Description
Think the black Valentino’s are new? Not exactly.
Our first encounter with Valentino pads was in Seattle in the early 1980’s when a client from Los Angeles (who played in an orchestra there) came into the original J.L. Smith repair shop for some service work.
He had black Valentino pads in his Buffet Bb clarinet. I was very impressed with the quality of these pads and the client was a huge fan of the way they played. The coverage and seal were incredible, and the touch was remarkably positive and quiet. Acoustically, they were just spectacular with tremendous clarity and projection. I only had to do a minor adjustment on the instrument to have it playing beautifully, and after that first encounter with Valentino Greenback Black pads I was paying very serious attention to this new breed of pad.
Pete Valentino eventually concentrated on producing the white version of the Greenback pad that most players are familiar with today, but we re-introduced the Greenback Black pad for the Leblanc Bliss Clarinet as an exclusive arrangement for a couple years. We now make these exceptional pads available to technicians worldwide and have seen a great surge in demand.
The performance characteristics and installation procedures for the Greenback-Black pad mirrors those of the familiar white Greenback pads, with the added benefit of great aesthetics for musicians who want legendary Valentino performance with sophisticated style.
– Jeff Smith
President, J.L. Smith & Co.