 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: spikeybabearama
Date: 2003-07-08 23:52
Hi!
Does anyone know anything about rene dumont metal clarinets? Like, about how old it might be, etc. It also needs a little bit of work and I am wondering if it would be worth fixing. Any info would be helpful. Thanks!!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-07-09 00:02
Rene Dumont clarinets (and even Rene Duval clarinets) have been discussed previously. A search will bring up all past postings ...GBK
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Author: jez
Date: 2003-07-09 00:29
If you answer every question with the old "do a search" line, we might as well close down the Bulletin Board and just keep all the old postings for reference.
I've done the search and there's very little information, certainly nothing to give spikeybabearama the answer to his specific question about value.
Maybe someone reading this will have some new insight.
Sorry to moan, but it seems a fair enough question to me and I've just posted a very similar one myself.
jez
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-07-09 00:48
Jez... Since the poster seemed to be new, it is always good to let them know we have a search feature which often yields pertinent information. There is a lot of valuable information in the archives (I should know, as I've been recently editing them) and a perusal of past postings is always a good place to start.
This same question was posed in October of 2002, and any new information is always appreciated. I certainly hope others will add more to this thread...GBK
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Author: Barrie Marshall
Date: 2003-07-09 07:18
GBK wrote:
> Jez... Since the poster seemed to be new, it is always good to
> let them know we have a search feature which often yields
> pertinent information. There is a lot of valuable information
> in the archives (I should know, as I've been recently editing
> them) and a perusal of past postings is always a good place to
> start.
>
> This same question was posed in October of 2002, and any new
> information is always appreciated. I certainly hope others
> will add more to this thread...GBK
>
I always do a search first and often find enough information, I wanted some stuff on Pentatonic scales last week and found enough,(AllenCole was the MAN) but usually I also ask a question anyway. so I will!
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Author: spikeybabearama
Date: 2003-07-09 09:18
Yes, I am new to the board. Thanks for letting me know about the search feature. I tried it and got a little bit of information, but hopefully I can get some more if there is anything new.
I just recently bought a clarinet to start playing again (after not playing for 20 years). I have had the metal clarinet for 15 years or so and am curious about it.
I am glad to have found this board and look forward to using it in the future as well.
Thanks!!
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-07-09 16:39
Hi, Spikeybabearama 
I don't know much more about your horn other than, 'I've heard the name." I think Dumont is one of the old, realllly old, instrument makers and is probably worth fixin'. But that matters little to me. What matters is that you're playing, or planning to play, again. That's wonderful. Most folks who give up playing an instrument give it up for good. I have three functional metal clarinets that are just fine for playing anytime, anywhere, anything I can. I stopped playing for about thirty years. So, if I can get back to it, anyone can.
My greatest delight is to read about another person, you specifically this time, who has decided to take up making music again. Please post often. Newcomers and returnees are the joy that keeps some of us old timers going. Welcome to the board members hangout and I wish you many years of Happy Tootin'!
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: cloutist4
Date: 2003-07-09 18:55
i heard they were used in military bands and sounded awful. i would fix one up if i had one though just becausethey are cool!!!
shiney, like bigfatlyre112
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-07-09 19:21
You may have ''heard'' that they sound awful, Cloutist, but have you ever heard one? Mine sound just like clarinets - military bands sound awful
They are cool... and durable.
ron
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-07-09 22:08
Welcome to the BBoard sbba[?]. I second Ron's greeting. I should be looking-up R Dumont, as GBK suggested, instead of just whistling Dixie, BUT, my recall [could be wrong!] of the previous is that the name is a "stencil" , that is, a "tradename" for marketing in the US, as was commonplace in the metal cl's era, 1910-40, also for [some quite good] wood cls. A number of us ?experienced? oldsters enjoy trying to track-down names and horns of the past. Luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-07-10 14:18
I've restored three or four "Rene Dumont" clarinet (all except one were wood, the other was metal) --- as best I could determine these were a stencil brand imported to the US from France and labelled "Rene Dumont" by the importer. The ones I worked on were actually rather decent intermediate-grade instruments. And I don't malign metal clarinets across the board, many of them are bad but some are quite good (ask J McAulay for details) -- my own Moennig Bros. "American Professional" metal clarinet is good enough to use in jazz and concert bands should I choose to.
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Author: spikeybabearama
Date: 2003-07-11 10:52
Thanks for the info ron b., Don and David!! I appreciate it very much.
I thought the metal clarinet was pretty neat looking when I purchased it at a thrift store many years ago. I hadn't looked at it for quite some time, however, after I recently bought another clarinet to start playing again, I brought the metal one out, thinking I might get it fixed and found this board. I look forward to starting to play again and conversing with all of you on this board. It's been fun!
Thanks too for the positive reinforcement and encouragement ron b.!
Debbie
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-07-11 13:43
Thoughts on "Do A Search": Before computers if you wanted to know something you either had to go to the library or ask someone you thought knew the answer....like your clarinet instructor. Along came computers and Google which some probably still don't know exists. Then the Sneezy BB with all the answers either in the archives or via "instant grat". New BB'ers probably don't even know about Search and if they do maybe they believe there is more recent info not in the Archives. Just telling a visitor to do a search is like being lost, going into a gas station and asking for directions and being told to go look at a map.....it doesn't accomplish anything constructive. Why not at least HIGHLIGHT the search option.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2003-07-13 12:26
I've found getting a map in the gas station to be much more productive than asking the attendent directions. Those directions are usually so poor as to be worthless.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-07-13 20:56
David Spiegelthal wrote: "...I don't malign metal clarinets across the board, many of
them are bad but some are quite good (ask J McAulay for details)..."
Dave, I'm not the metal Clarinet wizard. Perhaps a pity, I don't even own one.
Regards,
John
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Author: Fred
Date: 2003-07-13 21:33
You're thinking of Jim Lande. . . . HE DA MAN!!!
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-07-14 15:05
Doh! Fred, you're right of course, it is Jim Lande (practically my neighbor in Northern Virginia, no less) who is in fac the Godlike Guru of the Alloyful Klarinettes. My sincerest apologies to both Jim and JMcAulay for my gaffe...
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2003-07-14 20:27
What I know, I know mostly from misspending my kid’s future inheritance.
I think David is right about the source. The New Langwell Index lists a Du Mont from around 1700 and a Pierre Dumont from late 19th century. I seriously doubt there is any connection between either of these names and Rene Dumont. Many metal clarinets were imported using trade names. As I understand it, the name belonged to the importer and does not indicate who actually made the instrument. So, two Rene Dumont clarinets could date to roughly the same time period but turn out to have been made by different folks and be very different quality. My working assumption is that all of these “stencil” horns were student quality, but likely some were better. Some of the better student quality metal clarinets were good instruments and would be fine for marching band, practice, etc. Some models were offered as professional instruments in their day and IMHO are great for jazz and blues and whatever, today.
If you want to learn to restore clarinets, they can be good horns to start with. You won’t ruin them when you try to float pads over a flame.
There is a lot of prejudice against metal clarinets and some techs won’t work on them or will not put much care into the job. Call around and ask questions.
Assuming that it is complete, no dents and no frozen keys, it would fetch between $40 and $80 on eBay. Oddly, having a horn restored does not add much to the value on eBay – perhaps a hundred dollars at most. If you search, you can find a posting from last March listing all of the metal clarinet auctions from February.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2003-07-15 03:46
Jim, was it a Dumont or a Dupont that was sold by Sears in their catalog?
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2003-07-17 03:03
According to the Langwell, M Dupont was a trade name used on instruments imported from France and sold by Sears.
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