 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Al Amir
Date: 2005-12-29 07:28
I recently found an old Leblanc basset horn. It sounds beautifully and it is perfectly in tone. It has a serial number : 739. How is it possible to know exact age?
I'm using Vandoren B40 mouthpiece, that I find a bit stuffy. I heard about Fobes moutpiece. Anybody has experience about it ?
Al
Vittorio Cacioppo
Post Edited (2005-12-29 07:58)
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-12-29 14:17
Al,
very difficult to exactly date Leblanc instruments, especially basset horns. Best thing is to try calling Leblanc itself in USA: 800-348-7426 or France: 011-332-3236-7503.
There used to be a gentleman at the US office who was the guru of Leblanc instrument dating (I forget his name (Dave something) and am not sure if he's still there). He dated my Leblanc basset horn (#17xx) at around 1961, but that doesn't say anything about the age of yours, since they were made so infrequently.
As for mouthpieces, I had good results with a Vandoren B45, but am now using a Bill Street mouthpiece. Bill is a musician, teacher and mouthpiece maker in Maine, US. I haven't tried the Fobes, but I've heard good things about the Hite mouthpiece.
Good luck!
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Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2005-12-29 23:57
Note that Walter Grabner's new alto clarinet mouthpiece will also fit Leblanc basset horns.
www.clarinetxpress.com
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-12-30 14:49
TKS for the info, Al Amir, I would GUESS that its age might be as early as 1940 when Leblanc ?began? establishing a presence in the US. Does it say "Made in France" or other description ? Can you measure its bore diameters at both lower and upper joints, likely also the neck, for comparisons with Leb's alto cls and others such as Selmer. The latter's altos are generally smaller, and more nearly the OLD Basset Horn bores sizes. The smaller dia. Horns [I believe] play best with soprano cl mps, and thus have their "peculiar" tonality. Help ! Arnold etc, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Al Amir
Date: 2006-01-01 16:06
Thanks for your consideration. I rented this Basset Horn for some months and I have to decide to buy it or not. It has an interesting inscription:
"N° 1 ORCHESTRE DE LA SWISSE ROMANDE GENEVE". It has written also "Kaspar Wicky" as the name of the shop (the name is on the box as well). And of course LEBLANC Paris. The bore seems 18 mm for most of the lenth. Full wood lenth is 73 cm. It has of course low C extention. As I said before it has a beautiful sound but it's a little stuffy, comparing with a new Buffet that I tried. Buffet, was quite out of tone, compared with this. But this seems to be a rule. That's the reason I'm searching a good mouthpiece. I'm going to try another basset horn, a ORSI in cocobolo, in the next days. I'll let you know my impressions. As you probably noticed I'm getting crazy about basset horns and their suond. I've been plying clarinat for several years, and I regret not to have discovered this instrument before.
Happy new year to everybody
Al
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-01-01 16:28
Try the Leblanc with a softer reed than you normally use, this could clear up the tone. I serviced a badly overhauled Leblanc basset a couple of years back, had to seat practically every pad as they were all light or not closing at the front (due to the pads being too thick, but it wasn't in for a repad - that would have cost a lot more).
When I tried it I just used my normal alto sax reeds and found the bottom register very stuffy as if it wasn't vented well, although there was a good 3mm on the main action and I'd replaced several pads in the throat area with cork pads. But using a softer reed, the whole instrument came to life with a fantastic tone, though there are arguements as to what a basset horn really is. the three French makers all do things their own way.
I have an old Selmer (serial number 879) with ring keys, which is pretty much identical to the Buffets of the late 19th century-early 20th century in every respect and that takes a standard Bb mouthpiece (the crook bore diameter is 15.2mm - the same as a B&H 1010 bore) though I do use a Vandoren A1 crystal as this has a large bore. The bore is 16mm at the middle tenon. Modern Selmers have added the thumb keys for low D and C as well as covered action, but still retain the Bb sized mouthpiece and narrow bore.
Then there's the modern Buffet which has a 16mm bore but takes an alto clarinet mouthpiece. I wouldn't mind one of these as the keywork configuration is almost the same as the Prestige low C basses.
And Leblanc have used the same mouthpiece and bore from their alto clarinets (18mm), but the determining factor isn't what mouthpiece or bore it is (and some people can get really snotty about what a 'real' basset horn should be) - it's the simple fact it's pitched in F and descends to low C - regardless of type of bore or mouthpiece.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2006-01-01 16:32)
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Author: Al Amir
Date: 2006-01-02 10:56
Just about what a basset horn is, I would say better what a basset horn sounds like. I have a friend which is a professional clarinet player of old instrumental music. He is playing now old basset horns in concerts all over the world (the name of the ansamble is "Zeffiro"). He came to me few days ago because I asked him to try my BH and to compare it with a copy of an old (1790) one. the low register is quite similar, and even for the clarinet register the difference is in strength of sound better than in quality. He played also a copy of an old (1780) A clarinet. The difference is much more in this case, comparing with a modern A clarinet than for the basset horn.
At the beginning of XIX century, basset horns were introduced in military bands, and because of the need of playing walking, they started to be truncated, and then piched differently. This instruments were alto clarinets. Speaking about bore, this is another story. It was probably difficoult at those ages to make boxwood instruments with large bore.
Or probably they where just using same tools of clarinets. Probably tools has been inproved later on. Also bass clarinets (19.9 bore in the past) are now produced 24 mm. And they are still bass clarinets.
My opinion is that if we play modern istruments we have to accept modern tecnology. Otherwise we can use those beautiful copys of old instruments.
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