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How to make a Silva Bet better.

Author: jim lande
Date: 2003-05-06 03:33

The Cundy Bettoney company began offering professional quality metal clarinets in
the late 1920's, ultimately with the name 'Silva Bet'. Within five years, most of the
leading clarinet makers were offering high end metal clarinets. Some said that their
metal clarinets were better than their wooden models. However, within a decade,
most had returned to featuring the wooden models and produced only student metal
clarinets. Very few metal clarinets were made after 1950. Based on serial numbers,
I think that Bettoney produced more than 5000 professional grade metal clarinets.
One or two show up on eBay each month.

There have been many advances in clarinet design in the last 70 years and I am
unqualified to say much about them. Three that I have read about on Klarinet are
undercutting tone holes, the use of poly-cylindrical bores and milling reverse tapers
in barrels. Undercutting tone holes in a metal clarinet probably means making
specialized cutters. I don't think you can reshape the bore. However, it should be
possible to make replacement barrels following newer designs..

Many on the list are familiar with Walter Grabner and ClarinetXpress. Walter
agreed to make a new barrel for one of my Silva Bets. ($99 plus shipping.) It
arrived tonight. I believe that it is modeled after his 'fat body' barrel. It is made from
coco bola and has some sort of insert in the bottom tenon to reduce the socket so
that it fits on the narrow neck of the Silva Bet.

Both Walter and I think that it improves the tone and possibly that the clarinet plays
in tune a little better. The latter is very hard for me to judge. I spent a while with an
electronic tuner. Those things drive me crazy. I was using a J&D Hite hard rubber
mouthpiece, velcro ligature and a Van Dorn 2 1/2 reed. Slides are easy. When I
am not sliding, I generally use a bit of tremolo. I am pretty convinced that I got more
approval beeps when I used the wooden barrel.

I tried the barrel on two other Silva Bets. One is a 7 ring model and I thought the
results were equally good. The other is in the key of A. I think that the bore is
larger on the A and that the barrel a bit longer. The barrel designed for the Bb did
not perform as well on the A, but was usable.

I also tried using my Clark Fobes mouthpiece with the barrel. I'm not sure that I
have an opinion, yet. This is not extensive testing.

Would I consider buying another barrel based on measurements of the first? This
could be a little risky, since it appears that there was some variation in the length of
the Silva Bet barrels over time -- and maybe bore size. I'll have to do some
checking. Also, Walter likes to have the clarinet, mouthpiece & setup so that he can
fine tune his barrel. Still, I might buy one on spec. It would save shipping costs for
the instrument..

It is funny looking? I'll have to post a pic. However, anything that takes people's
eyes off of me improves their view.

Have we caught up to today's professional clarinets? My opinion cannot be trusted
-- I was already planning to get rid of my R13. Walter didn't beg me to let him keep
the Silva Bet, so I guess the answer is no.

Am I recommending that other Silva Bet owners buy a wooden barrel? Well yes, in
the interest of science. More opinions would be good. Clarinets without barrels
show up on eBay all the time and some barrels are damaged. I find it comforting to
know that these Silva Bets can be rescued. I am now planning to mail Walter a
Silver King.

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