 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: TheButler
Date: 2005-12-11 23:36
Heya all,
I've been lurking here lately, enjoying and learning from everything you talk about. I'm a 21 year old amateur clarinet player from the Netherlands.
Anyway, the conductor of the clarinet choir I play in, is looking for an A-flat clarinet, preferably 2nd hand. I've been looking all over the internet, but haven't been succesful in finding ANY 2nd hand, let alone new ones.
Does anybody have an idea where to look? Any help is appreciated.
Cheers,
Koen
Post Edited (2014-11-11 18:34)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2005-12-11 23:47
TheButler wrote:
> Anyway, the conductor of the clarinet choir I play in, is
> looking for an A-flat clarinet, preferably 2nd hand. I've been
> looking all over the internet, but haven't been succesful in
> finding ANY 2nd hand, let alone new ones.
The Ab (piccolo) clarinet is indeed a rare bird, and I've never seen one come up 2nd-hand, though someone who mointors the auction sites every day might see one every 3 or 4 years.
New ones can be had from L. A. Ripamonti and Leblanc (Leblanc says they are the only manufacturer nowadays ... but Ripamonti still advertises them on their Website).
http://www.gleblanc.com/instruments/query.cfm?model=1176AbS
http://www.laripamonti.com/instruments.html
Their rarity, difficulty in manufacturing, and dearth of music written make them very expensive instruments!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2005-12-11 23:56
EEBaum wrote:
> I've seen an Ab and a G in a museum.
The G (also called "Turkish") clarinet is far from rare - it's pretty common beast in ethnic music.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: javier garcia m
Date: 2005-12-12 00:57
Orsi also makes an Ab sopranino Clarinet.
The G clarinet made by Amati is a half-soprano, not a sopranino, one note below the common A clarinet.
For the german side, Schenk und Seggelke makes G sopranino, and also H. Wurlitzer, by request (obviously). These clarinets are quite expensive.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: OpusII
Date: 2005-12-12 14:56
Koen, neem offline contact met me op. Ik heb nog wat telefoonnummers en email adressen van Leblanc (Deze heb ik vorig jaar gekregen toen ik de fabriek bezocht).
Koen, contact me offline. I've got some telefoonnumbers and email adresses from Leblanc (I've received those last year when I visited the factory).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-12-12 20:22
The site Larry gives has a good price on the instrument. The list price for a new Leblanc is around $5,000, and you'd probably have to pay close to that, since I'm sure it's made only when a special order comes in.
If you buy one, be sure to get a return option. I've tried several, including a Leblanc and a Ponti stencil that was probably an Amati or Orsi, and I couldn't fit my fingers on either of them, no matter how hard I tried.
I've read that the Ab is still be used in Italian bands (thoughy my sources are rather old). On the Woodwind.org index page, http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/index.html, Mark cites an Italian list called Clair. I assume the postings are in Italian, but there are uncoubtedly members who speak English, and you might have luck there.
Good luck.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tims
Date: 2005-12-12 21:21
Your chances of finding one are small and will be even smaller for finding a Bohem system one. The Ab has gained some popularity in clarinet choir music, but not enough to encourage more manufactures to make these instuments or at least make them more affordable. In contrast, flute choir popularity have encouraged numerous companies to make affordable alto and bass flutes along with Eb sopranos, Bb flute d'amore, and contra and sub-contra bass flutes. This may change, note the increasing number of affordable C clarinets, but for now I would not hold my breath.
I happen to know two people who own Ab clarinets (vintage), but neither play them and both own them primarily as collector items (no, they won't part with them, I've tried). One of these I tried playing and even though I have relatively small hands it was almost impossible to finger without my fingers running into one another. Unlike a piccolo, the Ab clarinet does not use platue keys, using open holes just like the larger instruments, meaning there is no offset between holes.
Finding mouthpieces and reeds is an entirely different story. Cutting down an Eb reed is probably your best bet for reeds, but mouthpiece selection is nil. What happens to be supplied with the horn will be what you get.
Because of their unusual nature, when they do appear on the used market, they are snapped up rather quickly, so getting a "deal" is unlikely. Considering that any used horn may likely require an expensive overhaul, you would probably do well to simply buy one new from one of the few manufactures still making them.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: larryb
Date: 2005-12-12 22:36
A little history about that Leblanc Ab for sale from Nick Rail in California (assuming it's still available).
When I bought my basset horn a couple of years ago, I was told that it and the Ab had been purchased a long time ago by a high school that had received a grant to buy intstruments. They decided at the time to by a full clarinet choir, but could never figure out what to do with the basset horn and Ab sopranino.
The basset horn had hardly, if ever, been played, and the case still had the high school initials stenciled on it. The basset horn dates from around 1961, and I think the Ab is about the same age.
At least that's the story I was told then.
As I remember, Nick Rail offered to take the horn back if not satisfied.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2005-12-13 02:54
Try contacting Benedikt Eppelsheim at www.eppelsheim.com. As a maker of rare/new wind instruments large and small, he might share some ideas with you.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: contragirl
Date: 2005-12-14 04:55
Heh, friend in community orchestra picked up an Ab from the local music store for $1800 (basically new) cuz they had it for so long they put it on sale... Kinda random I thought and a great find.
hehe
-CG
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: TheButler
Date: 2005-12-14 08:37
Thanks for your advice all!
Sometimes you have to get lucky I guess, but the odds for coming across a 'cheap' Ab clarinet are pretty slim
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: OpusII
Date: 2005-12-14 08:46
Koen,
What is the name of the clarinet choir that you play in?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: OpusII
Date: 2005-12-14 14:56
Koen,
Let me know if you can't find a Ab clarinet. Maybe my teacher knows of someone selling a Ab clarinet, I will ask him on the next lesson.
For the record, I live in Obbicht (near Born)... so the distance isn't a problem.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
