The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: leo cirino
Date: 2002-04-23 03:35
any comments and suggestions appreciated on an ambassador, f e olds and son clarinet s/n 46xxx needing overhaul. cannot find too much on these clarinets except at the factory site for new ones. tried to contact them but did not get through.
leo
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2002-04-23 13:37
Leo,
The F.E. Olds and Son Co. used to be based in Fullerton, CA. They made marvelous brass instruments at the time. They used different importers and Elkhart companies for their woodwinds (stencils) so it would be hard to trace what you have. The company went out of business in the 70's. Bob Getzen of Allied bought some of the brass tooling and Selmer bought the rest of it. The name was purchased by the NEMC folks who now have companies stencil the instruments for them. I've heard that some of the older Olds "Opera" (Paris) clarinets were made by Buffet. I can not substantiate that however, just what has been posted on this BB before. I had an Olds "Parisian" alto sax once that played really well. I don't know what company manufactured it, but it wasn't too bad.
jbutler
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-04-23 14:52
The Olds Parisian Ambassador saxes were decent intermediate-level instruments, made by in France by a company named (more or less) "Beaugnier" --- I may have the spelling wrong, I've also seen it spelled "Beauginer" or something like that. But the U.S.-made Olds instruments, be they clarinets or saxes, are a completely different animal. I know that some of the Olds harmony clarinets were made in France by Robert Malerne, but I can't say who made soprano clarinets for Olds.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-04-23 15:34
John -
I played an Olds Opera clarinet at a show a number of years ago, and it was definitely a Buffet stencil. The Olds rep admitted it. The other models were completely different in design and nowhere close in playing qualities.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2002-04-23 18:28
One of my students has one of those "other" models, and it is not a good instrument. Key spacing is too wide, especially for a young beginner. It may be ok for a non-serious adult player.
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