Leblanc vs Yamaha Alto Clarinets: Dello Joio Variants, & Grainger Molly on the Shore

Описание: This recording is a comparison between two alto clarinets: the plastic Leblanc L7165 ($2,600) and the wood Yamaha YCL-631 ($7,500). Each of the following excerpts is demonstrated first on the Leblanc, then the Yamaha: 3 octave F major scale, solo from Dello Joio Variants, opening of Grainger Molly on the Shore, and measures 67-91 of Molly on the Shore. Each was played on the same day using a Vandoren BD5 mouthpiece that I refaced along with a Vandoren ligature and reed. The BD5 mouthpiece is essential for making the instruments play at their potential!

My conclusion: The small-bore Yamaha YCL-631 is overall better. It is not as good as the Buffet Prestige ($15,000), but is better than the Selmer Paris Model 22 ($13,000) also a small-bore alto. Like the Selmer, the lowest 3 notes (F, E, Eb) are extremely flat. However, Yamaha has an elaborate double register key mechanism that corrects the wide 12ths found on the Selmer. The Yamaha also comes with a well-designed floor peg. The instrument blows with some resistance with a sound that is smaller and more compact than the Leblanc, but much more uniform note to note. This is actually visually apparent when viewing the sound waves in Audacity.

The larger bore Leblanc L7165 is reminiscent of the old 5-piece wood Leblanc altos, but doesn’t feel as solid and requires a peg kit. It has a number of notes in the first register that are not resonant (A, B, and D are particularly bad), however the second and third registers are quite good. Due to the bore size, the 12ths are in-tune with only a simple rocker register key mechanism, the lowest notes are in-tune, and the sound is mostly deeper, richer and larger than the Yamaha, but not nearly as even.

For the occasional band solo, the Yamaha would be fine. However, if you use alto clarinets to reinforce the bass clarinet parts on a constant basis, then having extremely flat bottom notes (Eb, E, and F) is not acceptable. For the best of all worlds, save your money for a Buffet Prestige Alto Clarinet, or better yet if you are willing to transpose, the Buffet Prestige Basset Horn.