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Dolnet Stencil: La Chambre

5K views 20 replies 7 participants last post by  spiderjames 
#1 ·
Just received my La Chambre Dolnet stencil tenor and it's a beaut.

. Not only does it look great, the sound is unlike any I've personally experienced so far, warm and colorful with an Ed Svoboda-modified Runyon Custom mpc, FL lig and Fibracell Medium. I can hardly wait to get it home and give it a real workout.
 
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#2 ·
In case you don't know the history on these. Emil LeC imported these to Miami via Puerto Rico (some customs thing) and finished them in his repair shop. He had a bunch of investors (local players) and the idea was to beat Selmer. The problem was that the price was higher than the Mark VI, he had no idea how to market horns and he really had no money! Basically these are the same as a Dolnet but with a better fit to the keys and the padding was good. As I recall most were gold plated with nickel keys. I recall he started around 1967 and was gone by about 1971 or 72. Even though he was doing repairs when I was, I have no idea what ever became of Emil. Most of the investors ended up taking horns for money owed and quite a few were sold in south Florida in the early 70s. Nice horns.
 
#3 ·
That's great , Bruce. No, I had no idea about how they came into being. Very interesting. This particular "LaC" has almost 100% of the lacquer remaining with no dents or dings and negligible scratching.

The color of the gold lacquer has an orange hue that makes it stand out from other gold lacquered horns. And, as you can probably see in the photos, the keys are nickel plated. I love the feel of this horn except for the high and to the left positioning of the neck strap ring, but that's a minor thing.

Thanks again for the information. I appreciate it.

Rob
 
#5 ·
Goodsax, these are great horns with their own voice -- to me more American than Selmerish. I see them often compared to Buffets or described as having a Selmer "core" without the price overhead, but they are simply a different animal. More like a cross between French and American vintage sounds. You don't like the ergos/neckstrap angles? I never owned a Selmer, but as tenors go, I find a Dolnet a far better fit and much more comfortable for me to play for long periods than, say, an SDA.
 
#6 ·
wind.miller said:
...You don't like the ergos/neckstrap angles? I never owned a Selmer, but as tenors go, I find a Dolnet a far better fit and much more comfortable for me to play for long periods than, say, an SDA.
It's more like something I have to get used to, rather than something I don't like. I was a/b'ing the La Chambre with my LA Sax tenor and had to re-adjust the neck strap length each time I switched horns. As I indicated, just a minor thing.

Interestingly, using the same mpc/lig/reed setups, I found the LA Sax to have a more robust, lusher low end than the LaC, but the LaC has a much sweeter and clearer tone in the upper register. One thing I'm very pleased with is the LaC's intonation. It was the tightest of any tenor I've owned in recent memory. What a pleasure to play several notes and see those two green lights staring at me from the Sanyo digital tuner each time. Beautiful.

Rob
 
#8 ·
bruce bailey said:
Some of these had the high F# on the palm keys rather than down on the RH. After I posted last night, I went to www.zabasearch.com (a great place to find people) and found Emile LaChambre listed in Las Vegas. Maybe he is the same guy!?!?!?!?
Did your source include any contact, or other identifying info? Any idea how old Msr. Chambre would be now?

I played my LaC at concert band rehearsal last night and was very pleased with it. Taking a closer look at the finish, I think you might be right about it being gold plated (looks like 24K) rather than lacquered. How can one tell the difference other than subjective appraisal? On the inside of the bell and under the right thumb hook, silver is showing through the gold.

Thanks again for your LaC background info.

Rob
 
#10 ·
bruce bailey said:
If there is silver under the gold, it would be Gold plated. That would be the right color for 24K gold, slightly darker than the Conn stuff. As I recall, he had them plated here at Century plating which was a great plater (long gone). He should be at least 70 years old.
That must be it then. There is definitely silver showing through the gold around the bell lip, a little at the bow and right thumb hook.

Are you inclined to check if the La Chambre in LV is The La Chambre, or maybe a relative?
 
#13 ·
I'm selling it? ;) BION, I decided I like the way my LA Sax tenor plays better than the LaC and can't keep both of them. So......

I lost count of how many times I've indicated that a certain sax was a "keeper" and none of those is still with me. I'm an old guy who can't make up his mind about what he wants, but I really like my LA Sax collection and all I'm going to say about that is that they are with me now and I'm selling everything else. Who knows what the future holds?

Rob
 
#14 ·
Rob, the way you characterized the tone is similar to my impression with the Dolnet alto I owned some time ago. I later owned a Cuesnon and that horn was the most similar to the Dolnet of all the horns I've owned or played. I would say both horns have a very nice classical tone, excellent intonation and very even throughout the scale. To my ear the Buffet SDA has a darker, bigger and more complex tone that either the Dolnet or Cuesnon. Good luck in your search.
 
#15 ·
Thank you, Jerry. I'm not looking for a classical tone, even though I play tenor in a community concert band, as much as a sound more appropriate for the swing band I'm currently playing tenor in and the college jazz band I've registered for this coming spring semester in hopes of getting the 2nd tenor part.

Surprisingly, my LA Sax tenor is an excellent player in both settings. I just change mouthpiece and reed to get the sound I need. The same can be said for my LA Sax alto although I only play it and my sop in another concert band.

I guess I should be satisfied with what I have and discontinue the search. But, I'd have to stop reading SOTW threads about all the neat possibilities and stop perusing eBay sax listings. What would I do with all the extra time? Practice? Spend more time with my wife and Chihuahua? How much fun is that? :cool:
 
#20 ·
I'm glad you responded, Bruce. Robin contacted me by separate email and I thought you would be perfect for this info as well as, possibly, Pete at saxpics.com.

Rob
 
#21 ·
I had a La Chambre alto that was a Kohlert stencil in nickel plate. I wonder how that fits into the scenario. The Dolnets are some of the coolest looking horns IMO. I agree with the vintage american comparison. The sound is more like a Conn than a selmer. The pics make me kinda miss mine.
 
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