I just finished overhauling my 2nd "Cabart A Paris" clarinet and was so impressed with the result that I have been doing some research online. As with many of my favorite old makes (French and otherwise), the lack of solid, user-friendly information is frustrating! Here's an entry from the 'Clarinet BBoard':

"From The New Langwill Index:
Cabart WWI fl Paris 1842-c1869, a1893-p1950, fl Ezy 1869-p1950.
1842 established in Paris; 1869 re-located as THIBOUVILLE-CABART at Ezy as successors to THIBOUVILLE-BERANGER (according to Jansen, it was `Cabart' that was successor to `Thibouville-Beranger' while, according to Rendall, `Cabart' was successor to `Thibouville-Cabart'); according to Pierre, from 1893 certain artist-quality instruments made by `Thibouville-Cabart' were marked `Cabart'; in the 1930s `Cabart a Paris (Thiberville succr.), Ezy' (see THIBERVILLE) was reported; from c1946 used as trade-name by a French WWI maker/ dealer." 

MARK:
(galleon) / CABART / A PARIS / b # (natural)
EXHIBITION:
Paris 1867.

And here's what Wikipedia has to say on the subject:

The Thibouville family is from La Couture-Boussey (Eure, France). From the early nineteenth century, its members would create about two dozen musical instruments brands with the name Thibouville. Jean-Baptiste Thibouville, born May 4, 1832, in La Couture-Boussey, was the inheritor of the brand Thibouville-Herouard (his parents' names) founded in 1842. First, He created two companies in Paris, which only last a short time because of the death of his associates. In 1867, he married Rose Leonie Cabart, daughter of Jean Michel Cabart, owner and comb manufacturer in Ezy-sur-Eure (Eure, France). In 1869, he established in Ezy-sur-Eure the Thibouville-Cabart factory.
Factory's life from 1869 to 1977

• 1878: Paris World's Fair (Wind instrument category - Bronze medal).
• 1889: Paris World's Fair (Wind instrument category - Silver medal).
• 1880-1890s: Louis Bas (1863–1944, 1st oboist at the Opera of Paris and at the Société des concerts, and J.-B. Thibouville's son-in-law), holds the shop in Paris. He makes research to improve oboes and bassoons.

It is from these years that the name Cabart a Paris is used for high quality instruments, other instruments are stamped Thibouville-Cabart a Paris. Mostly oboe, but also bassoon (German bassoon from the 1940s), contrabassoon, clarinet, flute, saxophone and English horn.

• 1897: Death of Jean-Baptiste Thibouville, his wife takes charge of the factory.

In the following decade, Paul Thibouville (1874–1949), another son-in-law, gradually takes the leadership of the company.

• 1948 : André Lhéridat and Marcel Lefèvre buy out the company.
• 1971-1977: Liquidation of the company. F. Lorée buys Cabart name for its student oboes in 1974.

In journalese, this kind of content is known as MEGO - My Eyes Glaze Over! It tends to discourage further speculation, but I remain curious. They were well known and respected for their oboes until the Lorree buyout c.1974, but not much is said about their clarinets. Both of the instruments I've restored were of a high order of manufacture: gorgeous wood, solid nickel alloy keys, which were hand silver soldered for strength, comfortable springing, good ergonomics and intonation. They rarely turn up for sale online and, when they do, sell for ludicrously low prices, given the quality of construction.

​If anyone has further information about Cabart and their clarinets, including playing experience and ownership, I'm all ears! 

​ Our topic for today is the search for the perfect mouthpiece and the rise of mouthpiece porn: the gleaming, moodily lit photo, the famous artist endorsements, the promises of great tone, easy low notes, singing altissimo and perfect intonation in between....and, of course, the high price-tag. Why do we fall for it?

  My sax teacher years ago gave me the best piece of wisdom on the subject: "When you try a new mouthpiece, you're playing the piece. After a week, you're back to playing you." I think what he was trying to say is that a sudden change emphasizes the differing qualities of the mouthpiece. It takes time for your embouchure to settle down and adapt to it and, in that time, your playing habits, (good and bad) reassert themselves...often with a vengeance. Do you close your throat and pinch going for high notes? That squeak and thin tone will be back. Do you have a poor ear for intonation? A $250 hand faced Zinner blank can play just as out of tune as a $30 plastic Yamaha 4C.

