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Vito Claritone

I have a white Vito Clari-Tone with gold keys. Does anyone know the model number or anything else about them? It is not a Dazzler, which is a Reso-tone. Vito 1.jpgVito 2.jpgVito 3.jpg
 
Still doesn't help much. The serial number is 0905. No letter. All other serial numbers listed have a letter with 5 numbers. A poster on another forum said they pre-date the Reso-Tone and that his college marching band used red and white Clari-tones. He thought they may go back to the 60s. I also cannot find a model number to attach to the model name. It is very heavy. I think it could safely be used as a baseball bat.

Black ones with SN# 2212, 7802 sold on ebay.
A90964 and 2 more w/o SN given (not the same as 4 digit clarinets)

So I am guessing there were 2 versions of the Claritone. The first version, like mine, has the emblems engraved. It has a small vito and CLARI-TONE, USA inside an oval. The newer ones have the vito lyre printed on.

Reso-Tone : 7212, 7213, 7214, 7217 (not on serial number list)
model name? [FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]v40
[/FONT][FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]model name? cl612
[/FONT][FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]model name? cl614
[/FONT][FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica]model name? 7242[/FONT]
 
Here's sn 0986.

In any event, you missed a couple model numbers on the page I linked to. You might want to check that page again. For kicks, you can also check out DoctorSax's page on Vito-branded saxophones.

FWIW, I did some very brief Googling and most of the Clari-Tone clarinets I saw had a serial number that began with "0." In other words, it's not that special of a serial number :).

FWIW, Clari-Tones sell in the sub-$100 range and I've seen enough colored ones today to understand that they're not exactly rare. I happened to own one of the clear Buffet B12/E11's with copper keywork. There were allegedly less than 1000 of those made -- almost definitely a smaller batch than the Clari-Tone. They were about $400 new, in 1990. They now sell for around $1000 ... which is what $400 in 1990 was, adjusted for inflation. In other words, even it the colored Clari-Tone was an "extremely rare" instrument, it's not like you've won the lottery, so don't obsess, Ishmael.

If you are that interested, I recommend that you do what I do when researching instruments: get as many pics of as many horns as you can and start comparing features. You might find some support for the theory that there were two (or more) batches of these horns out there.

I also saw at least a dozen posts on various forums asking about the model number(s) of the Clari-Tone. It looks like the best answer is ... e-mail Leblanc and ask. Provided you own the horn (or tell them that you do), they're generally pretty good at answering. Their website says to contact a dealer through this page.
 
I'd then say that the best bet is to contact Leblanc. Then post back here. As I said, you're not the only one that's trying to get a model number/name.
 
I called LeBlanc and was told rather rudely that the serial number wasn't correct. When I assured her it was, she said they didn't have a history department and she had no information. She also had no information on what the model number of a Clari-Tone is. Because they don't HAVE A HISTORY DEPARTMENT.
 
Several years ago, I sent an e-mail to Leblanc asking about serial number information. I was told tha, because I didn't actually own a Leblanc -- regardless of the fact that I've played many Leblancs on the past -- they wouldn't hand out any info. So, I told the next person that asked ablout Leblanc serial numbers to e-mail them and say that you own a Leblanc. He got the info with no problems whatsoever.

Oh, well.

Anyhow, one thing a lot of folks miss, when they're searching for serial number info, is that student line horns generally have a different serial number chart. Leblanc goes one better: they appear to have had new serial number charts for some models. It'd be easier if it was "for every new model, a new serial number chart." Leblanc has never really been interested in doing things the easy way :).

I would recommend continuing to search in Google and on eBay. It's always possible you'll get an ad from someone who bought the horn new and has a sales receipt or a warranty card. Also, this thread isn't going away, so continue to check back!
 
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