Recently I obtained a Noblet 45 "A" clarinet. Every so often I'll see a Noblet 40 on ebay but have never had one in my hands.
When I got this Noblet A I noticed alot of oddities. First of all the trill key guide is an older version. And then the lower joint Eb spatula mechanism is on it's own posts (ala Leblanc).
Then when I pulled out my Leblanc LL ... well, they were identical. I've blueprinted alot of clarinets - the diameter and location of toneholes. So I pay particular attention to all the little details about everything.
The Noblet "A" is fairly unplayable, so I cannot compare the playing characteristics. Just looking at the dimensions they look nearly identical but I'll be using the calipers soon to see how close. Of course the Noblet has specific Noblet trill keys and not the Leblanc type.
When I got this Noblet A I noticed alot of oddities. First of all the trill key guide is an older version. And then the lower joint Eb spatula mechanism is on it's own posts (ala Leblanc).
Then when I pulled out my Leblanc LL ... well, they were identical. I've blueprinted alot of clarinets - the diameter and location of toneholes. So I pay particular attention to all the little details about everything.
The Noblet "A" is fairly unplayable, so I cannot compare the playing characteristics. Just looking at the dimensions they look nearly identical but I'll be using the calipers soon to see how close. Of course the Noblet has specific Noblet trill keys and not the Leblanc type.