A Brief History of Leblanc

The history of Leblanc dates back to 1750 when Ets. D. Noblet was founded in France making instruments for the court of Louis XV. Noblet established France as the centre of woodwind manufacturing. But, with no heir to the family business, Noblet was sold to Georges Leblanc in 1904.

The Leblanc family was known for using scientific acoustic research in the development of clarinets. Georges’ son Leon was an outstanding clarinettist, winning a top prize from the Conservatoire de Paris. As an accomplished player, he believed heavily in the scientific principles of manufacturing and brought a high level of consistency and playability to their hand-made instruments.

In 1921, Leblanc began distribution in the US. However, the Leblanc family became unhappy with the amount of work involved in making adjustments to the instruments after months of travel at sea from France. In 1946, Vito Pascucci, a repairman for the Glenn Miller band, founded Leblanc USA in Kenosha, Wisconsin and took over the distribution of Leblanc France products in the US. Vito opened a small store front and began building his own student level instrument, leaving Leblanc to focus on the full range of professional instruments.

In 2004, Leblanc was acquired by Conn-Selmer and a new era of manufacturing began. In 2009, Leblanc released the Bliss line of clarinets in partnership with namesake, Julian Bliss. The Bliss clarinets offered unique features and playability not typically found in affordable student instruments. With all clarinet production for Leblanc Vito and Bliss clarinets moved to Elkhart, Indiana, a new level of craftsmanship and innovation emerged.