Thanks to Gary L. Ray of Wichita Band Instrument Company;
"
C.G. Conn, Ltd., made wind instruments under a dozen or more names.
"Pan-American", "Continental", "Director" are only a few. Pan-Ams were pre-1956
student quality, the others "stencils", made for the trade as house brands.
C.G. Conn had continuing problems with the unions in Elkhart, finally
resulting in their relocation in 1975 to Abilene, Texas and Nogalas, Mexico.
When I was in high school, back in the mid and late fifties, all production in
Elkhart ceased for a year, due to a strike at the Conn factory. During that
time, Pan-Am saxes were made by Martin (soldered tone-holes on all of 'em),
Conn saxes were temporarily unavailable and all Conn woodwinds were imports.
All of them. The B-flat clarinets were made by Kohlert, some by Malerne. Bass
and alto clarinets were made by Malerne as well. Your alto is one of these. Have
a look at the register keywork and the double pad-cup for the F-C tone-holes.
Some of the imported clarinets were actually better than those made in Elkhart.
Artie Shaw endorsed the "new model 280N, the best clarinet I've ever played".
In the meantime, rest assured that your alto clarinet was made in France by
Robert Malerne, right before Buffet-Crampon took 'em over.
LeBlanc-France and LeBlanc-USA were two separate firms until a decade ago.
Vito Pascucci bought the French firm about 1995, merged the two. He died last
year and his son recently bailed out, selling the entire package to
Conn-Selmer-King, division of Steinway Properties. LeBlanc-France woodwinds
made since 1998 or so are all produced with keywork punched out in the States.
Metal bits are sent to LaCouture, fitted to clarinets, then sent back to the
States. ALL LeBlanc contra clarinets are now made in the States. My opinion is
that the French instruments are better.
"Guy Humphrey" is one of the three dozen or more stencil names used by
G.LeBlanc for exports to America. Vito Pascucci became their sole US agent in
1946 and the stencil names gradually disappeared.
The first plastic clarinets made by LeBlanc-USA carried the "Normandy" name.
There was some discussion with US Customs about that stamp and as a result, the
name of them became "Vito". Same dog, different leg. But they improved each
year and the current instruments are quite good and virtually indestructable.
The bass clarinets, especially the early ones, break at the center joint.
"Alexandre" instruments should not be confused with "Alexander". The former
were produced in Italy (Rampone, I think...) imported to the States by the
Ernest Deffner Company. Alexander instruments are built in Mainz by the
Alexander family. They are absolutely top quality brasses.
"Jean Cartier" was a stencil name owned by the C. Bruno Company (Texas and
earlier in New York). Sometimes French, sometimes Italian.
"