 Now, these are the things I've found that make a genuine difference, regardless of the mouthpiece you choose:

First and most important, tonal concept. What are you trying to achieve? Who's your idol and can you hear the tone in your head? When a high school-aged kid comes for a jazz lesson, I ask "Who's your hero, who do you want to sound like?" If they say "I dunno", I know I'm in for a lousy school band tone, regardless of their horn and setup. If you can't hear it, no $3k horn will get it for you! Regardless of what style you play, listen to the greats. If you're channeling Buddy DeFranco or Sonny Rollins now, fine. You'll find your way to you, if you keep playing...but you have to have a tonal concept.

Second, a decent setup that's headed in the right direction. If you're playing a vintage Buescher TrueTone alto sax with a Rascher mouthpiece and you love Reggae...you're in trouble. Likewise, channeling Debussy on a Yanigasawa with a screaming Dukoff mouthpiece will probably fail to enchant! I'm offering extreme examples, but I've seen choices just as bad. What do you want to play? What setup do prominent players of that style use? But, don't fall into the trap of paying $500 for a vintage Big B Brilhart ligature because Charlie Parker used one - he also used a bent spoon and a rubber band as a substitute key - but find something, vintage or modern, that's headed in the right direction. I love off-brands, like Dolnet saxes and Penzel Mueller clarinets. Lots of bang for much less buck...and that goes double for used mouthpieces on ebay!

Third, pick a good mouthpiece...and stick with it! It takes time to explore and master a mouthpiece and consistent results come most easily from a consistent setup. If you're constantly changing parameters, your embouchure, lungs and ears won't settle in to get the best from your 'piece. And you needn't spend hundreds: old Selmer and Portnoy clarinet mouthpieces, for instance, sell used on eBay for $30-50 routinely...and they can be great mouthpieces. Try a few before breaking the piggy bank for the latest shiny Uber-mouthpiece!

Last, practice practice practice...but intelligently. No mouthpiece, however fancy and expensive, is a substitute for daily, thoughtful practice! Now, scales and etudes are a good start, but playing a scale from the root to the octave and back, out of time and without a tuner, won't teach you the horn or the key...2 bar scale patterns, in time, all over the horn, with a tuner, will. Long-tones are great for your chops...but so are overtone exercises and I'm surprised at the players I meet who aren't familiar with them. There is so much good info online to help you with your growth, whether you have a teacher or not - use it! YouTube videos covering everything from breathing to improv are yours for free...wish we'd had them back in the 80's...

  I hope some of these ideas are helpful, whether you are a beginning or advancing player. Save your money, try the above, and let me know what you think!

I'm in love with vintage Leblanc clarinets and I don't care who knows it! The 1940's to the 1960's were a really sweet spot in Leblanc's history and I've been privileged to work on Symphonies, Dynamics, Noblets, Dynamiques, CBs, Classics and other even more obscure models that, properly restored, will give just about anything made today a run for its money...and for quite a bit less money, at that.

All were built of superior, tight grained, well seasoned grenadilla wood. All had solid nickel alloy (or silver-plated) keywork, phos-bronze springing, comfortable ergonomics, great intonation and a warm, centered tone. Most are available for $300 or less and I routinely sell them for about $700, fully restored with leather pads.

 As old Buffets and Selmers continue to climb in price, and new ones top $4k, it might be a good idea to consider a vintage Leblanc for your musical needs. Anyone from student to pro could be satisfied for many years...

  Last week, I overhauled my first Buescher True Tone clarinet and found myself with many questions. Its a wonderful horn - well built of tight grained grenadilla wood and wide, solid nickel alloy keys, with a .595" bore. It has a big, open tone and good intonation (at least with my dubious skills)...but...did Buescher build this thing? Online research turned up no serial number list that seemed to correlate  (the serial # was in the 17,000's) but I did find a reference suggesting that it may've been built by Penzel Mueller on contract!

