Older Noblet Clarinet

[Roger Aldridge]

Gordon or Anyone,

An interesting situation presented itself..... I ran into a friend yesterday and she told me about an old clarinet she was going to put up for sale in a yard sale. It's a mid to late 60's Noblet. She used it in school for a few years and then stopped playing. It sounds like it's been sitting in the closet for years. Anyway, she said that she'll GIVE it to me. The clarinet undoubtedly needs an overhaul. My local tech should be able to do a good job on it for under $300. Thus, this looks like a cheap way to pick up what might be a reasonably decent doubling Bb clarinet. (Remember that I focus on playing C clarinet!)

Anyway, could you give me your general impressions of a 60's Noblet clarinet. I'm curious if it's bore size is similar to the current production Noblet (.584) and if the quality of the 60's wood could possibily be better than what's used in the new Noblet clarinets. She said the wood appears to be in good shape, no cracks. She'll drop off the clarinet in a day or two and I'll take a look at it.

Any information you can offer will be appreciated.

Thanks! Roger

[knighttrain]

Roger, I own two Noblets, different vintages. The one I own from the early 60s seems to be slightly larger bore, but they are close. I also like the feel of my 60s Noblet's keywork a little better, but again they are very close. Noblet's are versatile and the sound is great. Free is good. $300 sounds high for redoing a clarinet, though. I just paid $140 for a complete repad with premium pads (a standard repad would have cost $120). You might want to shop around.

[Bootman]

These can be great clarinets. The Noblet made Noblets are a real sleeper clarinet. A great score.

[zadu]

I must echo the positive comments about these clarinets. My 1966 noblet is really excellent and my older one( a Wm. Stubbins model) is almost as good-Both have a robust sound and good intonation with comfortable keywork.

[Roger Aldridge]

Everyone,

Thanks for all of your comments. I'm really pumped up to try out this clarinet! I'm picking it up today. I'll let you know how it works out for me. Grumps (on the forum) steered me to a good repair tech in the Baltimore-Annapolis area who can overhaul it for half the price quoted by my local music shop. Thanks for the advice Knighttrain!

Are any of you are using special barrels on your Noblet?

[knighttrain]

Roger, Glad to help. I just use stock barrels - never tried after market. Maybe someone else on the forum can share their experiences? BTW - You must really dig C Instruments (C Clarinet, C Sax) (or maybe just appreciate the unusual).

[Roger Aldridge]

I picked up the clarinet. It's serial number appears to be 532xx. The 3 is worn. But, in looking at it closely it seems to be a 3 rather than a 6. The clarinet isn't playable. The wood looks okay. But, the pads and corks are completely shot. I'm sending the clarinet to the repair tech tomorrow for an overhaul. Opening the case was like walking back in time. There were several 60's Vandoren reeds, an old Woodwind Company mouthpiece (G8).....

Knighttrain -- I play alto and Bb soprano besides c-melody and c clarinet. But, you're right, I've come to like concert pitch horns. One reason for this is that I most often play with concert pitch instruments rather than transposing ones. I can transpose at sight easily. But, I'm more of a visual player and using a concert pitch horn helps my eye and ear coordination. The biggest reason, though, is that I've become completely smitten by the c-melody. It has tonal qualities that I've never heard in another type of saxophone. I've been having the time of my life exploring this horn. In fact, Tim Price suggested to me that I make the c-melody my main horn. :D

[Roger Aldridge]

Oops!!!.....

The serial number is 562xx. I found one easier to read on the lower joint.

[Roger Aldridge]

Hey gang, great news! I got my overhauled Noblet back from the repair tech. He did a truly excellent job on it and I LOVE it's sound and feeling. Bootman was absolutely right -- getting this clarinet was "a great score".

The really funny thing is that for the past two years my clarinet playing has focused entirely on the C clarinet and now the Bb clarinet seems like it's ENORMOUS!!! :lol: I'll have to get used to the Bb all over again.

Given the larger length and bore side of the Noblet Bb I found that a Morgan RM15 (1.15 mm) mouthpiece will be easier blowing than my RM28 -- which has been perfect on my C clarinet. In addition, using a brass Francois Louis ligature instead of silver will bring out more lively colors and sparkle in it's sound.

I'm definitely going to be a happy camper with this clarinet! :D By the way, my tech contacted LeBlanc and determined that my Noblet was made in 1966 not 1964 as my friend had thought.

Thanks again to everyone for your helpful and encouraging messages!

[Roger Aldridge]

Just a follow up....

I was so impressed with the work that Steve Fowler did on my Noblet that I asked him to make some adjustments to my Patricola C clarinet. Steve ended up doing a lot of work for a reasonably small amount of money.

