 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: johannes
Date: 2009-02-23 09:09
Dear all,
I have recently acquired a Boosey & Hawkes Emperor (that's what it says on the bell, not on the top joint underneath the logo) sn. 186279. The funny thing is, I have a hard time deciding whether it is actually made of wood or compsed of some other material. The surface is very smooth, but it does show up grains. The clarinet smells really awfull, but this may also be due to the fact that the previous owner apparantly applied Moeck recorder oil to the body. It plays rather nicely, though. Any ideas?
kind regards,
Johannes
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-02-23 09:31
Emperors were made mostly in wood (which was highly polished), though there were some made in very hard plastic.
The wooden ones will have metal tenon rings.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: johannes
Date: 2009-02-23 11:34
Dear Chris,
Thanks for the information. I guess my Emperor is made of wood, then.
I still have to find a way of getting rid of the smell, though ... applying almond oil, perhaps, ever so gently? I understand from previous forum
discussions that B&H serial number lists are all over the shop. Do you have
any idea about thuis Emperor's age? (sn.186279) Also, how does the Emperor compare with other clarinets in what used to be the B&H catalogue, or with any other makes?
thanks,
Johannes
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-02-23 12:12
The Emperor is a silver plated version of the Edgware and also shares the same bore as the Imperial 926.
So in the standard lineup, you have:
Regent (plastic, nickel plated keys),
Edgware (wood, nickel plated keys),
Emperor (wood, silver plated keys),
Imperial 926 (wood, silver plated keys and smooth socket rings).
All of which have the 14.9mm bore. The Symphony 1010 has the 15.2mm bore.
Just to add to the confusion (although they will be labelled with the model name), the Edgware was also made in turned PVC as was the Emperor (and some were also made from bakelite) and the Imperial was also made in ebonite with nickel plated keys.
The serial number dates it to 1960 http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clsnBH.htm so it may have a mixture of older and newer style keys as this was roughly the time they were changing the keywork design.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-02-23 12:52
>>I still have to find a way of getting rid of the smell, though ... applying almond oil, perhaps, ever so gently?>>
I use a non-aromatic bore oil. If a clarinet is really dirty, I apply the oil with a modified pad-saver rod that I covered with sewn-on flannel that I can easily remove later and machine wash. (I never use naked pad savers and never leave one in an instrument. I salvaged the flannel from a worn-out old shirt, washed so many times there's no lint. The flannel prevents that fuzzy stuff on the pad saver from catching and accumulating inside the clarinet.) Washing out the inside of the case and drying it open to the sun, while the clarinet airs out safely in the house, can help prevent that stink from coming back. Since you've been able to play the clarinet, the pads must be in reasonably good condition, but pads do pick up and hold odors. So do corks.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2009-02-23 18:14
I think the actual bore size of 926 clarinets and their derivatives are 0.593" or 15.06 mm.
My 1953 Imperial A still measures 15.05mm but my much more recent 1979 Bb measures 15.15mm almost up to the 1010 bore!. I think they were getting a bit sloppy on their tolerances towards the end.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-02-23 23:32
Are you taking the measurement from the top tenon or mid tenon?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2009-02-24 18:56
The 926 (and 1010) instruments should be parallel from the top of the barrel right through to the start of the bell flare with no inverse or other taper so should measure 15.05 ( 15.2) at any point within this. In practice I measure with a bore guage at many points of the bore. It is quite common to find some distortion, usually an inward swelling right under the top tenon area and sometimes also under centre tenon so measuring at these points can be misleading. I suspect most of this problem is caused by moisture absorbed into the end grain due to improper cleaning or failure to treat these areas with oil.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-02-24 23:16
I thought the 926/Emperor/Edgware bore did have a slight expansion at the top end. The ones I've measured have an expansion from where the speaker tube is to the top tenon where it widens to around 15.1mm or thereabouts, and the bore from there downwards to the mid tenon is 14.9mm.
But measuring a bakelite-bodied Regent (33xxxx) bore just now does show it's in the region of 15.06-15.1mm, and parallel.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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