 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: corks&pads
Date: 2006-03-01 23:29
Sometimes I get sufficiently curious about something that it's worth a few bucks to me to find out more about it. Such was the case when I recently lobbed a few bucks at an Ebay Bb clarinet that seemed to be a "no name" brand.
In the photo, it looked like blanched-out grenadilla--much in need of oil. When it arrived today, I found it to be bakelite. Nothing special, maybe, but kinda neat anyway. Different, at least.
Even more interesting is that it has some features found on pretty decent instruments. At least some (haven't looked closely yet) of the lower joint's tone holes are undercut. The bore of the lower joint is pronouncedly conical. The area beneath the "crow's foot" is cut away, very much like on the Buffet R-13. The keys appear to be nickle-plate on brass, and they are rather similar to those on the older style Buffet.
The markings clearly indicate that it was made under the Gautrot patents, and it appears that it was made by Gautrot Aine'. I'm really surprised at how good the condition is--when I opened the case and saw it was bakelite, I assumed there would be cracks and chips, but I haven't found any ... yet.
[Edited later additions: There's no serial number, but I found some very faint markings on it that appear to say Bb, with _ P underneath that. I'm pretty sure that it says LP, but it could be HP. Info from an archives search dates the LP marking to the mid-1930s, or before, so it would be early bakelite (if it's indeed bakelite). Other archives postings suggest that this may be hard rubber. They talk of a browninsh green color. This has no green tint. It's almost exactly the color of a Hershey's milk chocolate bar.]
Is anyone here familiar with either Gautrot Aine' or bakelite clarinets? I'm really curious how this one sounds and may have to bump one of my other elderly horns from their spot on the restoration list.
Post Edited (2006-03-01 23:50)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-03-02 00:31
Gosh, what an interesting history Mark has found for you, C&P . I would agree that its not Bakelite [prob. too early !] but hard rubber likely. Is it a Boehm [modern] key system, or a "13 key Albert/Muller" cl ? A pic?? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: corks&pads
Date: 2006-03-02 00:54
Thanks, Mark C.!
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MARK:
[ a ] G (anchor) A (in oval cartouche)
[ b ] (lyre) / GAUTROT AINÉ/ BREVETE / A PARIS / *
[ c ] J GAUTROT-MARQUET / PARIS / BREVETE S.G.D.G. (in oval cartouche)
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The mark on this one is like b, but in an oval cartouche (no lyre) and with BREVETE S.G.D.G.
I'm going to guess that this was made by Couesnon, and is from the '20s or '30s. I'd have a really hard time believing that it's late 19th century. More research needed!
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Author: corks&pads
Date: 2006-03-02 01:00
Don - It's a Boehm system. I'll try to post a pic soon. As for whether it's hard rubber or bakelite (or similar material), I don't have a problem accepting that it may be hard rubber, but I've seen any number of bakelite-case early radios, and this sure does look like those. I don't have much experience with hard rubber, though.
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Author: corks&pads
Date: 2006-03-02 14:45
Now that I've been able to see the thing in a new light (literally!), and have inspected it under a glass, I see that inside the bore is darker in color than the outside, and the tops of the tone holes, where the pads have protected them for years, are black. Although it has the glossy look of bakelite, and is very close to the color of several bakelite items that I've got, I'm now more convinced that this instrument is indeed hard rubber.
Anyone here have experience with conserving that stuff? I'm assuming that it would benefit from some form of oil or other moisture-inducing agent, but haven't a clue what to use.
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Author: D
Date: 2006-03-02 20:48
You can't conserve rubber or other plastics. You can keep it cool which will slow the oxidisation, but won't do a thing for playability and is only really an option if you are talking museum storage. If you oil it, it might look better because the oil will act as an optical filler - make the surface seem darker and give it more visual integrity. It won't help the rubber though and will just make everything slimy. I wouldn't bother myself because it will only clag things up and get in the pads and tone holes.
Plastics can only really have their deterioration slowed. It can't be halted or reversed. Generally speaking, things which make them worse are light, heat and catalysation by gaseous pollutants. These could be from other materials (i.e. the case) or from products of the decay process itself. The best ways to slow the deterioration are to keep it dark, cool (temp depends on type of plastic and associated materials), stable and generally low relative humidity and good ventilation with non-contaminated air.
I'd say, enjoy it while you have it, it won't last for ever.
But then that is true of wood too!
Post Edited (2006-03-03 07:00)
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