 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Aaron Neuhaus
Date: 1999-09-13 19:29
I recently came by a clarinet. It is silver plated, and the bell has engraved on it "The Peddler Premier" Elkhart Ind. #8162. I was just wondering if anyone knew what this could be.
Just a little about me... I am a UCSD Chemical Engineer and play a Buffet R-13, but haven't done much since I've been at college except a musical and a few concert classes for fun. My little brother is starting to play clarinet in 5th grade, so he has my other one... I am so happy for him.
Aaron Neuhaus
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-09-14 00:29
I can't speak to this particular model but here is some general information.
The heyday of metal clarinets was the 1920s through sometime in the 1940s. Of course they were also made before and after this time but were not nearly as common. The market was the school and college marching band trade. Thus the majority of these instruments were student grade. There were a few intermediates made and a very, very few professional models made.
The student horns were generally built to be rugged and inexpensive. This resulted in tonal and pitch compromises that, of course, lead to a pretty poor reputation for metal horns. As a result too many of these are being turned into lamps.
There are thousands of metal clarinets hidden away in attics, barns, garages, etc across this country. If you ever look at the eBay auction site, about 10% of the offerings are metal clarinets.
I wouldn't use one for serious playing as most do have problems but they are nice to have in playing condition for conversation pieces, just for fun, and to have a little bit of clarinet history. You can get one of the old student metal instruments for anywhere from $25 to $75 depending on condition and brand. Since the pro horns are so rare, their prices are quite high and so if I had one I wouldn't play regularly either as it would be a collectors item.
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Author: jim lande@ erols.com
Date: 1999-09-16 03:30
Pedlar did make a top model, but I think that one was either called 'the pedlar' or simply marked Harry Pedlar. One of those models had an adjustable barrel (it turned to expand or contract) and could be had in a model that breaks in the middle like most clarinets. Apparently they made an albert model that was highly regarded by some jazz clarinet players. Pedlar was a big maker of student models. I really don't know if the premier was their intermediate or just another student model. It is possible that once restored, this one would play on a par with a current student model such as Vito or Bundy. It would be fine for a 5th grader. Do not let a 5th grader use your R13.
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