LeBlanc Paris horns

[herchian]

I have an old Leblanc Paris ML horn. I think it sounds very much like a Strad 72 MLV but without the volume of sound that you get from the Strad. Would changing the bell increase the volume or would changing the lead pipe be the way to go. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Gary H

[Martin]

From what I have heard, those Paris LeBlanc horns are pretty decent instruments. I would not mess around with different bells - it´s expensive and you can never be sure what you get out of it. Trying a different leadpipe will be easier as you won´t need to take the horn apart.
Since it is a vintage instrument, maybe all it needs is a valve alignment to open it up.
Or the horn just doesn´t fit your taste and way of playing, no matter how you tweak it. In this case, sell it. There definitely is a market for vintage french trumpets.
My 2 cents (yes, we too have cents now thanks to our new european currency )
_________________
All the best

Martin
_____________________________________________________________________
"I have found that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played." - Arvo Pärt

[trptdaddy]

Actually, Courtois has always made the LeBlanc Paris trumpets. They had a long-time joint venture until a few years ago. I've owned a few of those horns, my favorites being the Sonic and the Hirt models. They have meticulous workmanship, fancy hardwarwe (except for the lighteight plain Jane model called the 700 I believe) and the wonderful French sound. Old Selmers are similar. Most vintage horns, French included, generally smaller bells and more focused sounds. Most modern trumpets have gotten away from that with bigger bells for broad, spread sounds. In the 'old days', the dance band guys and the 'legit' guys quite often used M or ML bore, smallish sized bell horns and all generally relied upon the compact sound for projection. Today, there seems to be a tendancy for a sound that covers with width of sound. Probably all has to do with modern symphony halls for 'legit' and amplification systems for 'commercial' applications.

I agree with Martin. I wouldn't do anyting to the horn. It either is or isn't right for you and the sound you 'hear' in your head you want to make. Those horns are louder out front than you think. Modern horns will typically give you more feedback so you think you are louder than on a vintage horn. On the flip side, it's hard today to find the "nutty sweetness" you get out of an old Selmer or LeBlanc. When I had more vintage horns, I played alot of lyrical stuff at home. It can be quite satisfying and enjoyable.

David

[textr]

I know this is an old post , but I recently purchased a Leblanc 707 Sonic,
just like I had in high school, except that this one is lacquered and mine that I
had in high school was silver plated, Trptdaddy is right it is a medium bore, but it projects like a monster , intonation is excellent. It doesn't
get as big a sound as modern horns, but it has a great french classical sound of a
by gone era.
I plan to take it to Bob Reeves and have a valve alignment done on it .
Then I will have it plated,it will be a beautiful instrument when it is finished. and the best part it plays great.

[Ebayscrounger]

I also had a silver 707 Sonic 1n high school, and have been looking for another. Very nice sounding horn, and with the fine detail work, one of the nicest looking horns ever.
_________________
I once had it, but I lost it. Where did it go???

Still looking for my horn...

[textr]

There has been a run of them on ebay layley ( last 3 or 4 weeks )
keep your eye open as there has been new ads coming up weekly on ebay
there was one that was in perfect condition that some guy outbid me by
10 bucks on the last five seconds. But then the next week the one I bought was
advertised, and then two more the next week. The one I bought was in very good shape.

[mark936]

I love those old Paris horns. I wouldn't mind having a collection of those.

My story is-- my Dad always loved those K-modifieds from his high school days. So my second horn was a beater K-modified he bought from a pawn shop for $60. The guy kept telling my dad it was a saxophone case but my dad said show it to him anyway.

So, I'm playing this K-modified in the seventh and eighth grade and the music teacher has this beautiful flawless Leblanc lacquered horn. What a beauty. Then four years later, while on vacation in Rochester, Minn, a guy working at a small music store had a LeBlanc for sale. I bought it. A Herriot bent bell 707 sonic. What a unique beauty. Then in college I added a new silver Leblanc C to my collection. I probably have twenty hours on that horn.

So I have 2 K modifieds and 2 Leblancs.

I'm thinking of taking the Herriot to practice, we're playing Manteca but I'm kind of embarrassed to show up with that thing. What fast valves though. Silky fast.

The soundclip in my signature is me playing my beater normal weigh k-modified. (not my silver LT) I like the buttery sound of that old horn.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
mark

[Ebayscrounger]

I picked up an old Leblanc on Ebay last night for a decent price, I didn't even see it until a couple of hours before the auction ended, so I didn't have time to email the seller with questions. There weren't any pictures that gave a good view of the whole horn (maybe on purpose?), but what I could see looked just like my old 707 Sonic, but in the listing, it was described as having "Custom" inscribed on the mouthpiece receiver...Anybody heard of one?
_________________
I once had it, but I lost it. Where did it go???

Still looking for my horn...

[textr]

If I remember correctly, the Leblanc horns of the sixties were:
Pro-models
707 Sonic
707 Symphonie(their spelling)
770 Gozzo model(which had his name on the leadpipe)
Intermediate model
700 series(step up model)

I have seen other models ,such as the 470 T which is on ebay right now, but I am
not familiar with it nor am I familiar with the "custom" model you referrenced.

There might be other models , I'm just going by what I remember from high school.