 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DD
Date: 2019-02-23 04:04
I have always wanted to own a full Boehm clarinet, but since not many clarinet manufacturers are making them these days (I guess only Patricola is still making them), my choice is limited.
I saw an ad selling vintage (c.1955) Leblanc Symphonie FB clarinet. Overhauled by professional and selling at $1295. Is it a good instrument, and if so, good value?
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Author: NOLA Ken
Date: 2019-02-23 06:50
As one who has given in to the lure of the full Boehm curiosity myself, I have discovered some cautions. Unless you just have some excess money burning a hole in your pocket, you might ask yourself why you want a full Boehm in the first place. They tend to be heavier, longer, and you will have a devil of a time finding a case unless one comes with it. And while you gain some fingerings, you lose a few as well, which can be confusing if you are also playing regular Boehm clarinets. Are you just in love with the low end of the clarinet range (as I am)? Would an extended Boehm (minus the low Eb key) serve your purpose just as well? (Many jazz musicians have used the extended Boehm, and those tend to show up more often.) Are you planning on playing in an orchestra? If you anticipate having to transpose orchestral A clarinet parts for the Bb - or play A clarinet parts that have been transposed to Bb - the full Boehm can sometimes come in handy. Otherwise that extra key and weight can sometimes just be in the way. Or are you just fascinated with all that extra key work? Despite my initial interest, I have found that my full Boehm mostly just sits while I spend my time practicing the parts for community band and orchestra on one of my standard Boehm instruments.
By way of price comparison with what you are looking at, I have a mid-60s era Selmer Series 9 full Boehm I paid $900 for in almost perfect condition about two years ago and a 60s era Leblanc Symphonie 3 full Boehm in need of some work that I recently paid $550 + shipping for recently. There is a Selmer Series 10 full Boehm up for sale online right now for $1000 reduced from the initial asking price of $1400. I'm not an expert on the Leblanc Symphonie line (I own two Symphonie 3s - the full Boehm waiting to be ovehauled and a standard Boehm Symphonie 3 that is a fantastic instrument after a full $500+ restoration). But I would say that if it is just curiosity motivating you, the price you mention may be a bit steep for that instrument. You can do better for that price if you exercise some patience. Or maybe you can talk the seller down a bit if you are pretty certain that it's a really good instrument. All of the instruments I mention above had rather higher asking prices that the sellers were willing to come down from after the instruments didn't sell at asking price. Full Boehms aren't in great demand and don't show up every day, but they show up frequently enough that you can find a good one for less than the price you cited if you are willing to wait for it and haggle price. (I would not, however, recommend the Selmer Series 9 FB unless you have largish hands and fingers. It's a beast.)
And even if it is billed as having been overhauled, unless you can actually play it before you buy it you will very likely need to figure in the cost of having at least some work done on it before it's ready for prime time. One caveat I have seen on this bulletin board is that not just every clarinet tech has experience with working on full Boehms. You might want to check around for techs in your area. I've had to ship mine off to have work done, which has it's own hazards.
Probably more information than you wanted.
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Author: DD
Date: 2019-02-23 07:35
Thanks NOLA Ken for the detailed explanations. I'm no professional player, and I confess that I'm more lured into it by curiosity than actual operational needs. I don't need the low Eb, but from what I have read, the extra Eb tonehole will improve the intonation and tone of low E and the twelve B. And when pressing register key the extra Eb will give a better Bb than the throat Bb.
I have no urgency in purchasing one, so I can wait. It's just that from what I read in this board Leblanc is a great brand, and the price seems to be a bargain. I don't know you can get a FB at the price level you mentioned!
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Author: NOLA Ken
Date: 2019-02-23 18:57
I'm a huge fan of vintage Leblancs and own several. The keywork is exceptionally well made, the wood is high quality, and the ergonomics fit my smallish hands very well. Intonation in the ones I have tried is generally excellent. But I have never played one from the 1950s so cannot speak to any that old. One thought that did come to mind after my last post is that the Leblanc Symphonie 3 FB I own feels so much lighter and more agile than does the Selmer Series 9 FB. So the weight may be less of a factor with the FB Leblanc Symphonies. I haven't tried any other makes.
Regarding the throat Bb: the FB does give you another option for a middle Bb that may be useful when playing some passages. The full Boehm gives you several additional fingering options (while removing a few). But for a quality-sounding Bb, don't forget the throat A key plus second right hand trill key. As for the quality of the low E, I have found that replacing the stock bell on my standard Boehm Symphonie 3 (and some of my other Leblancs) with a Backun bell (the standard model) improves the quality of that sound without having to resort to switching to a full Boehm, and it's cheaper. It's all a matter of how involved you want to get. The more instruments you acquire the more issues you have to deal with - and the more money you can spend sorting them out. Curiosity is expensive.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-02-24 02:58
I had an LL full Boehm which was a fairly late one going by how poorly the logos were stamped on it as opposed to engraved. While the LL was my first choice of clarinet when I was a teenager, I ended up with an old Selmer BT and CT set that were found in someone's attic and needed a complete rebuild, so I got them for an excellent price and stuck with older Selmers since.
This Leblanc LL was hardly played and came in an adapted Winter single Bb case with a cut-out n the polystyrene tray to fit the lower joint. I completely overhauled it with cork pads right down to the Ab/Eb key and leather pads for the remaining four large pad cups.
I sold it to a former colleague recently as I used it on a show and being more accustomed to Selmers, I had a bit of a tough time with it as I wasn't used to playing it, but I don't remember any significant or inherent problems besides not giving myself enough time to get used to playing it.
Mechanically and like older Leblancs, it's built like a tank and the wood was gorgeous with a highly polished finish with a deep shine as you'd see on brand new Marigaux oboes.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-02-24 06:55
I think I've just seen the very one you mentioned - looks nice!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: DD
Date: 2019-02-24 09:36
Chris, you saw the one with a hairline on the bell? Do you think it's a good deal?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2019-02-25 00:49
The same one - provided the socket ring and bell ring are tight, the hairline crack shouldn't be a problem.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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