 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ben Shaffer
Date: 2014-04-03 17:12
Looking to get an inexpensive wood Clarinet.
Ive been looking at a Normandy Special with offset keys and also a Andre Chabot by Malerne.
Both are from the 50's and are priced around $200
Any impressions of these would be most appreciated!
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Author: wanabe
Date: 2014-04-03 20:17
I have been doing research into ''undervalued'' clarinets for several months now and have just made up my mind. I say that I made up my mind, but my motto is, ''Indecision is the key to flexibility'', so I bought three. I finally decided on a Noblet. The three that I bought are a model 40, a model 45 and a model 45 ''Artist''. I had the model 40 completely gone through, cleaned, polished, repadded, recorked, etc. It is just super. The Tech that did the rebuild on it went on and on about it. I am expecting the model 45 to arrive today and the Artist model, actually just another model 45 with some added marketing language and a fancy script ''Artist'' engraved on it, to get here in about a week. So, right now I have three intermediate to semi-pro level Instruments, one completely rebuilt and the other two in solid shape with no cracks or breaks or missing parts etc., and I have less than $300 invested. The plan is to keep the best two of the lot and sell the third. I should end up with two very nice horns and have a very minimal, if any, investment.
If you are thinking of buying a used instrument, now is the time to do it. Prices are at the bottom of the barrel right now. The used market is a buyers market right now. That will start to swing back in about August or maybe the end of June when people start buying for the new school year.
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2014-04-03 21:18
I'd pick Normandy over Malerne.
$200 too high unless it just has been rebuilt
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2014-04-03 22:44
Ben, I would go with the Normandy. I agree that $200 is too high unless it has been rebuilt and plays well.
These are the lowest-valued Normandy clarinets with wooden body joints. Good fixer-upper Normandy Specials can be found for around $50 at online auctions.
The wooden-bodied Normandy B-flat soprano clarinets are Noblet products and share the same bore dimensions and acoustic design as the Noblet 40/45. The only differences are some key work details and the materials used. A good Normandy can play just as well as a good Noblet 40/45.
The Normandy Special came with a wooden barrel and body joints, and nearly all of them came with a heavy bakelite bell. If the bell is wooden, be sure that the bell logo is identical to the left-hand joint logo.
With all-wood Noblet 40's going for well under $100 at online auction, why not spend a few extra bucks and get a Noblet? A Noblet is easier to resell or trade in than a Normandy, if that need should ever arise...
Post Edited (2014-04-03 22:51)
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