 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: dlloyd
Date: 2009-04-03 10:17
It's been becoming increasingly clear that my B&H Regent really isn't up to the job.
I got frustrated with playing clarinet when I was about 16, and gave up after doing my grade 6 (ABRSM grades). It's clear that the worst problems I was having with it were with the instrument I was playing... it needs a number of pads replaced, some having major leaks, the tenon corks desperately need replaced (eg. the bell fell off it when I was playing).
A full overhaul would probably cost at least three times as much as the clarinet is worth... so I've been looking at buying a new clarinet.
I've just scored a B&H Emperor from ebay for £175. It'll probably need a similar amount of work done on it as the Regent, but I reckon it will probably be more worth it. Good deal?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-04-03 12:10
I think so, and worth having overhauled as an equivalent clarinet (Buffet E13 or Yamaha YCL-650) will still be over and above what you paid for your Emperor plus the cost of a complete rebuild.
Make sure whoever does the work on it gives plenty of venting on the top joint rings as these clarinets can be stuffy if undervented - particularly the lower register E, the side F# fingering and open G.
But it's still worth having your Regent worked on to improve things as you can always use this as a back-up clarinet.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: dlloyd
Date: 2009-04-03 12:45
That's nice to know. I remember wanting an Emperor back in the early 1980s, but they were pretty expensive back then.
It's described as a late 60s instrument, and I think it's wooden. I've been disappointed in the past when buying musical instruments through ebay though. From reading some earlier threads about Emperors, I'm hoping it's not one that's going to smell of rotten eggs.
This is the clarinet in question...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300304826087
Is that case correct for a 60s B&H?
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2009-04-03 13:16
I don't think B & H made hard rubber Emperors for very many years, if at all. They did make Edgwares in hard rubber for a while just before 1960....if the pictures didn't reveal a murky green/grey/brown in places then it's probably wood and won't smell too bad...
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Author: dlloyd
Date: 2009-04-03 13:25
The link I made to the auction was taken down briefly, but Mark restored it when he realised I'd bought the clarinet.
It's described as late 60s, but the SN would suggest it's older than that. It looks to be black and have wood grain... and the tenons have metal rings on them (for some reason I have it in my mind that they only did that with wood instruments???)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2009-04-03 14:16
It's definately wood, the grain is clearly visible in several shots especially on bell end.
Ser No 186xxx would put it at about 1961
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-04-03 14:25
That's a late '50/early '60s style Emperor with nickel plated keys, and is in a B&H Regent II/early Buffet B12/E11 style case. I still think you've done alright for £175.
B&H did make some bakelite bodied Emperors, but most doing the rounds are wooden with silver plated keys. I've even seen a plastic Edgware A clarinet as well, so they did all manner of things.
Wooden bodied B&H clarinets generally had metal tenon rings fitted, though some 1010s didn't have them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-04-05 09:11
I've only tried one B&H Emperor and that one wasn't especially good. After complete repair, I would still prefer a student Yamaha or Buffet. But even including the full repad on the Emperor, these student models cost more (at least here).
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Author: dlloyd
Date: 2009-04-07 21:31
It arrived today.
By and large, it's in pretty bad shape.
It needs major work. Some of the pads are leaky and some are sticky. I'd say it needs a full repad. The tenon corks aren't too bad, but I probably need to get them replaced sooner rather than later.
The keywork needs some attention. At some point the rod in the LH F/C key has snapped/vanished and been replaced with a bit of wire (???). This was not evident in the auction photo.
The mouthpiece is hideous and needs to be condemned.
There has been a significant crack on the bell which has been repaired badly.
There is some tarnishing of the keys, and the nickle plating has worn off in all the obvious places.
One of the rings on the barrel is loose.
It has the potential to be okay, after a fairly extensive overhaul.
Post Edited (2009-04-08 18:45)
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Author: dlloyd
Date: 2009-04-09 10:50
The seller says he was unaware of the issues the clarinet had and has agreed to a full refund.
As a matter of interest, how much would it cost for a full repad/recork/adjustment of keys plus repair work?
I think the missing threaded rod probably worked itself loose at some point and got lost. The worst case scenario, I guess, would be that there is some major issue key that means the rod can not be replaced properly and it requires a whole new key mechanism for the F/C.
The key definitely needs repaired, it's wobbling about all over the place with about 2 mm play.
I'm imagining that work will cost upwards of £300, which is a lot if it turns out I don't like the instrument and end up selling it. I can't imagine a refurbished B&H Emperor will be worth much more than £350, especially without a decent mouthpiece. (I have a good mouthpiece which I can use with it if I do keep it... obviously I wouldn't want to sell that with the clarinet).
Would the repaired cracks on the bell have any detrimental effect on the clarinet other than its aesthetic appearance?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-04-09 13:54
Shame it turned out worse than you expected, but at least with a refund you haven't lost out on it.
Keep a lookout for any Imperial 926 clarinets going for a reasonable price.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: dlloyd
Date: 2009-04-09 14:31
Yep I got an email back from a guy called Donny at your place, and the numbers were pretty big.
I'm keeping an eye out for 926s as I type. My old clarinet teacher had one and it was very nice indeed.
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