 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jim
Date: 2002-03-05 01:19
I have an older LeBlanc A Clarinet in great condition. It is labeled "Symphonie L, Paris, France, Serial Number 11616." Can anyone help me determine the quality and value of this instrument? Thank you in advance for any information you might provide.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-03-05 14:17
Is the L on the same line as "Symphonie"? If not, you almost certainly have an original Symphonie model, dating from the 1940's. If it is on the same line, look at it very closely to make sure it isn't actually a number (Arabic, as in Symphonie 3 or Roman, as in Symphonie VII). If it really is "Symphonie L," I'm afraid I don't know what you have.
The Symphonie has been a professional model in Leblanc's line since its introduction in the late 30's or the 40's. The current model is the Symphonie VII and it is the top-of-the-line model. Over the years, Leblanc has had so many different professional models that it's sometimes hard to tell exactly where they rank in the scheme of things but my best guess is that the Symphonie has always been regarded as a high-end professional "classical" instrument. My backup A clarinet is an original Symphonie (probably a few years older than yours, based on the serial number). I think it's a pretty good clarinet. It apparently was hardly played before I bought it a couple of years ago.
On eBay, older Leblanc professionals tend to run from around $250 - $650, depending on the model, age and condition of the instrument and the time of year when it's offerred for sale. There is currently an original Symphonie Bb running on eBay and, with about a day to go, the high bid is $255. The seller actually has it listed as a Leblanc "Symphonie LL." But in this case, the seller is mistaken. The LL was a separate model with a distinctive label (large mirror image script L's). The seller has provided a good picture of the clarinet in question, however, and the only marking visible is the "Symphonie" logo. Where the seller got "LL" from is beyond me -- possibly from reading other Leblanc listings combined with something s/he sees in the logo. (Sellers often confuse a part of the design of the Leblanc logo with the Roman numeral III and so mistakenly list a Symphonie as a "Symphonie 3.") In general, on eBay, A clarinets tend to do a little better than comparable Bb's because of their relative scarcity. On the other hand, there seems to be a significant drop in prices for professional clarinets that are more than 40 - 50 years old. If yours is, in fact, an original Symphonie in fairly good condition (and no structural damage), my best guess is that a ballpark range would be $400 - $600.
Check here for a message from Dave Surber at Leblanc on dating/valuing older Leblanc clarinets.
http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/Equipment/HowOld/index.html
Perhaps they can give you some additional information, particularly if your instrument is one of the more recent Symphonie models.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: charles
Date: 2002-03-06 16:56
I have a "Symphonie 3" A clarinet. I bought it from eBay last month and paid $400. The horn has been overhauled some time ago. I had to do nothing but barrel. Seller doesn't have its barrel. I sent this horn to Chris Jepperson to make a barrel. It sounds great. Wood quality is excellent. Intonation is good too. I'm pretty happy. S# is 90XX. Is this 1930s?
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-03-07 19:04
Charles,
Your Symphonie 3 is considerably newer. The one, IMO, reliable point of reference that I have is a number of messages by Dee Hays in the Klarinet archives referring to her 1950's Symphonie II. Based on that, I would estimate that your clarinet dates from the late 50's or early 60's. BTW, I think you got a good buy.
Best regards,
jnk
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