 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: alglasser
Date: 2010-01-09 22:15
Hello, and thank you all for the help. I just can't seem to find what I'm looking for.
I have inherited 2 LeBlanc clarinets and have located their serial numbers but I can not find the dates of manufacture though I have checked dozens of sites on the net.
Is anyone able to help me with this process, please? I would be most appreciative for any assistance you could provide.
The B flat clarinet has serial number 15558.
The A clarinet has the serial number 15437.
It is thought that these may have been purchased in the 1950's but no one is sure of the exact dates.
If you are able to help out, an e-mail to alglasser@cox.net would be very much appreciated.
Thank you so much.
Alan Glasser.
alglasser@cox.net
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2010-01-09 22:29
Alan,
What is written on the clarinets? Words like Symphonie, Classic, or similar distinctions will help find an approximate model period and then the rest is easier.
Picture are best of the upper section front showing the LeBlanc markings and anything else. Are the instruments wood with Made in France anywhere on the body?
HRL
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2010-01-10 14:55
Alan, I own a pair of Leblancs with ser nos 141xx which I purchased new in London in 1960 so I would guess yours would come just a little later than this, perhaps 1961/62.
My pair, which have the extra C#/G# and forked Eb/Bb mechanism, have no specific model names on them but are essentially what were marked just a few years later as the LL model.
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Author: alglasser
Date: 2010-01-10 22:10
Thank you for the replies. I will check further to see if there are any additional identifying words. I didn't see anything initially, but will look again.
Many thanks.
Alan
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2010-01-12 21:10
>"I would guess yours would come just a little later than this, perhaps 1961/62".<
You are correct. The clarinets have been manufactured in 1962.
Vytas Krass
Clarinet Repair
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
Post Edited (2010-01-12 21:12)
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Author: alglasser
Date: 2010-01-12 23:20
Great help. Thank you to everyone who has replied.
Alan in RI
alglasser@cox.net
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Author: alglasser
Date: 2010-01-12 23:34
Oh, one more thing. The "clarinet perfection" site was excellent. I was readily able to identify both instruments as LeBlanc emblem #2, so they are no later than from the 60's. An excellent start to my research.
Since neither my wife nor I play, we're not quite sure what to to with them but feel they should be brought back to excellent condition. I will be looking for a good instrument restorer in the RI area soon. I am assuming that these are good quality instruments and someone should enjoy them rather than having them stored in a closet here.
Thank you all, very much.
Alan in RI
alglasser@cox.net
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2010-01-13 13:08
Your clarinets are well worth looking after. They were high grade professional instruments in their day and are still very fine clarinets.
Construction wise they were superbly made and are in this respect far better than ANY clarinets made today by any of the major manufacturers.
The intonation in the high and altissimo registers is far better than any Buffet clarinet, regardless of price, which makes them very useable by top chair players who spend a lot of their time above the stave.
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