 The Fingering Forum
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Author: Barb
Date: 2003-12-30 13:58
I have a Normandy LeBlanc Bb clarinet that also has Noblet on the mouthpiece. I used it in 1960, got it from my grandfather, and a person I tried to sell it to says it's plastic. I always believed it was wood. How can I tell who's right?
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Author: the_oboist/flutist
Date: 2003-12-30 15:21
It is possible that its made of plastic, but looks like wood. Some manufacturers mold the plastic to have a wood grain look. I would suggest doing some research on the model and serial numbers of it. You should be able to find out what its made of from the manufacturer.
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Author: Theboy_2
Date: 2003-12-30 22:41
a wood clarinet makes a different sound then a plastic or reson models. if you have access to a plastic clarinet try playing both and see if there is a difference in sound.
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2003-12-30 23:41
See if you can find a clarinet of that same model that is definitely plastic, and compare the weight of the two. Wood instruments are heavier than plastic. However, the sound is not only characterized by the material, but the bore shape, and taper. (I would take a really high quality professional plastic over a cheap wood instrument any day.)
Take your instrument to a professional repair shop (NOT a general music store) to someone who specializes in clarinets, and have them look at it, and research what exactly it's made of.
d-oboe
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Author: Dee
Date: 2003-12-31 00:32
At times the Normandy was made of wood and at other times it was made of plastic. Current Normandy instruments are wood.
You cannot tell if it is plastic or wood by the sound. A well made instrument played by a good player will sound good. A badly designed instrument played by a beginner will sound bad.
The mouthpiece is probably hard rubber.
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Author: Gnomon
Date: 2004-01-01 21:53
I'd agree with Dee. You can't tell wood from plastic by the sound.
But you can by the weight. Plastic is lightest, then wood, then the type of plastic with wood shavings in it that the Buffet Greenline is made of. But it's not going to be that. So compare the weight with a known plastic clarinet. If it is much heavier, then it is wood.
But it doesn't actually matter whether it is wood or plastic. The important thing is what it sounds like.
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Author: Ironvic
Date: 2004-02-10 07:02
Plastic often denotes "cheap" to the modern ear. But that "Aint necessarily so" with clarinets. I had a Normandy resotone clarinet that was my first one and I really miss it because it was an old friend that I had to sell to put food on the table. It was a lot heavier than my current Buffet B-12 which I really love (it, too is plastic, but brushed and stained to look [kinda] like wood.)
If you don't need to sell your clarinet, hang onto it. Your grandfather must really think a lot of you for giving you a gift like a clarinet. Cherish it, Barb and enjoy the music it makes.
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