 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Karen J.
Date: 2002-02-19 23:25
Hi Everyone!
A long, long time ago (we’re taking Aug of 2001) I was fortunate enough to pick up a LeBlanc Bb Paperclip ContraBass clarinet on eBay. I got it for a REALLY good price, but, alas, it WAS a school instrument; so what I ended up with was a lot of bent keys, a broken low D key, a missing peg, a beat up case, etc. etc.
After an evaluation by a local contrabass player deemed it salvageable, I immediately sent it off to my repair tech for it’s well-deserved overhaul. Okay, here’s where the three cheers come in . . .
One of our own Sneezy sponsors, Mr. John Butler, did a magnificent job of breathing life back into this “contrabeast”! Yeah, we had major problems with getting LeBlanc to supply us with the pad set (thank you very much, LeBlanc, for your non-existent customer service and communication!), but while waiting for the necessary parts, John repaired the case, straightened this, tweaked that, and buffed everything else!
What he returned to me last week was a work of art and a technological marvel! Clean, shiny, and every intricate adjustment is perfect. It’s taken me a few days of experimenting with height adjustments, reed placement, and embouchure to reduce the squawking (I’m still working on lung capacity!) but I’ll tell you, this thing can wail!!!
Just a great big public thank you John Butler for all of his hard work and TLC in restoring my new toy! He’s the bees knees . . . the cat’s meow. . . HE DA MAN!!
Karen J.
San Jose, CA
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Author: William
Date: 2002-02-20 14:33
Glad you like your instrument. As for LeBlanc's "non-existant customer service," I have always found the folks at the factory in Kenosha to be extremely cooperative and helpful, especially when auditioning clarinets and returning for technical follow-ups. They have always been "just a phone call away" when needed and always reliable for needed assistance regarding their clarinet products. On the other hand, our local university clarinet professor was pretty much snubbed when she inquired about testing clarinets (her report to me) Even though Vito would not provide me with a "freebe" Concerto (as he did for one of my professional friends), my experiances with LeBlanc have always been positive. Just had to share this--Good Clarineting!!!!
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2002-02-20 15:57
I would have to agree with William in the positive dept. for the Leblanc team. I've owned dozens of Leblanc clarinets from cheapies to Opus and Symphonie VIIs and have had very good results from every problem. Thankfully, I always have a good friend who is a dealer to fall back upon when I've had big time problems.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2002-02-20 16:18
HE DA MAN! 'cause you went to the best of the best, Karen.
Happy tootin'n'squawkin'
- ron b -
(Sac'to, CA)
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