Rare Leblanc A Clarinet W/ Left Eb/Ab Lever & Other Keys! Model 197 / 498A
One of several professional clarinets we are offering for sale, and one of the rarest! This is a vintage Leblanc A clarinet, the likes of which I and most people I have talked to have never seen. Serial 56XX likely makes this late 50’s, though the exact date is hard to nail down due to the spotty records from that time. Ditto the model number—this would loosely be called a “pre-Classic enhanced Boehm in A.” It has tons of extra keys: articulated C#/G#, forked Eb mechanism, extra trill key, and most delightfully the auxiliary left Eb/Ab lever. The later LL version with this keywork would have been a Model 197, and a catalog from the 1950’s shows Models 499 (full Boehm) and 497 (missing a couple keys compared to this one,) so this would logically be a Model 498 A.
It is in exceptional condition: wood body has no chips, cracks or repairs. Tenons are still nice and square with no wobble between joints. The metal-capped upper tenon is original, and you can see our museum site for a similar one. Nickel-silver keys with the inline (jump key) trill keys, not as shiny as plated keys, but they also do not wear. Just through our shop where it was repadded with nice kid leather and cork pads, and then it sat for a bit until we finally found the perfect barrel for it—a G. Leblanc A barrel from approximately the same period and with the correct logo. The upper ring on the barrel does have a lot of wear, but the barrel is a perfect match otherwise. Further just through our shop where it was bore oiled, had all new tenon corks installed, and was regulated into exceptional playing condition. Plays with a nice, warm tone—more focused than an R13 and it seems perhaps a smaller bore, but with excellent response and projection. Includes a nice Ton Kooiman adjustable, ergonomic thumb rest. All in a very cool double clarinet case (likely the original) with lots of wear but structurally and functionally intact.
A hard-to-find clarinet especially in uncracked and overhauled condition, and just in time for Christmas!
