CLARINETS DIRECT

020 85811113 or 07787 770071

COUTURE A1, PLATEAU A CLARINET, £895

An extremely rare, good condition, Couture, Paris France, Plateau A clarinet. La Couture is the small town near Paris in which the major French clarinet makers have their factories. This is a make that Clarinets Direct have never come across before: Because the instrument is stamped "A LP" & also features an ebonite bell, it way well date from the 1920's or 1930's. Certainly the instrument is well made and tunes very well with the supplied Alan Segal custom barrel, which was actually made for a Buffet 1930's A clarinet.
The Grenadilla wood is in fair condition, with surface scratches and scuffs, though there are no cracks or repairs. The silver plating also shows some wear, and in the past, some rather crude solder repairs have been made, most noticeably to the speaker key, see photo 10. We have just entirely overhauled this instrument, and it is sold with our full 1 year warranty. The case is a single A case, one of the latches is missing, but it still functions well. The m'piece is a standard French bore model, and the instrument works well with a standard Vandoren m'piece. This clarinet will pair well with any Bb plateau of French origin, Buffet, Leblanc etc. Plateau models are "specifically designed for the younger player, doubler or even the arthritic player who may have difficulty covering the standard open-tone-hole".