 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mel Lazin
Date: 2008-09-30 20:43
I just bought a Full Boehm Unibody Low Pitch Clarinet in the Key of A. It appears to have the original bell and barrel. The clarinet is marked with “A” “LP” and “Austria” and has a wrapped around register key. The bell is marked “Wulschner Stewart Music Company”. The barrel is marked “A”.
If the bell is original then, it would appear that this clarinet was made in Austria and imported into the US and sold between 1904 and 1914 based on the fact that a company in Indianapolis was known as Wulschner Stewart starting in 1904 and the company ceased operations in 1914. The fact that the clarinet says “Austria” and not “Oesterreich” would indicate (to me) that it was manufactured for the English speaking markets. The fact that the clarinet is a Boehm system clarinet, indicates (to me) that it was not manufactured for use in Germany or Austria.
The clarinet is extremely well made and in perfect condition with excellent tone, pitch, and response, and appears to be of professional grade. (my other clarinet is an R-13 which I bought new for $240 in 1962).
At present, the manufacturer is unknown.
Can anyone shed any light on this mystery?
Has anyone seen this company?
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Author: Tony Beck
Date: 2008-10-01 01:45
This is certainly a stencil, not made by Wulschner. It COULD be a Kohlert. Kohlerts are variously marked Czecho-Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, Bohemia or Austria. All of the pre-WW II Kohlerts were made in Krazlitz/Graslitz, which was at various times in all of the above countries. LP Kohlerts can be great clarinets. Full Boehms are not unusual, but Kohlerts pitched in A are. If it is a Kohlert, it’s probably a professional quality horn, for its era.
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Author: Mel Lazin
Date: 2008-10-09 16:15
Thank you so much Tony for your response. I will look on the web for a Kohlert full Boehm in either Bb or A and see if the keys look similar for those years.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2008-10-09 17:06
Hi Mel - I have 2 Kohlerts, a "Winnenden" 17/6 A and a "Graslitz" Bb, also 17/6, so if you can post a pic or two, I'll compare key structures. My "unibody" is a Preufer 19/7, no low Eb, and my F B is a 1932 Selmer RI. Its fun checking out these golden oldies, isn't it? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-10-13 23:18
The build quality is astounding from what I can see.
And it's far more French-looking than I assumed.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2008-10-14 14:56
Hi Mel - FINE pics, beautiful detail. I agree with Chris on both points. The ?defining? keyworks IMHO, are the "doughnut" key for the "fork" Eb/Bb by raising the 2nd finger left hand, the Articulated C#/G# mechs and the several adjusting screws. I'd vote for Buffet, but am no expert there, other than examining 2 [lesser keyed] Buffs at an auction, bidding, but losing, dern it. Perhaps others may know IF other makers used the doughnot key. Other FBs of that vintage I've owned/examined all had a small, padded tonehole for the Eb/Bb tuning vent. Experts like Al Rice [will look in his books] and Debbi Reeves at NMM my know of this question. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Mel Lazin
Date: 2008-10-14 19:02
Thanks Tony, Don and Chris.
I just now showed my Mystery Clarinet to a woodwind repair professional (over 30 years).
He could not explain it, but he tells me that the keywork was made at the same factory where Buffet manufactures it's keywork. He showed me a Full Boehm Bb which had identical keywork. Not close, but identical. He even pulled the pivot screws on both and held them side by side. They were also identical.
It appears (to him) that the clarinet body was made in Austria, and that the Buffet keywork must have been imported to Austria from Paris for assembly.
He was knocked out by the condition and performance of the clarinet.
Did I mention that I paid $150 for it?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-10-14 19:43
$150?!?!?!? What a steal!
And as for previously saying French-looking, I was originally going to say it's a Buffet clone - though that's plain for all to see. I don't know of any other makers that used the 'doughnut key' for LH2 and the doubled G# keys apart from Buffet.
The full Boehm Buffets of this type (one-piece body) had the articulated G# as well as the extra G-Ab trill key for RH2 (the upper 'sliver' key) which opened a seperate G# tonehole on the side - which your one has as well.
Most full Boehms (including Buffets from later on) had the extra G-Ab trill ('sliver') key mounted on the main G# lever barrel so they both operated the same piece of mechanism that controlled the G# pad cup.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Mel Lazin
Date: 2008-10-21 23:59
Thanks Tony, Don and Chris.
Well the mystery deepens...
Apparently, I have an Austrian Clarinet which is a stencil made for the US market, and made to appear like a Buffet of the same vintage.
If Full Boehm Bb Clarinets were made to transpose the A parts, then why are A Clarinets made Full Boehm?
Mel
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Author: modernicus
Date: 2008-11-01 17:27
I have seen on the auction site Penzell-Mueller and Kohlert clarinets that had the "doughnut key", and maybe several others (Bettony?) I don't remember. I have a stencil clarinet marked Carl Fischer Excelsior (with obvious spots where other logos were filed off!) with only the wood mouthpiece marked France that I thought was a Buffet, because the keywork is identical in every way to pictures I have compared it to of early 20th century Buffets (not this one, but mine does have an absolutely identical doughnut key and third upper ring, though), however, now that I know more, I'm pretty sure it isn't. Interestingly, I found reference on the web trying to research my cl. to a clarinet marked J.W. Pepper Excelsior, made in Austria.
Anyway, on this very forum, there is a thread where it was written there was much cross-pollination of employees, suppliers, cottage workshops/job shops, and ideas in the instrument making areas of Paris during the time period, so it doesn't seem far fetched that other clarinets could have keywork made by the same company/person/supplier, gifted apprentice/current/ex-employee, or maybe the equipment/tool maker sold copies of the tools/dies/jigs- even in a different country? Whew...
Oh yeah, almost forgot there are some Henri Gunckels floating around out there that have keywork identical to Buffets as well.
Post Edited (2008-11-02 13:57)
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