 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Vahid Zardoost
Date: 1999-04-04 01:24
I have a metal clarinet Silver King N. P. made by The H. N.
White Co. in Cleveland. I like to know how valuable this clarinet is. I really appreciate if any one will provide some information about this.
Thanks a lot and yes I am willing to sell it for best offer.
Vahid
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 1999-04-04 12:58
Your best bet is to try to sell it on something like the eBay auction. Most of the metal ones are going for anywhere from $25 to $100 depending on the condition (pictures help), the number of other metal clarinets up for auction, and the brand. About 10% of the clarinets on eBay at any one time are metal instruments. A few do bring higher prices (such as the Bettony Silver Bet and the few double wall models that appear from time to time). At one time, metal clarinets were made by the ton for the student and marching band trade. The number of old metal clarinets for sale actually seems to be increasing as people seem to be cleaning out garages, attics, and finding them at estate sales more and more these days.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Frank D
Date: 1999-04-05 21:01
I see Silver Kings going for $50 - 100 on the eBay auction site. I recently purchased and restored one, and am surprised a how good it sounds. It really gets a nice full "woody" sound.
For more info on the Silver King, check out www.bobackermansaxophones.com/prez.html
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: John Dean
Date: 1999-04-07 00:31
I think you will pay more than $100 if it is solid silver! It should have a £ sign on the bell as a silver hallmark. I paid $500 for mine in the UK with a complete and guaranteed overhaul and it plays great. Yes the woody sound is the first thing you notice. I think most of the Ebay metals are cheap ones . You pay for what you get I always believe.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 1999-04-07 02:47
Frank D wrote:
-------------------------------
I see Silver Kings going for $50 - 100 on the eBay auction site. I recently purchased and restored one, and am surprised a how good it sounds. It really gets a nice full "woody" sound.
For more info on the Silver King, check out www.bobackermansaxophones.com/prez.html
-------------------------------
The clarinet sound is fundamentally established by the fact that it functions as a cylindrical pipe closed at one end and driven by a single beating reed. So this should not be surprising. The main problem with most metal clarinets was the fact that the large majority were aimed at the student market and thus were not as well designed in terms of pitch accuracy or mechanism. These were built to be sturdy and reliable but many of the mechanism were thus not as light and responsive as one might prefer in a professional horn.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jim lande (lande @ erols.com)
Date: 1999-04-07 03:24
Interestingly, the silver king is one of the heavier horns. It is silver plated, not solid silver. Better than the
typical student horns. $500 sounds high, but keep in mind
that a top quality overhaul can run $200 and the prices on eBay run less than at a shop. Also, lets face it, not all Buffets sound the same. the same is true for metal clarinets. John Dean may have an especially nice one that was priced accordingly.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: John Dean
Date: 1999-04-07 23:32
Hi Jim, I have been assured that the £ sign on the bell is a true hallmark of solid silver. Certainly the horn has cleaned up miraculously from a dingy metal colour into a lovely bright silver with a gold wash in the bell. It plays better than my R13 in the upper register and I love the sound that Lester Young made with a similar King. The extra resistance in blowing is a plus point and I feel it will give me an edge in competition with louder horns!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jim lande (lande @ erols.com)
Date: 1999-04-08 03:25
The silver kings (and some of the Cleveland models also by King) had double walls for the bottom part of the bells. It is possible that sterling has been used in that part only.
I have some King sales literature and there is no solid silver option. One would need a lot of catalog references over time to be absolutely sure.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jim lande (lande @ erols.com)
Date: 1999-04-08 03:29
John: just tried to post your directly for a side bar
at
<Johndean2@compuserve.co.uk>
and got bounced
please e-mail me at lande@erols.com
regards
jim
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
