 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2008-02-19 02:15
I am going to try out some of these tomorrow - a clarinet player I know cornered the E-bay market on them apparently. I have tried out one already, it was plastic, but another fellow bought it. The rest he has (five or six) are either wood or plastic. I loved the feel of the one I tried, and it was a plastic one. Does anyone have negative comments about these clarinets? I had never heard of them before.
Thanks for your comments!
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2008-02-19 02:20
I overhauled and sold one a few years ago. Rather complicated, and a bit on the stuffy side. Mine was an average player. I don't see much use for plateau soprano clarinets unless the player has a physical condition which precludes the use of a standard open-hole model.
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Author: Molloy
Date: 2008-02-19 02:42
Normandy clarinets are decent enough, as student instruments go.
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Author: susieray
Date: 2008-02-19 06:02
I have never played one but I have an old Normandy brochure
from the late 1950's-early 1960's which describes it as "A NEW
MODEL for beginners". It was designed for very young children
with fingers too small to cover the holes of a regular clarinet
properly. The Resotone model Normandy 14P (made of "Viton")
was priced at $149.50 and the wood model Normandy 5P
was $159.50.
Sue
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-02-19 13:26
The ones I see occasionally are usually priced upwards of $400.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2008-02-19 15:30
I've never played a plastic Normandy, but I own a 1983 wooden Normandy that I'd rate as considerably above average for a student clarinet. However, my information may be too obsolete for your needs, because I believe that in 1983, Leblanc still catalogued the Normandy as a step-up model, not a beginner model. Also, mine hasn't got plateau keys.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2008-02-19 15:33)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2008-02-19 16:32
I thot I put a comment on here, or elsewhere?, perhaps I hit delete instead of send ?? BUT, at present I'm the ?proud? owner of 2 plastic Norm Plateaus, one promised to NMM, Vermillion, which doesn't? now have one !!! So, I agree with the above, fairly good construction, mediocre playability, inclined toward some "stuffy" notes, maybe cureable by increased venting/pad-rise. Intended for students having "difficulties". With skillful tweaking, they should play nearly as well as the larger cls, alto/bass/ contras, which require plateaus [additional keying complication] because of tone hole size. Hope this helps, luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2008-02-19 22:38
I bought one - after trying out six, some were wood, most were plastic. I love the feel of it. Mine is plastic. I will use this next time I get caught out on a street corner and it starts to rain, which happened last summer and I was playing my Buffet. It plays really well, I like the feel of the holes being covered. The wood one had a very nice sound too, but this plastic one really had "punch." Thanks so much for your comments. I bought it for $250.00. The other ones I tried did have some stuffiness. The wood one didn't but I didn't want another wood one to worry about. My father played reeds in a dance band up until nearly the end of his life. He was suffering from cancer but wouldn't miss a dance job no matter what. He was looking for a plateau clarinet at that time because his fingers were shakey but couldn't find one anywhere so he switched entirely over to sax. I can also see where they would be perfect for kids with tiny fingers.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2008-02-20 06:14
Yes, I overhauled a Vito plastic plateau clarinet a while back. It was ok to play after a lot of work. It had not been finished properly in the factory and was not useable as it was sold. They have more pads than the normal clarinet and thus could leak more. I would not encourage their use except for persons who can not adapt to the normal open hole clarinet. The simple design of the clarinet is a wonder to behold!
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