I'm completely blown away by the differences in how my Patricola now plays. Just incredible! One thing that I'd like to mention is that Steve got rid of a pesky buzzy quality that was in middle B and C. I had been using a silver FL lig to lessen the problem with those notes. After Steve's work they are now completely clear. As a result, I was able to go back to using a brass FL lig on C clarinet. This gives more resonance and sparkle to my sound than the silver model. Man, I am one very happy camper! :D

[Roger Aldridge]

After playing my Noblet for several months I wanted say how much I like it's sound. It has a darker and "thicker" sound than other clarinets I've played (mostly Buffet and Selmer). Never the less, it's definitely grown on me.

Last month I started playing clarinet in the community concert band. I quickly noticed how my sound is darker than the other folks in the clarinet section. At first I felt that I sould do something to have a brighter sound. However, over a period of several weeks I began to think of the Noblet's sound in a more positive way. I discovered that it fills out and supports the clarinet section in a remarkable way. If I lay out for a few moments there is a noticable difference in the collective sound.

Last night I had the opportunity to switch clarinets with one of my buddies. He uses a Morgan RM06 mouthpiece on a Selmer 9. His normal sound is on the brighter side and very focused. However, when he used his mouthpiece on my Noblet his sound was MUCH darker and rounder. Not surprisingly, when I used my Morgan RM15 on his Selmer my sound was brighter and more focused. Interestingly, the Noblet sounds warmer and richer to my ears. I find it to be a more interesting sound.

Given how my saxophone of choice is Buescher, it makes perfect sense to me why I'm feeling so happy with the older Noblet clarinet. :D

[zadu]

I'm glad that you posted back about that clarinet, I too think that these Noblet's have a certain fullness/depth/fatness ( hard to describe a sound) of tone that my Bufffet lacks. The nice thing about the keywork for me is that the left little finger "c" key is especially easy to actuate, the one on my Buffet always seems a little bit too far "undeneath the clarinet and I always wonder if my finger is going to slip off.
As I read the thread again I see that you mention that the current Noblet clarinets have a bore size of 0.584". I thought that the selmer series 9 was also a large bore like the Noblet, but am not sure if it is polycylindrical or not.

[paulwl]

Any opinions on the older Noblet bass clarinets? I have a wooden low Eb bass stenciled for Penzel-Mueller which a dealer friend id'd as a Noblet. I've been considering having it reconditioned for a few years but am curious as to whether it's worth it.

[Roger Aldridge]

Another follow up to this old thread......

I recently took my Noblet to the repair tech I started using about 5 months ago. He gave it a check over and found a number of things he considered to be questionable from the overhaul that was done by another tech last year. The tweeking he did only cost me around $30 and the difference in how my Noblet now plays and sounds is remarkable. It's like having a different and much BETTER clarinet. It's sound opened up considerably and I have no problem at all now using it in a big band with my "classical" Morgan RM15 mouthpiece.

The main thing that I continue to find striking about a 60's Noblet is it's dark, thick sound. It's a different tonal quality from Buffets or Selmers that I've played. I've come to really love this sound. As I've mentioned before, there's something about the sound of a 60's Noblet that reminds me of a great playing vintage Buescher saxophone. It seems to me that both of them project more by their tonal "presence" rather than by brute force.

[knighttrain]

Roger - Seems like it makes a lot of difference what mouthpiece is on the horn. I normally play a Bari BDF on mine, and I have to really work at it when I want to make the sound dark. Tendency with this set-up is toward the bright end.

[Roger Aldridge]

Knighttrain,

Mouthpieces certainly can make a difference on any horn. Never the less, it's been my experience that an older Noblet has a naturally darker sound than other clarinets I've played over the years. A few months ago I asked a clarinet buddy of mine to try my Noblet and I tried his Selmer 9. We used our own mouthpiece set ups of course. His sound became darker with my Noblet and my sound became brighter with his Selmer. I recently had the chance to try a friend's 60's Buffet. (Similar to the Buffet I used to have.) It, too, didn't sound as dark as my Noblet. There's something very special about these Noblets!

[jmccarthy]

I just picked up a Wm. H. Stubbins Bb Clarinet from a local junk store. there are chips in the left hand finger keys, is it possible to fix? is it worth it to fix?

please let me know!

-JM

[littlemanbighorn]

Any opinions on the older Noblet bass clarinets? I have a wooden low Eb bass stenciled for Penzel-Mueller which a dealer friend id'd as a Noblet. I've been considering having it reconditioned for a few years but am curious as to whether it's worth it.


I just got an excellent deal on one one Ebay, though it required more work than i'd expected, so my tech has it right now. When I dropped it off my friend Chad who works there said a mutual friend of ours had bought one and that it played very well, and he would know better than I since he studied baritone at North Texas and played some Bass Cl on his recital. I'll keep you informed. Though since I have limited experience with Bass Clarinet, I won't be referencing much else.