 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mom4music
Date: 2015-10-17 10:03
Hi there. I am looking at wood clarinets for my daughter. She is in the high school wind ensemble. We found a used Leblanc Soloist clarinet at a reputable music store, but I'm having a hard time finding info about it to be able to compare it to other clarinet models. A old post on a different forum mentioned that this clarinet was made "exclusive" for particular music stores. Does anyone have any experience/knowledge about this clarinet? They're asking $850.
The other model we are highly considering is the Selmer CL211. We can purchase this new for only $300 more than the used Leblanc. I would love to get an idea as to which is the better clarinet.
Any info/insight is appreciated!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-10-17 14:13
If it's a genuine Leblanc (a pro level wooden clarinet that says 'Made in France'), then that would be a far better instrument than the Selmer CL211 as Selmer USA are intermediate level clarinets at best.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2015-10-17 19:08
mom4music --
You may be able to do much better than both. The Leblanc in great shape trumps the Selmer. The CL211 is a student horn, and your daughter will out-grow it in a year, or so, if she seriously applies herself. The Leblanc, though most bearing the Leblanc brand are professional instruments, the Leblanc Soloist is really the only clarinet with the branded logo that was considered an advanced clarinet, not a fully professional one.
Do yourself a favor, call Tom & Ted Ridenour (Ridenour Clarinets) where they can get you a true professional clarinet for just a wee bit more than your current spend. 888-258-7845 You will love me for this! (Really!) They might still have a limited-run of a wonderful discontinued clarinet available (Speranza) - a real pro horn going for $750 - brand spanking new!
I own and play top-of-the-line Buffet, Selmer, Leblanc, and Yamaha Clarinets, and recently added a Ridenour Libertas Clarinet. That horn is a wonderful clarinet!
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2015-10-17 21:13
Ken gave you great advice.
Leblanc was once known for great clarinets, but today it's part of Conn-Selmer Inc. To the best of my knowledge, there are only a couple clarinets manufactured today with the Leblanc name, and they're considered to be beginning and intermediate clarinets (although they're still very nice). Here's a link http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=386841&t=386824 to an old discussion about Leblanc clarinets, and within it is a link to a Leblanc Clarinet catalog from about 20 or so years ago. The Leblanc Soloist was not one of their better-known clarinets, and it isn't easy to find out much about them. I suspect that Ken is right.
This Leblanc might be a good instrument, but there are several things to consider. Is your daughter a very serious clarinet player who practices faithfully every day, goes to music camp and/or participates in outside-of-school music activities? Does she live and breathe music? Is she considering a career in music, and if not, is she the kind of person who might want to do some serious playing after graduating from high school? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," I would probably pass on the Soloist and consider a Ridenour (as Ken mentioned), a Buffet R13 or E12F (if you can afford them), or a Yamaha (such as the 650 or one of their pricier models).
On the other hand, if your daughter enjoys music, but it's only one of many activities she enjoys, the Soloist might be fine. Have her try it, and if she takes private lessons, have her private teacher look at it. Sometimes these non-famous clarinets turn out to be fantastic, and it's possible that with a good mouthpiece and reed, this might be one of them.
Your daughter is probably planning to attend college, and from personal experience with my own kids, I know how expensive it is. You shouldn't feel pressured to spend more than you can comfortably afford. If $1,000 is your limit, don't feel guilty. Look around, and you might find a nice used Selmer Series 10, a professional Leblanc, or a Yamaha 450 or 650 in your price range.
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Author: gwie
Date: 2015-10-18 01:41
Instead of the Selmer, consider these:
Kessler Music has a store demo Leblanc "Bliss" model L210S for $1299:
http://kesslermusic.com/bliss/l210/clarinet-demo.htm
Wiener Music has a Uebel Classic for $1137:
http://shop.weinermusic.com/UEBEL-CLASSIC-Bb-CLARINET/productinfo/IUE425950/
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2015-10-18 01:51
Gene, it's interesting that you mentioned the Bliss. There was a lot of discussion about it on this board several years ago when it was first introduced, but I haven't seen much about it lately. It's a decent clarinet, and certainly worth a look.
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Author: gwie
Date: 2015-10-18 08:23
A c ouple years ago, back when the Bliss model was still a Leblanc/Backun partnership production, a number of my students bought them around the $1000 price point. These were the all-wood models in unstained grenadilla with either silver or black nickel keys.
They were excellent clarinets, standing toe-to-toe with R-13's, Yamaha CS series, and Selmer Signatures in our play testing. Tone, response, keywork, everything just unbelievably good. The fact that it also came with a relatively decent mouthpiece (also by Backun) and a Bonade Inverted Ligature was just a cherry on top.
Despite them having gone their own separate ways, I don't believe that Leblanc has deviated much from the original design, so if one must go for a clarinet in the intermediate price range, it would be a good choice.
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