Leblanc was acquired by Steinway which is also the parent company of Conn/Selmer. If you want a Yanagisawa you still go through a Leblanc dealer. I know this because I am a Leblanc dealer. The pool shrinks. WM

Thanks for the info, all. Very helpful. What are your thoughts about OEM products, though? For example -and please correct me if I'm wrong, but - aren't student bass clarinets made by Leblanc for Yamaha? I'm seeing some private label brands that actually look somewhat reputable (compared to no-name brands, or 'off-brands'). How do you find out who the original manufacturer is on some of these things?

The instrument manufacturing and marketing businesses are becoming quite incestuous. It's getting so conglomerated now, I think it's damned near impossible to tell where an instrument was made. Unless it says "Elkhart" or "Paris, France" or "Japan" on it, it's hard to tell exactly what you're buying unless you can find a retailer or knowledgeable person familiar with the particular model. My advice is to seek out WHERE something was made more so than who's name is on it. There are features such as key guards and octave mechanisms that can help identify who the original manufacturer is. The serial number may be of help, as well. I have soprano and bari horns that don't say Yani anywhere on the horn, but do say "Japan" and the serial number follows Yani's scheme as well as certain design features (found their emblem very subtly placed on the bari upper body brace), so I can say with confidence that I'm playing a Yani-made horn. I'd have no aversion to buying a private brand horn if I could decipher what company actually made it as well as the country of origin. There's no 100% method. Sax equipment is pretty much an odds game. Certain brands give you better odds of satisfaction than others depending on what you are looking for. Consider the hundreds of parts and possibilities of variation with such a complex mechanical device. It's a miracle of (relatively) modern manufacturing and artisanship that saxophones play at all, quite frankly.

I'll specifically attest that Vito Japan-made (Yani stencil) baris are a great value for the incredible sound they produce. You could acquire a minty one for under $2000 and it will be worth every penny. I adore mine, which doesn't even say Vito on it. I would descibe it as minimalist in terms of engraving.

Thanx for the info Maniac. Good stuff. I actually got my interest piqued by this guy's website:

Actually, if anyone's interested in seeing what I'm talking about, I got the website wrong. It's just www.zacharymusic.com. Please don't anyone think I'm secretively working for this guy or something! I'm just trying to give an example of what I've been talking about. I'm definitely not endorsing this dude, whoever he is.

are you sure miller? maybe you can still get stuff right now, it has only been a few days, but wait until everything gets shuffled around, you might get the plug pulled. I do know that Conn selmer is going to start distributing yanagisawas. heh, if onyl everyone knew what a [jerk] the owner of leblanc was... (-Edited for language on 8/8/2004 5:22:16 PM.)

"I do know that Conn selmer is going to start distributing yanagisawas." yes they would... I don't know what you're trying to prove. Why would Conn Selmer abandon the current yanagisawas dealers and only sell through Selmer ones? That would almost be pointless when they could keep the dealer base they have and expand on it. also... why would they keep yanagisawa distribution seperate from Conn's and Selmer? Why not lump them all together in one place. This would not only save on overhead and running a seperate line of distrubution, but help with getting product to the dealers. speaking of buyouts... my local brewery Linienkugel (haha spelled it wrong) was bought out by miller (I think, it was a bigger one anyway) what did this mean for my small town company? A LOT! now they have access to more advertising money and more resources... it's not alwase a bad thing for a company to be bought out. It just means changes and stuff.

Anything can happen. Its business.