 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Fujin
Date: 2012-05-07 01:01
Attachment: photo2.JPG (1671k)
I found what I believe to be a leblanc L7. The clarinet was mine as a child and to be honest I never quite appreciated it as much as I should have. The corks etc are fresh but the pads could use a replacing and most of the keys have corroded from oils etc. BUT the tone is nice and warm as expected since the clarinet is all wood etc.
Maybe you guys could take a look at some pics and help me figure out what I have here.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2012-05-07 02:39
It's not an L7. Forget what model these are, but def not L7.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2012-05-07 03:08
The logo appears to be that of an L70. This was, if I have the lineage right, the immediate successor to the L7. That would indicate that your clarinet was made in perhaps the late 1970s or early 80s. When it was in production, it was a top-of-the-line professional model. If you click on the search link (right above your question) and search for "L70" (without the quotes), you will find some more information about your clarinet. If you include a couple of the other clarinets in the line (L7, L27) in your search along with L70, you should find some discussion of the line. Warning: some comments in that discussion will be more accurate than others.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-05-07 03:42
I agree with Jack about this being an L70. The L7's to my knowledge all had a round pearl inlay above the Leblanc logo that was inscribed "L7". You may want to try giving the keys a quick rub down with a metal polishing cloth to see how well they clean up (don't use liquid or paste polishes unless you plan to remove the keys from the instrument before polishing).
When new these were good clarinets. The proverbial "elephant in the room" however is that according to Tom Ridenour (a clarinet designer for Leblanc for several years) many Leblanc clarinets sold in the US were re-bored at the factory in Kenosha which had undesirable effects on their intonation. If the horn is playable now and has no intonation issues then you are probably safe.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-05-07 18:25
The early nickle plating at this era was very thin and liable to erosion/corrosion. There isn't a lot you can do about this apart from a total strip and replate, and this is hardly justified.
At least the upside is that this has no effect whatsoever on the playability of the clarinet and a good buff and clean will at least make it more presentable.
Interestingly I have seen most models of Leblanc over the years from 1950s to today and never yet an L70. I suspect it had quite a short production run.
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