 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bartley12908
Date: 2006-01-28 02:45
I was wondering if anyone had information on Ponte Clarinets from Paris. I have recenlty aquired one and can not seem to find any literature about it. It is a wood instrument with a serial number. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2006-01-28 17:45
Hi,
This is an update from my original reply.
I seem to recall that there was a Ponte music store on John R in downtown Detroit many years ago (I could have this confused with a NYC store that I visited about the same time). I think there were several music stores in that area as well. It may be that Ponte could have had a stencil of a French clarinet made for his distribution. If Ponte was in NYC, that may have been the company.
According to my sources, that section of John R, just off Woodward, has been a victim of urban renewal. Maybe some of the folks with Detroit or NYC roots can correct any errors on my part about the name and location of these businesses.
HRL
PS A little checking has led me to this thread and Ken Shaw's response to queries about Ponte in NYC.
http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Klarinet/1999/01/000715.txt
Post Edited (2006-01-29 00:13)
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Author: bartley12908
Date: 2006-01-29 17:25
Thank you Ken. So is it safe to say if I have a Clarinet with PONTE PARIS on it, it is a Charlie Ponte product? You seem to have to most knowledge on the instrument. I have pictures if that would help. Does the serial number signify anything? Were there only so many made?
My wifes mother got the Clarinet from her mothers brother. We found it in storage. She believes it came from New York or Chicago in 1934. It would be nice to know if it is valuable (besides personal value) or just a trinket. We just had it overhauled and the repair man did not know anything about Ponte.
Thanks for your response.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-01-30 21:45
Charlie Ponte's stencil clarinets were made for the 1964 New York World's Fair, so anything from the 1930s would be different. I can't help you on the serial numbers. From what Charlie told me, I got the impression that his World's Fair instruments were made in relatively small numbers -- perhaps 100. It was long enough ago (30 years+) that I don't remember whether the instruments had any World's Fair markings, but Charlie was an astute businessman, so I suspect that they did.
I'm reasonably sure there was more than one maker who used the Ponte name. I doubt that the instrument has any particular value -- maybe $100, depending mostly on condition and secondarily on how well it plays.
Mark - what does Langwill say about Ponte?
Ken Shaw
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Author: bartley12908
Date: 2006-01-30 22:41
I received an email form Brian Charles of the Charles Double Reed Music company. He seems to believe it is a stencil of a Clarinet made in erope and sent to Charlie Ponte. Ponte then stamped his name and serial number into it.
Thank you all for your responses. I now have a lot more to work with.
Great BB.
Wayne
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-02-02 16:04
Here's some interesting stuff that appeared recently on the IDRS list:
Lani Spahr (oboist and English horn player):
Here's another US-branded instrument - Ponte. This was the music store in NYC that specialized in double reeds (I was there in the 60s and what I remember most was all the cane all over the place) and he did what Ben Storch did, import instruments and put his name on them. I have an English horn with this brand and while it's not going to be mistaken for a great Lorée, it is nonetheless a decent instrument. As far as I can tell it could be a Bulgheroni (and that's based on comparisons of keywork).
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Brian Charles (oboist, dealer and reed maker):
I was the reedmaker for Ponte from 1977 through 1984, when he retired. Of the stories I can tell --
He had three repairmen on staff full time -- his brother Frank was the brass guy and a real sweetheart. Harry was the ancient, grumpy sax guy who sat upstairs and growled all day when he wasn't throwing things. Downstairs in the back was Pedro Rivera, who did the double reeds and higher level repair stuff. He fixed horns for Harold Gomberg, Woody Allen, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis -- you get the idea.
Pedro was given a bag of keys and a wood body, which he reamed and then set up the keys on. As a kid there, I was not privy to all the background info, but Old Man Prestini and Charlie's Uncle -- Chassirini -- were visiting from Europe on a regular basis, and the oboes, English horns, and sometimes bassoons, seemed to arrive when they did.
The guys would hang out in the back, drinking hard liquor, eating very stinky Italian fish sandwiches, which Charlie proudly made, and yelling at each other. The combo of them speaking English badly, and Italian quickly, and loudly, made the whole thing a blur to me.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-02-23 09:16
I just had my Charles Ponte clarinet restored to working condition. It was purchased in like new condition from Ponte in 1968 and bears the serial number 1414 to commemorate the fact that it was a gift from my parents on my 14th birthday. The name Charles Ponte is lightly stamped only on the the top stack and the serial number is stamped just as lightly on the underside. The tone holes are not undercut but it is an "adequate" Bb clarinet in what appears to be old growth grenadilla wood with a nice tight grain. I would love to know more about it and to this day it seems in very good condition with no cracks and only a small nick on the top tenon which does little to change its almost like new condition. In 1972 I put it back in the case to pursue a successful NYC career in legitmate dance (my first real job). When I was forced to quit due to innevitable injury in the early 80's, I forgot completely that I ever did play the clarinet despite the fact that I played in the Jazz Mobile youth group in 1971 and all during high school in the school orchestra. My brother was a very successful NY musician who played lead alto for the Bob January band and other revial big bands in addition to the standard make do jobs. He passed judgement on my clarinet as an OK instrument and unfortunately he is no longer with us to comment further. My memory of Charles Ponte is vague, but I saw him as the friendly neighborhood horn man who presented himself as giving us a good deal on this quality clarinet for only $125 with the case. I'm back into playing using my old Vandoren 5RV mouthpiece and some of the old 2.5 and 3 strength reeds sound as good as new reeds that I'm buying today.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: kilo
Date: 2012-02-23 13:34
My Eb clarinet was a Ponte, bought at Charles Ponte's shop on 48th Street back around 65 or 66. It was a "very sweet-sounding little horn" according to Paul Lavalle (of Band of America fame) who was conducting our all-county band in 67. Sadly, it was stolen, along with my Centered Tone, a few years later.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-02-24 15:23
I know that it has been many years since your clarinet was stolen but since my clarinet was purchased in 1967-68 and yours around 66, it is highly likely that these two horns are brothers from the same mother (factory). Do you recall if your horn had a faint Ponte stamp on it? (no gold embed nor fancy lettering and no other distinguishing lettering anywhere on the body or barrell or bell) I can post a recent photo of my 67-68 Ponte horn.
Garth Libre, Miami Florida
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: kilo
Date: 2012-02-24 16:35
Yes, that's right, Garth, just a faint stamp "Ponte" . . . I'm thinking it was located near the thumbrest, but I may be wrong. Can't remember if there was a serial number.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-02-24 20:36
I'm going to post a links to some photos so you can possibly identify this as being a similar bloodline horn. Who made these Ponte's (Malverne?) Anyone?
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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