Leblanc (musical instrument manufacturer)

Leblanc, Inc. was a musical instrument manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 2004 saw the firm sold to Conn-Selmer, a division of Steinway Musical Instruments, by its chairman, president and CEO Leon Pascucci, son of one of the founding partners, Vito. Leblanc has now ceased to exist as an independent operation and has become a brand of Conn-Selmer along with their many other brands.

G. Leblanc Cie. was a French company founded by Georges Leblanc late in the 19th century, in La Couture-Boussey. In 1904 the company acquired Noblet, the oldest instrument manufacturer in France. In 1945, Léon Leblanc (1900-2000) met Vito Pascucci(1922-2003), then on duty as the instruments manager and repair technician for the Glenn Miller US Army Air Force Orchestra. Pascucci and Miller had discussed opening a musical instrument distributing company and importing instruments after the war. The idea lived on with Pascucci after Miller died, and he was scouting potential suppliers. He and Leblanc reached an agreement. They founded the G. Leblanc Corporation in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1946.

In addition to the G. Leblanc Cie. products, the G. Leblanc Corporation started importing saxophones from the French firm Beaugnier, branded "Leblanc." Leblanc's most distinctive saxophones at the time were its Model 100 and 120 "System" saxophones, the latest iteration of instruments designed by G. Leblanc since the early 1930s to alleviate acoustic problems inherent in the standard Sax key system and offer more fingering choices.

Leblanc broadened its product line and distribution with the acquisition of several other companies: the Frank Holton Company (manufacturer of brass instruments) in 1964; the Bublitz Case Company, manufacturer of musical instrument cases in 1966; the Woodwind Company (manufacturer of woodwind mouthpieces) in 1968; and the Martin Band Instrument Company (brand rights and distribution network for brass instruments and saxophones) acquired from the Wurlitzer Corporation in 1971.

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