This old picture formerly on the Leblanc site but has since disappeared. • Ab Sopranino • Eb Sopranino • D Sopranino • C Soprano • Bb Soprano• A Soprano• (missing basset clarinet in A)• F Basset Horn• Eb Alto Clar• Bb Bass Clar to low Eb• Bb Bass Clar to low C• EEb Contralto to low C (paperclip model)• BBb Contrabass to low C (paperclip)• EEEb Octocontralto to low C• BBBb Octocontrabass to low C The last 2 were built for some exhibition or another in the 1930s. Ativa at mc600 manual meat market. The BBBb was supposedly the lowest pitched wind instrument ever, going down nearly an octave below the piano keyboard. One or the other of them was supposedly lying around the Paris factory as late as the 1970s, but no sign of them has been seen or heard since. There was (I believe) only one Octocontrabass built, and three Octocontraltos.

They were all in the private collection of Leon Leblanc, but (again, I believe, but don't quote me) the Octobass and one of the Octoaltos now reside with Terje Lerstad. The Octocontrabass sounded an octave below the Contrabassoon, which made it indeed one octave lower than the lowest Bb on the piano. You'll note that all of the horns in the photo were products of Leblanc Paris. Omitted from the photo were the 'Bassett Clarinet' (which did not exist in their line at that time), the A Bass Clarinet (which only Selmer has made in modern times), but examples of which have existed since the 1800's. T he FB and articulated models, they went out of production in the 60s.

Leblanc History The year 2004 marked one of the most significant milestones in the long history of Kenosha, Wisconsin-based Leblanc, Inc., known until recently as G. Leblanc Corporation.

On July 21, 2004, contracts were signed for Leblanc to be acquired by Steinway Musical Instruments, forging a partnership of undisputed greatness within the music industry. The transaction was completed on August 12, 2004. Leon Pascucci retained his key management role as president of Leblanc, Inc., and the company is now managed as a division of Conn-Selmer, Inc. Other recent milestones have also marked Leblanc's centuries-old history and traditions. The Noblet name, for example, still vital as a brand within the Leblanc France line, marked its 250th anniversary in the year 2000, and the Frank Holton Company, Leblanc's brasswind division, celebrated its centennial in 1998.

It also contains serial numbers and dates of Louis Lot flutes. Rare solid silver flute from Buffet-Crampon (Paris), number 1074. LeBlanc-Noblet model 60 wood BASS clarinet, #15,534, made in France in the mid 1990's. In 1996 I contacted Leblanc USA, after hours, and a nice lady faxed me a serial number list that they had. The list was not in their computers thus no one else was given this list. So I published it on the new website for everyone to have.