 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Elleceaus
Date: 2005-08-21 15:22
Long time Bboard reader, occasional poster. =-) I have a "Know How Old My Clarinet Is" question (sorry- I'm sure many of you tire of these).
I have an old E flat Albert System clarinet. The body is wood, the bell looks to be plastic. Is has CG Conn, Elkhart Indiana on the bell. It has STRING on one of the joints (barrel to the upper section) which I found interesting. I think it’s called Tenon String? I've searched the Conn website and came up empty on an age estimate. I'm not looking for an EXACT date- heck- any date will do. (It is without any serial numbers too.) My guess is it's from the Vaudeville era (20's, 30's). It definitely SMELLS old! =-) Any advice? Thanks in advance!
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-08-21 19:06
Your guess is probably good. "Any old string" can be used to wrap a tenon. The problem with string is that it has no "give" and so the fit has to be "close".....and if it's too close you can have a devil of a time getting the joint apart. My impression is that many of the "old timers" who played clarinet in non-symphonic venues used various "patch techniques" either due to time or financial constraints. You can make a reed from a tongue depressor if you have to.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-08-21 19:12
Reading your [insufficient for me] info on a wood/plastic-bell horn makes me think it may be a "shotgun marriage" of a 1900's [no-name] Albert and a 1920's [perhaps] bell. Does it have anything [like wings?] with the Conn logo? How many rings does the cl have? that might help a bit. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Elleceaus
Date: 2005-08-21 21:54
If I understand ring counting properly, it has 4 rings (2 on top half: first and middle fingers, and 2 on lower half: middle and third finger). It has 3 trill keys and 4 keys on the lower half have rollers. The keys look to be silver plated (they cleaned up nicely).
The logo has C.G. Conn in cursive with "Made By" arched above the cursive and "Elkhart, Ind." arched below the cursive.
It has a nitch at the middle joint (between upper and lower key pieces) that looked to once house a metal band (or ring) to keep it together tightly.
The "shotgun marriage" is a great way to put it. I've wondered if indeed it's all the same Conn clarinet.
Thanks a bunch! Elle
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-08-21 22:19
Yup. I've seen a number of cls of uncertain parentage, the 4 rings and the rollers would put it into the late 1800s-early 1900s period, IMHO, Conn made MANY insts from then into the mid 1900s ! How does it play [or not?]. Prob. worth little except for your curiousity, I'd guess. Have fun, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-08-21 23:41
Many "modern" clarinets still have grooves on the tenons, a throwback to earlier times when string wrapped tenons were the norm. The grooves are totally un-necessary for sticking cork but rather handy if you prefer string. I guess some mfgrs never felt inclined to change the tenon design. Why should they? The grooves do no harm and string is cheap.
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2005-08-22 01:23
When "on the road" back in my cruise ship days, I once repaired a cork that came off with three spools of dental floss, the waxed kind. It was cumbersome to get it all wound on, but once it was in place, it worked just fine.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Elleceaus
Date: 2005-08-22 13:29
Right now- it doesn't play (it's in desperate need of a new mouthpiece, pads and corks). I've debated on keeping it antique-y or restoring it for play. It sure is a cute fella. I can tell it was once greatly loved so it only seems right to restore it for play. Of course my community band director made me PROMISE not to play it in our band! =-) Poor Eb's! (haha!)
thanks again! Elle
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-08-22 13:37
My very first clarinet back in 1939, an Andre Ruelan, was wood except for the barrel, mp, and bell which were all "plastic" or hard rubber......and they were all original equipment.
Bob Draznik
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-08-22 16:30
Why not play it in a band... or anywhere else? Because it "looks different?"
It's not *what* you play, Elleceaus, it's *how* you play it that gets the gigs (in my world anyway). After basic training (waaay back in 1955), I played in USAF bands for the rest of my four-year commitment on my trusty old Albert system clarinet. If you know your scales and stuff (and a little theory doesn't hurt), if you can read, have a decent sound and blend well with the outfit you're playing in, the instrument is secondary. Your skill as a musician is what counts.
- ron b -
p.s -- i don't recall discussing our instruments but i definitely remember talking a lot about making good music.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2005-08-23 11:52
One reason not to play that clarinet in a modern band may be extremely sharp pitch, if the clarinet is old enough that string on the tenons was the original equipment, instead of cork. See if you can find the letters "HP" or "LP" anywhere on the body of the instrument (most likely either on the back, near the thumb rest, or next to the serial number, if any). In the 1920s and 1930s, a lot of clarinets were stamped HP or LP to let buyers know whether they were High Pitch (old standard) or Low Pitch (A=440, the modern standard). High pitch varies encormously, depending on where the clarinet was made. One some of my oldies, the pitch is so sharp that it's not feasible to pull out enough to match the pitch of modern instruments. The joints have to be pulled out so far that the instrument is thrown out of pitch with itself, and everything's out of tune. But an old, high pitch instrument is great for playing with other people who like to collect old instruments.
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: Elleceaus
Date: 2005-08-26 19:26
I haven't found a serial number or lettering (as mentioned above). It's quite a mysterious little fellow.
Thanks (to all) for the info. This has been a huge help!
Elle
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