 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Joe_R
Date: 2008-05-27 15:10
I recently acquired a B flat clarinet made by Adler @ co. They seem to be a very reputable manufacture in Germany.
I cannot find ANY reference to a full Boehm manufactured by this company. I have e-mailed them but have not received any reply.
Does anyone know where I might look for information about this clarinet other than Google?
I have heard good reviews of the German bore in combination with the full Boehm system. However, Wurlitzer is the only company that appears to have made them.
On a similar note, what is the difference between the full Boehm and the reform Boehm systems?
Thanks,
Joe.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2008-05-27 19:11
Hi Joe - I know very little about German clarinets, BUT their keying system derives from the Muller-Albert-Oehler cl [with improvements], while Boehm-Sax-Buffet produced the French clarinet of 17 keys and 6 rings, where the "Full B" is the addition of four keyings, 3 keys and one ring to our basic cl. Therefor there is no "F B" in the German system cls, prob. the additional keyings are just described as such ! Help [others] , Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Joe_R
Date: 2008-05-27 19:55
Just to clarify, this appears to be the key work of a full boehm. 20 keys 7 rings. Just like a Selmer series 9 or Buffet RC full boehm.
The instrument appears to be c1930's. I would just like to find a resource that could tell me more about this clarinet.
The company is still in business, but doesn't answer my e-mails. Maybe I have to learn German.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2008-05-27 20:08
Sorry Joe, I seem to have misinterpreted your question. I made a quickie search of "Adler Boehm" and suggest you read what is there. Many cls of the FR system are made in Germany, perhaps yours may be one of them?
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-05-27 21:28
Joe wrote:
I cannot find ANY reference to a full Boehm manufactured by this company.
You didn't Google very hard!
On http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/euchmi/ubl/ublf1.html
you can find:
(4964) Clarinet in A, Full Boehm system. Adler, Markneukirchen, Germany, c 1910. (Sir Nicholas Shackleton Collection)
It would be worth checking whether it is the same "Adler". These German firms seem to have a habit of sharing names (e.g. Keilwerth, Wurlitzer). I'm pretty sure there are/were at least two musical instrument firms called Adler, though they may not both have made clarinets.
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Author: John25
Date: 2008-05-27 21:31
Several German instrument makers made full Boehm clarinets before World War II. Even Heckel, the famous bassoon firm, advertised full Boehm clarinets.
To answer your last question - the "full Boehm" clarinet has been made by most manufacturers, although the big 3 don't seem to make them any more. It is a Boehm clarinet with extra keys - fork Eb/Bb, articulated C#/G#, a key for the left-hand little finger giving Ab/Eb, and a key for low Eb.The rest of the clarinet is as the normal instrument made by the specific manufacturer - French bore, French m/piece, etc. if made by a French maker.
The "Reform Boehm" is a different concept. It is a deliberate effort to combine the German bore (and sound) with the Boehm fingering system. Yamaha make one with automatic Bb mechanism and an extra hole for the F/C key. Instruments made by German manufacturers usually also have a forked Eb/Bb, a left-hand key for Ab/Eb and a different mechanism for trilling B-C#/F#-G#. The "Schmidt Reform-Boehm" has one or two extra vent-keys in addition.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-05-28 00:04
That's the standard full Boehm system, though Adler being a German company shows several German design ideas in their key shapes as well as the forked Bb vent pad cup being soldered onto the LH2 ring (as seen on German/Oehler systems) instead of on a seperate cup arm, though it all looks well (and aesthetically) designed and built.
Some Uebel (FA and GR Uebel) full Boehms and standard Boehms (and basset horns) had very utilitarian keywork, mostly made from singular sheet metal parts that were stamed out from nickel silver sheet (probably around 2.5mm thick) and bent to shape, so the pad cups were completely flat on top (and the undersides were recessed for a pad to fit into).
Currently Adler (partnered with Moennig) only make German and Oehler system clarinets going from what their site shows, though they're more famous for their bassoons. Vincent Bach used to be the distributor of most of the former East German makers (including Adler and Moennig), though since Reunification they these companies have upped their standards and have shrugged off the patchy quality they gained a bad reputation for during the '60s to the '90s. B&S were one such company and their instruments were pretty crude, but they improved the quality after Reunification.
The German bore has a longer top joint and short barrel in comparison to a French clarinet, and the bore has a longer parallel section and shorter length to the flared section in the lower joint - on French bores the flare begins a fair way above the F#/C# tonehole, whereas on German bores the flare begins below the F#/C# tonehole. Though with some French full Boehms the flared section in the lower joint bore may be below the F#/C# tonehole, so it could be difficult to tell just by looking if it has a French or German bore.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Joe_R
Date: 2008-05-29 16:29
Thanks to all that replied.
Norbert, thanks for the link to the A clarinet at EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY. I wonder if they would be interested in a companion B flat.
Chris P. Thanks for sharing your knowledge about these instruments. I received more info from you than all the Internet sources combined.
One more question. I have confirmed that this has a German bore.
Can anyone recommend what mouth pieces I should try with this clarinet??
Thanks again,
Joe.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-05-29 17:50
If it works well with a French style mouthpiece, then that should be fine.
But if not, you may need a German type mouthpiece which is narrower than a French one as well as being slightly longer. German mouthpieces have a very close tip opening and long lay (the distance between the tip and where the side rails and reed meet) in comparison to French mouthpieces, so harder reeds work best with these. Though if you play on a 3 on a French mouthpiece, try a German 3 with the German mouthpiece to see how that works for you to begin with. German mouthpieces may or may not have a slightly concave table depending on the maker.
Vandoren German mouthpieces are a good place to start (probably a VD3), though measure the barrel socket to see what diameter mouthpiece tenon you will need. Vandoren offer their German mouthpieces with a 22mm and a 22.4mm tenon.
Some older German clarinets have a narrow socket of around 22-23mm so the mouthpiece tenon will need to be turned down narrower if it's a tight fit. Though Uebel, Yamaha and Wurlitzer clarinets have a wide socket at around 22.5+mm and their mouthpieces will have the larger diameter tenon.
Also Vandoren 'White Master' reeds or any other German cut reeds are important as French reeds are too wide (and the scrape is too long) for German mouthpiece facings.
Use either a fabric ligature (Rovner, BG, etc.) or a length of braided string (around 4' in length and 2-2.5mm in diameter) with German mouthpieces instead of a metal ligature.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Joe_R
Date: 2008-05-30 17:03
Thanks again Chris. I just got an e-mail from the managing director of Adler.
He seems quite interested in the clarinet. He's looking into the serial number and requested pics.
Post Edited (2008-05-30 18:58)
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