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 How good was this clarinet?
Author: Dan Shusta 
Date:   2021-01-06 03:17
Attachment:  Martin Freres LaMonte 1959 ad.jpg (255k)

Anyone ever play one of these?

Just curious...

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 Re: How good was this clarinet?
Author: fbjacobo 
Date:   2021-01-08 05:19

If I remember correctly, this was the student line of Martin Freres. Probably comparable to a Leblanc Normandy or a wooden Bundy.

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Jacobowitz/Larkin Duo

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 Re: How good was this clarinet?
Author: Ursa 
Date:   2021-01-08 09:46

There's a review of the La Monte here:

https://sites.google.com/clarinetpages.net/clarinetpages/wood/WOOD/martin-freres

Honestly, there's little reason to seek out the entry-level La Monte when the uplevel models from Martin Freres can be purchased nowadays for the same price or a small premium.

Watch out for pitted, porous nickel plating on all Martin Freres products.

My E-flat clarinet is a vintage Martin Freres model 1; it's a delightful performer and nicely made.

The vintage Martin Freres clarinets are not voiced like the modern instruments we're all familiar with today. They tend to be small-bore instruments that are agile and responsive, making them fun to play. If a La Monte or other vintage model in good, playable condition turns up somewhere going cheap, I say go for it.

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 Re: How good was this clarinet?
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2021-01-09 18:47

Also some Martin Freres clarinets were B&H Edgware stencils.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: How good was this clarinet?
Author: Ursa 
Date:   2021-01-09 23:08

I wasn't aware of that, Chris. Which models have been built by B&H?

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 Re: How good was this clarinet?
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2021-01-10 19:28

I'm not sure of the model as it was back in the '90s when I saw it. It had the Martin Freres logo and had nickel plated keys just like an Edgware. Maybe they sourced their clarinets from several different makers over time.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: How good was this clarinet?
Author: Ursa 
Date:   2021-01-10 23:20

@Chris P: Well, I guess I'm not surprised. Martin Freres ads in the late 50s mention a whole plethora of Bb soprano models including the La Monte, Coudet, Jean Martin, Grand Prix, Concorde, Versailles, Philharmonic, Vendonne, and Victoire in addition to the Martin Freres and Martin Freres DeLuxe.

With so many models being sold concurrently, I've long suspected that some of them were stencils. Earlier today, I encountered pictures of a Coudet bass that was undoubtedly built by Malerne.



Post Edited (2021-01-10 23:41)

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