Contrabass Digest

2002-01-28

Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 09:47:49 +0100
Subject: Re: [CB] [CB Digest]
From: Alberto Pinton
 

> I'm the very proud and pleased new owner of a BBb Leblanc paperclip
> contrabass via a great deal on Ebay last week. Please be advised that
> the other instrument that I 'd mentioned in a previous missive (they
> both turned out to be contrabasses not contraltos) has been spoken for.
> Mine arrived with an older Leblanc contrabass mouthpiece that seems to
> play pretty well. I understand that not alot of companies are currently
> making reeds that would fit on this bad boy. Vandoren seems like the
> best shot, but holy cow these are some expensive pieces of cane. Anybody
> got any ideas of the best place to purchase them?
> Also, how does anybody use the neckstrap with this instrument. It seems
> that the location of the ring makes using a strap pretty uncomfortable.
> The strap ends up being only about 5 inches long. I guess it makes sense
> just to use it as an emergency in the event that it slips off the peg.
> Thanks for any ideas you might have.
> Steve Elson in NYC

Hello,
"has been spoken for" means it's already been sold?
I do not own a contrabass, but I've seen quite a few pictures of Anthony
Braxton, a contrabass practitioner, with extremely short neck straps hanging
from his neck...
How about a harness? How about soldering an extra ring, if the horn has only
one? The two rings solution makes a big difference, in my opinion.
I play my Selmer EEb contralto hanging from a strap that I put together
using an older bari sax leather strap (usually long) and two hooks.
Again congratulations for a great deal!
Re. reeds: You wanna talk about expensive? Check out the prices here in
Sweden! With the dollar price up in the sky, plus shipping, I still buy my
Marca bari reeds (french!..) from Roberto's in NYC, ending up paying about
half the price then here in Stockohlm...
I still completely agree about reeds being too expensive, especially
considering what a lousy deal we get, with one maybe two reeds out of five
being acceptable...
Sorry...an opinion you've already heard and most likely share ;)

Best wishes

Alberto

homepage
 
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Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 08:32:15 -0500
From: "John Webster"
Subject: Re: [CB] paperclip
 

What strength and what price?  John

---------------------------------------------------------

From: Clarinetmama
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 09:02:36 EST
Subject: Re: [CB] paperclip
 

John,
I have someone else interested but don't know how many they want.  I will
give him first crack at them.  I am asking 2 dollars each.  They are
Charpens, whic I use on my bass clarinet.  I would consider them medium to
medium hard.

Thanks,
Jean

---------------------------------------------------------

From: "John Kilpatrick"
Subject: Re: [CB] [CB Digest]
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 18:18:28 -0000
 

> Also, how does anybody use the neckstrap with this instrument. It seems
> that the location of the ring makes using a strap pretty uncomfortable.
> The strap ends up being only about 5 inches long. I guess it makes sense
> just to use it as an emergency in the event that it slips off the peg.
> Thanks for any ideas you might have.
> Steve Elson in NYC

I asked about the strap problem myself recently, after I'd acquired one
(also a good deal, but by an interesting path of word-of-mouth in
Yorkshire). I also conclude that it's only good to help stop it falling over
while one picks up a pencil, or whatever. I find, after a month or two, that
I'm confident without a strap - very gentle pressure indeed between the
knees will keep the beast upright.

Reeds: I've had some Rico on order for a month or more now - is there a shortage?
How do you recognise the old mouthpiece versus newer? mine says "G Leblanc
Paris" with no part number. It's faded below the cap. The instrument is Dec
1970. Rico works OK, though I'm still fighting squawks. Rico reads are 19mm
at the tip and 17mm at the base, 86mm long. The mouthpiece looks to me as if
it would prefer 1mm wider.
John Kilpatrick - Sheffield

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From: "Jay and Adrienne Easton"
Subject: [CB] contrabass clarinets: black?
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 15:39:02 -0800
 

 
> LeBlanc had a booth with a few paperclip contra-alto clarinets, one of which
> had some sort of black enamel/lacquer coating on the body.  It didn't look
> like wood, really, but it was a different look.

-The Leblanc France web page below shows the 340 with the black colour. I has
-always wondered whether it was lacquer, or maybe elephant hide. I haven't
-seen a black one apart from the picture, but I think the black rather spoils
-the appearance. It would make the sunglasses referred to in the second
-page-ref redundant.
-Do they all have this black colour now, or is it an option?

It seems to be an option, since they had both types on display at the show.
Jay
 
 

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