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Marigaux 351

tictactux

Distinguished Member
Distinguished Member
Wow. I just won me another Marigaux 351 in a local auction. I just couldn't let it pass...<sings and dances>
It's just 8 serial numbers newer than mine...
 
I just see another one in That Auction Site ([HASHTAG]#250568238516[/HASHTAG]). It's a wee bit more expensive than mine, though. :emoji_astonished:
 
That's quite a lot for a 7 year old clarinet not in its original case. I'd like to try one, but at that price I'll stick to my 5 star. Both my SML's have their original cases in very good condition, btw.
 
Merry-go-round...

So there was this close race between two competitors for my surplus R.S. Symphonie (which had a happy ending for either involved party it seems).

Well, so I sold mine to a nice gentleman in a small European country, player in a municipal wind band and (presumably) other orchestras as well. He told me that they had equipped the whole section with Symphonies but these instruments were stolen when the band's storage room was broken into years ago.

I packed and shipped the instrument, everything arrived in good working order. Everything except one barrel which he reported as having an ever so tiny crack. I can't tell why I didn't spot it, either I attributed it to a wood irregularity, or it had expanded during the trip, or I really need glasses. Anyhow, he said no problem, he'd have a go at it with a friend, Symphonie owner as well, to find out which one the instrument would need to play in tune.

Today I got a mail where he told me that last week he'd found an old business card from a Marigaux rep from the 2000-something Musikmesse. He rang him up and not only was he still in business, the also offered to look into finding a replacement barrel from their spare parts chest, and that he should visit them in Paris to have the instrument gone over (apparently one note is a bit flat so they'd rebore it, what do I know). Seems that after-sales treatment is better in some company than it is in others. Wow.

Anyhow, during that conversation the theft from back then was mentioned, and Mr. Marigaux said oh, they knew where the stolen clarinets were (in some evidence vault in South America where they were confiscated in some handling stolen goods case) but they had lost the address of the original owners so they couldn't contact them, until that very day.

So, that cracked barrel not only revived the contact with the company, it also helped finding some instruments stolen years ago.

If I had sold that instrument to the other player, maybe none of this would have happened, except from me giving a rebate on the cracked barrel or offering to have it repaired (but it, being the shorter one of the two, wouldn't be used in a non-442Hz country anyway).

Anyhow, I asked for some information for my web page, who knows, maybe I'm getting an old catalog or some other interesting stuff.
 
(Did the stars align in some strange way for this sudden flurry of development on this last emperor of Marigaux clarinets?)

Oh my goodness... in the case of my newly acquired Marigaux, I'm short of 1 barrel and doesn't have the original case. This is perhaps the best way to get the 2nd barrel (perhaps the one meant for A=442, not that it makes any difference to this layperson) originally associated with it back. I've been wanting to track the lineage of my instrument honestly... given the fact that Marigaux rep was able to identify a unique instrument in this fashion, there may be the feint hope that all RS Symphonie in existence were tracked and as such can be identified to establish their history.

Maybe the 351 owners need to band up into a club at this rate. I wonder what the fellow in Paris might have to say about this horn... it would be great to run into him at Musikmesse 2011.
 
Don't worry, Frank. My own Marigaux doesn't have a second barrel and its original case either. I found a shorter barrel that fits nicely (both style- and intonation-wise), and recently I bought a good-as-new Buffet case for $40. (I had to remove the "Buffet Free Zone" plaque from my door, however. :oops:).

Yeah, maybe we should just register our instruments with Marigaux. Dunno what a "Register Me" email to contact@marigaux.com would yield, can't hurt, probably.
 
So, there's now a Marigaux Symphonie Owners' Club over there in Facebook. It probably is just a temporary location until I thought of a logo and a member fee. Quick enough to set up and keep the flock together. So if you know of a proud symphony owner, let 'em know...
 
Anyhow, during that conversation the theft from back then was mentioned, and Mr. Marigaux said oh, they knew where the stolen clarinets were (in some evidence vault in South America where they were confiscated in some handling stolen goods case) but they had lost the address of the original owners so they couldn't contact them, until that very day.

So, that cracked barrel not only revived the contact with the company, it also helped finding some instruments stolen years ago.

keep us updated on what you know about the stolen Marigauxs ... it be interesting to know if they made it back to their owners.
 
keep us updated on what you know about the stolen Marigauxs ... it be interesting to know if they made it back to their owners.
They are not overly enthusiastic, because they know zip about their current state, and they imagine it'd be an immense paper war to unfreeze them from the court, especially this being a country far far away where there probably aren't any mutual legal assistance treaties with.
Plus, they now have the burden to prove that these are indeed their instruments...
 
I got my Symphonie back today. Total cost of ownership is $1500... about the same as a used vintage R13 that's gotten an overhaul.

My own invoice included stripping, cleaning, sealing the register and thumb tube, tonehole refacing, pad replacements, key cork replacements and adjustments... pads are mostly valentino with the exception of the register pad.

My wallet wails.
 
Marigaux Symphonie

I've been curious about these. They look as though they'd fit my extra long fingers well, but how do they play, say, in comparison to a 50's R-13 or Selmer CT.
 
I've been curious about these. They look as though they'd fit my extra long fingers well, but how do they play, say, in comparison to a 50's R-13 or Selmer CT.

I can't compare to either. But they didn't strike me as something especially well (or especially ill) suited for long fingers - the rough measurements are the same as with all clarinets I've tried.
The main ergo differences are in the shape of the register key, and the rollers for the RH pinky (and levers with adjustment screws rather than a crow's foot, or sprung LH spatulas, but you don't feel those details immediately).
 
Yes, I noticed the register key being more Selmer sax like, which I think would be an advantage for me, and those rollers , which might be nice for those oops moments. I know it's completely subjective, but how about the sound.
 
Yes, I noticed the register key being more Selmer sax like, which I think would be an advantage for me, and those rollers , which might be nice for those oops moments. I know it's completely subjective, but how about the sound.
That's difficult to say. I get compliments for my Marigaux' tone, but it just so happened that I got compliments for my Vito's tone as well. I'm one who believes that the closer to your head, the more influence on sound your equipment has - embouchure, mouthpiece, reed, barrel and instrument (in descending order).

What I can say is that there is a very pleasant resistance, and considerable ease of playing, but this can be attributed to workmanship and current condition as well.

I very seriously doubt that I could tell it from an RC or an Opus if one and the same player played them for me. I'd probably more hear the player and not the instrument.

(Just to make you happy I could write: "the tone is absolutely gorgeous, full, thick, velvety, creamy in the chalumeau, with an ever so light sparkle in the upper clarion and unobtrusive brilliance in the altissimo" and other nonsense, but we'd all know this weren't true)
 
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