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Leblanc LL in C

Author: rgoldem
Date: 2006-04-19 11:27

I recently acquired a Leblanc LL clarinet in C. Excellent craftsmanship. However, I am still not very comfortable with this particular instrument. Intonation can be quite challenging at the higher registers and I am not really convinced it is much better than intermediate instruments like the Noblet or Buffet E11 in C.

I was searching the list for reviews and general information about the LL in C but I could not find much. I would appreciate a lot if people could share their opinions about this particular instrument

Thanks in advance,

Rick

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Re: Leblanc LL in C

Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-04-19 15:01

Rick -

The Leblanc LL was introduced in the late 1950s as their top model, and they continue to use the designation for the uncommon pitches, such as C and D.

I played an LL in Eb exclusively for a year and found the intonation similarly problematic. If your C clarinet is, like the Eb, very sharp in the throat register and on the high notes, you might try what I did, which was cheap and effective. At a hardware store, I got rubber washers made for garden hoses, a little larger on the outside than the socket and a little smaller on the inside than the bore. I then sanded them down to fit both the top and bottom socket of the barrel. The Eb at least then had manageable intonation.

A more expensive option is a custom barrel, which several makers can provide for C clarinets. (Among the sponsors, Fobes lists them, and Grabner and Segal will probably make them.) Another possibility is a mouthpiece designed for the C clarinet (although on my Buffet a standard Bb mouthpiece works fine).

Good luck.

Ken Shaw

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Re: Leblanc LL in C

Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2006-04-19 20:58

I had a Noblet C, a lesser model than the LL, and I had the same experience Ken mentioned. I also got a custom barrel for it and it helped a great deal. I later switched to a Patricola, but still used a Chadash barrel on it with satisfactory results. The Patricola was a very, very nice C clarinet.

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Re: Leblanc LL in C

Author: cigleris
Date: 2006-04-19 22:06

Leblanc did make large bore instruments at one time, the bore could be slightly diiferent to the 'French' bore mouthpiece. I play on the 1010 bore and find when playing a new mouthpiece the throat notes are always sharp untill the mothpiece get bored out. Just a thought.

Peter Cigleris

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