $2500?"
I bought it second-hand and paid much less than that. Overall I'm happy with it but for $2500 I'd make sure I got an instrument that plays in tune (as well as other factors).
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