From: "Sung Hwang Wang"
Subject: [CB] Contrabass Clarinet Vito and Leblanc
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2005 14:08:19 -0700
Now I wish to offer personal observations on a pair of most
commonly available and played Bb contrabass clarinets in the market:
the straight body Vito and the paperclip body Leblanc 340. As
mentioned earlier, each is sufficiently unique tonally that they may
arguably receive treatment similar to that warranted by narrow versus
wide bore basset horns. But help players decide, a somewhat
direct comparison would be useful at this point, therefore I will
impose five criteria in my comparison: fit and finish, ergonomics, ease
of handling and transportation, tone quality, and playability.
Fit and finish: Both are
sturdily built and, provided that appropriate care is given, should
withstand years of playing due to their durable materials. The
Vito, marketed as a student model, suffers in comparison with the
Leblanc in this department. Upon close inspection you may find
the workmanship lacking in some areas, for example, you may find that
the plastic body may appear unevenly coated, or that the springs may
appear of lesser quality, or the rim of the tone holes may not be
cleanly cut, etc. Having said that, these defects do not
seriously impact the overall playing quality and, in the case of poor
mechanical designed, may be suitably corrected by a competent
technician. For such a gigantic size instrument, I do not feel
it’s made with any less care than a similar quality clarinet or bass
clarinet. On the whole, the Vito is a well-made instrument
especially considering its low price on the used instrument market.
The metal Leblanc 340 is made of brass tubes plated
nickel. The general fit and finish is excellent; the keys feel
solid, the plating in general is good, although they will wear out over
time and you may or may not want to polish it. The metal tube
dents easily if struck or dropped. It requires attentive handling
due to its size and weight. As Leblanc’s top contrabass model, it
has more professional look and feel.
Ease of handling and
transportation: The Vito has a traditional look; it looks like a
large size bass clarinet with its long straight body and upturned
bell. It measures about six feet from the bottom of the bell to
the top point of the instrument. It’s up to the player to find a
comfortable playing position since the instrument is not equipped with
a height-adjustable mechanism. Needless to say, the sheer length
and the problem of balance present a challenge to the player, who needs
to teach himself to familiarize with it and learn where to firmly hold
the instrument for best leverage without bending the keys and striking
or dropping the instrument. Whenever possible, use gravity to
help you handle the instrument, taking it out of or putting it back
into the case and stand. The K & M bass clarinet/bassoon
stand works well. Note that there are 2 versions of the stand;
make sure you get the one with both a bowl-like cup as the bottom
holder and a wide top brace, since the other kind with the narrower top
brace and rubber square bottom holder is designed for bassoon more than
for bass clarinet.
The Vito carrying case is equally long and cumbersome to
handle. It only fits one way into my Corolla; lying on the
passenger side seat with the seat fully declined. One end of the
case sits in the foot well, the other end lying on the rear seat’s
headrest. Lugging it around also requires much preplanning.
If you are not careful, it will damage your walls when entering doors,
going up and down stairs, etc. You might want to park it
permanently in your garage. And the case is heavy, with only one
handle for manoeuvre. If have any joint problems, this may not be
the instrument for you.
Using a hand cart is a good idea when you need to go over long
distance on foot. I found one that can fit into my car’s trunk
and I use it all the time if I have to lug it over walking distance for
more than a city block. The case fits comfortably on the cart and
should be fastened with elastic hook straps for security and
stability. It makes lugging it to rehearsals much more bearable.
Much of the handling and transportation problem is a non-issue
with the Leblanc 340. Being a coiled design, you can play it in a
seated position, provided that the sliding peg issue is satisfactorily
addressed, or standing position by resting it on an adjustable
stool. The horn does not feel heavy, my low D model actually
weight less than the Vito due to its thinner body metal
construction. The case is about the same dimension as that of a
one-piece body Vito or Bundy bass clarinet, so it’s very handling and
transportation friendly. It comfortably fits into the trunk of my
car.
Again I use a K & M stand with it. Get the
contrabassoon version, it works extremely very well. The top
brace is wide enough that you may be able to fit both the contra and a
bass clarinet, of course taking care so that they do not dent and
damage each other.
That’s it for now.
Willy
***End of Contrabass Digest***