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LeBlanc Noblet clarinets
Emblems
| LeBlanc
Noblet clarinet Information [ Early Emblems ] [ Early Noblet 40 ] [ Super 40 ] [ Noblet 40 Special ] [ Noblet 27 ] [ Noblet 40 ] [ Noblet 45 ] [ Noblet 45 Artist ] [ Noblet 45 Laureate ] [ Brochures / Prices ] [ Serial Numbers ] |
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| Early Noblet Clarinets | |
| Harken back to the older days of Noblet
when Noblet - Thibouville manufactured clarinets. This C clarinet
is an example of a simple Albert keywork back when Boxwood was the
preferred choice.
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| Not sure on the age of this emblem - boxwood |
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| The Earliest "Modern" Noblets - shared throat key posts | |
| The Earliest Noblets - The really early
Noblets actually had shared posts on the throat keys. 3 posts
versus 4 which is most common. There is nothing wrong with the
really early Noblets it's just an identifier of their age being some of
the first of the "modern" Noblets of the 1940s through 1990s.
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One thing to watch over time was the location of the pivot location of the C#/G# key as it started below the upper key rods. Later versions had it separate. Some model 40's it seemed to have varied? Noblet 45s were always separate. |
| Early Noblet 40 | |
| Noblet buffet-like emblem at least since 1940's to 1962 SN# 267C (top) Known as Model 40. Some model 40's had ebonite bells and those ones were later known as Model 27s after the emblem change. Some 27s may also have had ebonite barrels. NOTE: apparently the 27s did not have ebonite bells and had bores similar to the L27s - still researching (1/25/2011). As you can see there was an evolution of the emblem. The top emblem is the earliest and has a very simple music lyre at the top. D. Noblet in the oval The middle emblem has the D in the music lyre and Noblet in the oval. The lowest has a more complex music lyre and D. Noblet in the emblem. One the early 40's the throat keys shared a post (3 total). On later models they had dedicated posts (4 total) |
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| Noblet Super 40 | |
| Noblet Super 40 - no information. But
just in case you run across one at least we know the mythical beast
exists. From the oval Noblet emblem we know that it is an early
model "Super" 40. I wonder if these transitioned to the 45's very early .. a serial number analysis seems in order if we can get our hands on a few. |
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| The early
Super 40 had the early Noblet emblem with a 'SUPER 40' stamp
above the emblem. Everything else was normal Noblet.
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| The Mid era
SUPER 40 had the 2nd generation Noblet emblem with the SUPER
40 below the emblem. The case had a neat emblem on it.
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| Noblet 40 Special | |
| Noblet 40 Special - This had a plastic
bell. At one time I thought this transitioned to the Noblet 27 -
but conflicting information as some customers have had 27s that were
full wood. Thus, I now assume only the "Special"s had plastic
bells.
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| Noblet 27 | |
| Noblet 27 - these supposedly had the same
bore as a Leblanc L27, but of the few examples I have seen they had a
cylindrical bore like all the other Noblet models. The clarinets
were all wood. After going through some Model 27s I've found the bore to be the same as the other models, cylindrical but the differences are the toneholes are smaller, less diameter which allows younger students to cover the toneholes easier. The 40 and 45 have larger tonehole diameters. (Sept 2011)
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| Noblet 40 - mid/later years | |
| Noblet 40 Square emblem at least since 1962 (previously thought 73) to 1990? |
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| Noblet 40 new ugly emblem at least since 1990? to current |
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| Noblet 45 models | |
| Noblet 45 - ND at the top of the Emblem at least since 1960 to 1990 SN#46xxx & 248xx I'm going to guess that the SUPER 40 preceeded the Noblet 45. |
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| Noblet 45 - double diamond emblem.
Only an "N" inset in a small diamond at the top of the Diamond emblem 1990 - 2008 SN # 415A |
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| The most recent Noblet 45 emblem until
their Leblanc France demise in 2009 when Leblanc USA (part of
Selmer-Conn) created the Backun - Bliss lines of clarinets. I don't know when they started using this emblem .. but just a wild guess of 2008 ?? If anyone has an idea please let me know. |
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| Noblet 45 Artist Not sure on years but keywork is inline, sculpted like Leblanc but sheet metal trill key guide. Noblet emblem has the double diamond, thus a newer emblem. The Artist model is physically the same as the regular 45 except it has hand selected aged wood. |
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Noblet 45 Laureate - the Noblet 45 laureate was an interesting
model. It seems completely similar to the regular 45 except that
it has some really nice engraving on the bell. This would have
came out about the same time as the Selmer USA Soloist Omega model with
nice engraving on the bell, also the time of the Selmer Paris CT Omega
which has nice engraving on the bell. Thus with the Laureate you
get nice engraving!!