 Oddly, the build and serial would seem to bear this out: the serial number, instead of being cross-ways on the back of the lower stack, was incised longways on the side. Penzel Mueller was the only company I know of that did this, and the serial would date a PM to the late 30's/early 40's. Keywork seems to bear this out this age range, as the throat Ab/A has an adjustment screw and the LH pinky keys are mounted on separate posts. Also, the wide, flat rings are very reminiscent of PM's of the period. Finally, .595" is a pretty big bore for the period, but most PM Artist clarinets (their pro model) that I've worked on from the period have measured .595".

 Does anyone have information about True Tone clarinets that they'd like to share? This is such a good instrument that I plan to keep my eye out for one and would like to learn more in the meantime. It would be interesting and slightly ironic if Buescher, who made so many saxophones under so many names for others, had their better clarinets made by Penzel Mueller. But, given the quality of the latter's Artist model, I wouldn't be surprised at their choice...

 I've finally finished overhauling my personal c.1949 Dolnet tenor sax! There were a couple small dents to remove, tone-holes to level, rods to true... I stripped the really worn and ugly lacquer from the body, guards and neck, steel-wooled it to a satin finish, polished for hours, and gave it a coat of wax.
 
 The key's finish, however, looked much better than the body's, with a great oxidized/iridescent patina...so I washed them and left them alone. I think the contrast is interesting and emphasizes the age, but in an understated way. I finished it off with MusicMedic soft feel tan pads with flat metal resonators and it plays great from top to bottom! Considering I bought it for $500, I'm really happy with my 1st sax overhaul project and am looking forward to seeing how the finish is going to age over time...

 Dolnet was a French company, maker of saxophones and clarinets, in business from approximately WWI to the late 1970's/early 80's. They weren't heavily imported to this country, but were popular with some Jazz musicians that went to France. Quality of build is good, especially the older examples, and the tenors have a big, gutsy tone like a Conn 10m, the altos more sweet and refined...but for about 1/8th the price of a comparable French Selmer! In fact, I've heard them referred to as "the poor man's Mark6" !

  I can't attest to the veracity of that claim, but I own (or have owned) a silver soprano, a Low A baritone and numerous altos and tenors. They're lovely horns and I'd like to see them become more popular as more famous brands continue to skyrocket out of the price range of any but collectors... 

A customer wrote to ask : "What's a good set up for jazz on the clarinet? I've changed my embouchure a lot but I'd like to have the best set up possible also, any advice would be great! Thanks!"

 I'd like to have the best setup possible, too! So, here's my answer:

"Nice to hear from you! Well, that's a tough question...Its very individual. If you look at a list of famous players on any instrument (especially woodwind) the setups tend to be all over the place. Generally speaking, Jazz players generally use a more open tip and a lighter reed than classical, but a big part of the equation is having a 'jazz tone' in your head, and adjusting your timing, attack, phrasing, etc. to reflect a Jazz concept. Who do you listen to? Buddy DeFranco? Artie Shaw? Peanuts Hucko? Lots of listening and practicing with play-along tracks or jazzy friends will help the most...

 Now that, being said, its harder to get a Jazz sound on a Vandoren M13 mpc with #4 reeds - that's a pretty closed, stuffy setup. I've used Bernard Portnoy mouthpieces on my horn (and with students) and had good results...either the BP02 or more open BP03 facing. These can generally be found on ebay for about $40 used. Also, an older Selmer HS** (2 stars, not one) gives a nice tone and is open enough to offer some flexibility. One of the most popular with both Jazz and Greek musicians is the VanDoren 5jb, but be prepared for a very open facing (which will effect intonation at first) and a very light reed! I loved the tone of the ones I tried, but my jaw got sore after about half an hour...

 Also, don't forget reeds! I'd try a synthetic Fibracell 3.5 or 4, (which run a grade softer than comparable cane reeds) or, if you really prefer natural reeds, look at a non-classical cut from Alexander: they make some really nice reeds cut specifically for a Jazzy sound."

 How's that for an answer? What is your Jazz mouthpiece of choice?