 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Boots
Date: 2015-01-18 14:55
Hi - I have been looking for a plateau clarinet for my 82 year old dad for ages - just come across 2 - one is a Normandy 14P (with some pads corked) - and the other a wooden Romeo Orsi (advertised in mint condition with original manufacturers guarantee). What should I expect to pay for them?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-01-18 16:53
The Normandy would be the better bet as Orsi clarinets (and their other instruments in general) aren't particularly well built. Normandy clarinets are made by Leblanc who have an excellent reputation and they're built like tanks, so the mechanics should be sound on them.
So long as the cork pads are seated well and any imperfections in the toneholes are dealt with, cork pads are the best to use in the fingerplates as they will remain flat unlike skin or leather pads that tend to sag in the centres. The fingerplates on plateau clarinets should have plenty of venting (opening) to be sure the instrument isn't stuffy. The RH main action fingerplates should be open by a minimum of 3mm so everything speaks clearly.
The LH thumbplate venting should also be around 3mm minimum otherwise the F# will be stuffy when played with LH finger 1 only - that can only successfully be increased if it's too closed by shortening the lever connected to the thumbplate - any decent specialist woodwind repairer ought to be able to manage that if the venting is too close.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Boots
Date: 2015-01-18 17:13
Thanks for your response Chris - very helpful. Any idea on price? The Nomandy is about £500 and the Orsi just over £1000!!!!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-01-18 17:32
That's a good price for the Normandy, but see if they might take a bit less for it. Even if it's all up to scratch, it can be sorted out and is well worth having the work done to put it into top playing form. Find out when it was last serviced - if it was over a year ago, then it's probably due for some work.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Boots
Date: 2015-01-18 18:46
Thanks Chris - the Normandy 14P is a 1960 'Viton' plastic clarinet - does that make a difference?
David, which model do you have? Would you recommend it?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-01-18 19:05
The key work on a Normandy 14P is not quite as strong as you will find on the later Normandy 140P and Vito 7214P. Having a technician go over it before presenting it as a gift would be highly recommended, just to ensure that everything is in proper regulation.
The 14P I owned was a nice sounding clarinet with good tonal focus and even response that was not stuffy at all. I paid less than US$80 for mine, and it needed about $40 in service plus a new case to be put back into service.
Note that the 14P and 140P are plastic instruments, while the 5P and 10P are wooden, with some 5P models equipped with a plastic bell. They all seem to resell within the same price range; if you'd rather have a wooden instrument, one will eventually turn up somewhere for about what you'd pay for a 14P.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Boots
Date: 2015-01-18 19:20
Thanks Ursa - a 'plastic' model maybe better though as it would be much lighter for him. You paid an amazing price for yours - it is so hard to find any in England so that might be why prices are so much higher here!!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-01-18 19:35
Some of the older plastic Normandys are made of Bakelite, so they can be heavier than their wooden and later ABS counterparts.
I regularly service a plastic Vito plateaux clarinet for a local player who has arthritis - she had to do a lot of searching to get hold of one of these as they're pretty rare beasts here in the UK.
My first sax teacher had a couple of wooden plateaux clarinets - one was Italian with pearl inlaid fingerplates and the other was French, so probably a Malerne. An elderly tenor player in the first Big Band I played in also had a Malerne (stencilled "Buisson") plateaux clarinet and a player over Brighton way has a Jacques Albert one which is very nice - again he bought it because of his arthritis which caused problems with his right hand fingers.
I wouldn't mind a plateaux clarinet as they don't feel all that alien to me now that I tend to play more oboe and cor anglais than anything. I could always convert one of my clarinets to covered action, but chances are I'd have to spend a lot of time retuning it as shortening the chimneys will sharpen the notes issued from them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jerry
Date: 2015-03-02 04:29
Please let me know if you know where I can buy a plateau clarinet. I am no longer able to play my regular one because of a problem with my left hand.
Thanks,
Jerry
Jerry
The Villages, FL
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
