Klarinet Archive - Posting 000134.txt from 1998/09

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Champlain Clarinet (and Boston Wonder)
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 23:25:41 -0400

On Fri, 4 Sep 1998, Bill Hausmann wrote:

> Many metal clarinets were made by and for numerous manufacturers, most no
> longer traceable, in the early part of the century as a low-priced
> substitute for wood clarinets. They are mostly silver-plated brass,
> sometimes nickel-plated (you can tell by the color). The reason they look
> so skinny is that metal is much thinner than wood, so much so that the
> outer diameter is virtually the same as the inner bore diameter. The tone
> holes must be built up from the body to compensate for that lost thickness.
> Once plastic and/or hard rubber clarinets were developed, the metal ones
> fell into disfavor, if for no other reason than that they LOOKED better.
> You can often see metal clarinets in pictures of bands from the 1920's and
> even 1930's. They make great lamp bases and curiosity pieces, but unless
> you find a Selmer or something they are generally not really every day
> player horns. By the way, numbers stamped into the keys usually suggests
> cast metal rather than forged, a sign of an inferior horn.

And then there are the sterling silver type like I have by King.....I am
looking to sell it......the silver alone is worth quite a bit!

Roger Garrett
IWU

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