 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2015-08-18 03:53
Attachment: image.jpg (70k)
Attachment: image.jpg (83k)
My family is growing! Just adopted a 1960 LeBlanc Dynamic H "Big Bore" (15mm) clarinet. Lovely sound, plays like a dream. Designed by famed LeBlanc Acoustician Charles Houvenaghel, this was one of the finest available anywhere. I love this horn! Smooth buttery action. Scoped it - crazy in tune! Wide open throat tones! I'll have to get used to non-compensating playing!
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2015-08-18 04:05
Houvenaghel did some of the best Leblanc designs--always a stickler for applied science and measurements rather than vague impressions or standard "cookbook" solutions. This is the model clarinet Hymie Voxman preferred. Leblanc fiddled with the Dynamic H, made a version for Gus Bivona and eventually, with gold keys, put it out again as the Big Easy and Pete Fountain model. Ken, which mouthpieces do you find match it?
Post Edited (2015-08-18 04:06)
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2015-08-18 06:16
Attachment: image.jpg (1459k)
Robert-
I'm enjoying life with this horn, with a Clark Fobes CWF! Huge focused sound!
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-08-18 19:10
Interested in serial range - I bought my pair of Leblanc LLs new in London late 1960 and they have serial Nos 141xx and they had only recently been shipped in from the French factory - how do these numbers compare with your H's?
Mine have solid (unplated) nickle silver keys which personally I like best.
Can't quite make out from photos - are your keys solid nickle or nickle plated?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-08-18 23:35
A local player had a set of these from either the late '60s or early '70s and sold them to buy a set of Concertos when they were first launched in the early '90s. He regrets doing that now.
He nicknames the Dynamic H as 'French 1010s'.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2015-08-18 23:36)
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2015-08-19 01:25
Norman
The Dynamic H is Serial # 132xx if that helps. The keys are not plated, sure seems solid Nickle-Silver. Anton Weinberg tells me they were cold-hammer-forged nickle-silver keys, and if Anton says so, well.... It must be so!
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
Post Edited (2015-08-19 01:26)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-08-19 19:13
So Chris- that sounds like Dynamic H = Big Easy = Fountain = Dynamic 0/1/2 is better than Concerto = Libertas, at least for your "local player". And I'm sure that's true for some players in some situations, and not for others.
Sherman Friedland has written that all the "big bore" instruments were not created for jazz, nor were they best for jazz. They were all simply high end high quality clarinets, used by a wide range of players for every kind of music. And every generation of clarinetists gets to rediscover just how good the old, out of favor, designs really were- if they get the opportunity. (Other posts of Sherman extol the virtues of the Dynamic series, and the Lyrique G1 = 576BC = Arioso = VSP all same acoustic design. Though these are alleged to play rather differently. I personally replaced a Dynamic 2 with an Arioso, and was surprised how similarly they played, thinking it was just me- maybe not?)
But trying to say one clarinet design is "better" than another is a bit like whether football team A is better than B. Maybe it depends on the weather, or the pressure in the football.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2015-08-19 19:22)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-08-19 23:16
Yes I remember Anton was a performer on Leblanc instruments early in his career. Used to see promotional pictures of him in Bill Lewington's store in London in the 60s and at that time Lewington was the UK agent for Leblanc.
Based on my instruments I would agree that 132xx would have actually been manufactured sometime between late 1959 and early 1960. It probably took some months to travel to USA and the agents / retailer so would almost definitely have been sold during 1960.
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2015-08-24 21:46
Very interesting - on Anton! He has quite the history.
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
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Author: AndyW
Date: 2015-08-26 02:23
I'm dying to try one of the LeBlanc "Big Bore" clarinets - they seem rare here in the UK, especially in my budget-range :-/
In the meantime i'm making do, playing jazz-manouche on a 1940s Leblanc with a regular bore.
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2023-05-10 18:31
I have just acquired a pair (!) of LeBlanc Dynamic H 41xxx (and only 6 numbers apart) with their LeBlanc mps and I can attest that these are very fine instruments. First of all the wood is just perfect, smooth as stone and without a vein or blemish. The keywork is comfortable, nice "prise en main" and has come to me in good working condition. The sound is just lovely, rich, lots of very present overtones that make the instruments feel so alive. Whereas the Bb came with a 2L LeBlanc mp, I prefer using my own 3L. The A has a 4L but I havent had time to work on it yet to see how I feel about that. I really didn't need a pair, already having a very nice set of SML Marigaux for the rare occasion I need an A, but lacking a Pete Fountaine on the market and given the price, I went for it and am very glad I did.
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Author: AndyW
Date: 2023-05-12 15:38
8 years after my last post on this thread, I'm currently using a Portnoy BP03 mouthpiece with my 1983 Dynamic H, which I think is a nice match. (reeds are Rico Royal or VD 56 Rue Lepic).
I've a few BP03s, I'm wondering if I should get my repairman to open out the end on one of them to match Leblanc's 15mm bore.
I also have another Dynamic H (with original Leblanc mouthpiece) from 1977 for sale on consignment with an Edinburgh woodwind shop, if anyone is looking for one. -A-
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Author: jim sclater
Date: 2023-05-12 16:31
Please send name of Edinburgh ww shop and how to contact them.
jsclater@comcast.net
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Author: johnwesley
Date: 2023-05-12 20:05
Attachment: dynamique.jpg (308k)
Attachment: Leblanc Dynamique 3.jpg (244k)
Attachment: Leblanc Dynamique 5.jpg (218k)
I have an original predecessor to the Dynamic/Fountain clarinets. A very early Dynamique with serial #713. I suspect it was a first or maybe second run of the Dynamique model. It is a beautiful clarinet and sounds terrific. Plays really well with a Pomarico crystal #2. Now, if I could only play like Pete.
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