Vintage Marcel Deleau Intermediate French Bb Clarinet with a Harry E. O'Brien 4*

Description

This is a vintage instrument made in France in the 1950s by Marcel Deleau and imported into the US by Baxter Northup of Los Angeles. It bears the serial nuber 1879 and an imprint indicating it is a Bb clarinet along with the initials LP - the significance of which I am uncertain of - possibly the specific craftsperson. The clarinet forums rate this as an intermediate instrument, made of wood with a plastic bell - something done frequently with older instruments since wooden bells were prone to cracking. The price reflects the fact that some maintenance is definitely necessary - a deep clean would be good since there is some patina in the hard to reach places, and I'm certain the pads need replacing. I don't see any cracks and the keys are all responsive, though I am not an expert so there may be issues I am unaware of. It most certainly has vintage character, in a period Lifton case, that is rather worn with a repair to the rope handle. Comes with a rare Harry E. O'Brien 4* mouthpiece which I suspect may be worth more than the clarinet itself - certainly his crystal mouthpieces are legendary.