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| Brochures, Prices and Serial Numbers |
Early
Noblet 40 1960's Brochure - 1 Early Noblet 40 1960's Brochure - 1 Receipt from early Noblet 40 Below Ad for a model 145, which is the Artist 45 with hand selected grenadilla wood.
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| Serial Number Log for Noblet 27, 40 and 45 | ||
| Year | First Model of Year | Last Model of Year |
| 1830 | A beautiful example of a Noblet Box Clarinet. | |
| 1920's - 1930's metal | Metal Noblet SN73xx | |
| unknown years | 4854D Noblet 40 (later known as 27) | |
| 1960 | contains 18559 | |
| 1964 | 38500 | 42999 42849 Normandy 10 |
| 1965 | 43000 53xxx N45 clarinet | 55999 |
| 1966 | 56000 | 58399 |
| 1967 | 58400 | 66999 |
| 1968 | 67000 | 78999 |
| 1969 | 79000 | 91299 |
| 1970 | 91300 | 98700 |
| 1971 | A101
7811 Noblet 45 A415 Noblet 45 |
A12417 |
| 1972 | A11101 | A16000 |
| 1973 | A16228 | A33700 |
| 1974 | A33701 | A44832 |
| 1975 | A44833 | A57320 |
| 1976 | A57321 | A66597 |
| 1977 | A66598 | A76349 |
| 1978 | A76350 | A87894 |
| 1979 | A87895 | A96499 |
| 1980 | A95000 | B10309 |
| 1981 | B10310 | B10700 |
| 1982 | B10701 | B25890 |
| 1983 | B25891 | B28146 |
| 1984 | B28147 | B45800 |
| 1985 | ||
| 1986 | ||
| Noblet 55 / 60 Alto Clarinet | ||
| 1964 | 4200 | 4564 |
| 1965 | 4565 | 4799 |
| 1966 | 4800 | 5103 |
| 1967 | 5104 | 5374 |
| 1968 | 5375 | 5600 |
| 1969 | 5601 | 5733 |
| 1970 | 5734 | 5902 |
| 1971 | 5903 | 6035 |
| 1972 | 6036 | 6132 |
| 1973 | 6133 | 6228 |
| 1974 | 6229 | 6354 |
| 1975 | 6355 | 6469 |
| 1976 | 6470 | 6617 |
| 1977 | 6618 | 6693 |
| 1978 | 6694 | 6774 |
| 1979 | 6775 | 6868 |
| 1980 | 6869 | 6959 |
| 1981 | 6960 | 6965 |
| 1982 | 6966 | 7052 |
| 1983 | 7053 | 7123 |
| Noblet 55 (60) Bass Clarinet | ||
| 1964 | 4700 | 5113 |
| 1965 | 5114 | 5399 |
| 1966 | 5400 | 5899 |
| 1967 | 5900 | 6487 |
| 1968 | 6488 | 7076 |
| 1969 | 7077 | 7329 |
| 1970 | 7330 | 7626 |
| 1971 | 7627 | 8034 |
| 1972 | 8035 | 8373 |
| 1973 | 8374 | 8765 |
| 1974 | 8766 | 9194 |
| 1975 | 9195 | 9683 |
| 1976 | 9684 | 9815 |
| 1977 | 9816 | 10565 |
| 1978 | 10566 | 11114 |
| 1979 | 11115 | 11421 |
| 1980 | 11422 | 12065 |
| 1981 | 12066 | 12654 |
| 1982 | 12655 | 12793 |
| 1983 | 12794 | 12972 |
| 1984 | 12973 | 13430 |
FYI, I obtained all the Leblanc, Noblet and Normandy serial number lists from a nice lady at G Leblanc USA about a year before they were bought by Selmer USA. These were paper lists faxed to me. The computers only had a few years in them by comparison. No list exists before these lists - at least not at G Leblanc USA at the time per that nice lady. Not sure if they exist at all now at Selmer USA since they closed the G Leblanc facilities.
It's curious because I had called their call center before but no one was able to go back but just a few years. One day I called early before the Call Center opened and this one lady took my name and fax number and faxed the lists to me. If it wasn't for that the lists may have been gone forever.