 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Eagle Rare
Date: 2010-08-09 18:07
Good Day,
In 1939 my Dad received a clarinet from his father as a gift.
In 1967 this clarinet was passed to me, then my brother.
In 2008, my brother passed the clarinet back to me as my son is now playing the clarinet.
The clarinet is in dis-repair. I took the clarinet to a repair store and they were asking $330 USD to repair the clarinet (stuck valves, cork needs to be replaced, cleaning, polishing, etc.).
The only engraving/label on the clarinet is at the top of the lower joint.
CZECHO-SLOVAKIA is what is imprinted at this point in very small script, you would need a magnifying glass to see, or have better eyes than I.
There are no other markings.
I have searched the net tryingt to find information on this clarinet.
So, here are my questions....
Who made this clarinet, is it a "student" type and is it worth repairing?
Thank you for your assistance.
Regards,
JB
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: blazian
Date: 2010-08-09 18:22
Attachment: PIXI2010-08-09-132020.jpg (141k)
Is the font similar to the one in this picture? Posting pictures of your clarinet could help determine what make and model your clarinet is.
My main clarinet is a Kohlert made in Czecho-Slovakia and it has quite a good sound. Yours could also be of the same quality.
- Martin
Post Edited (2010-08-09 18:27)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Eagle Rare
Date: 2010-08-09 20:45
Martin....
There are no markings on the bell.
Just CZECHO-SLOVAKIA in very small print.
I will post a picture.
JB
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jasperbay
Date: 2010-08-09 21:15
It probably is a Kohlert, but without their name on it, its probably a 'student level' clarinet. You can spend $300 restoring it to playing condition, and it would then be worth about $100. I wouldn't want to spend $300 fixing up any less than an intermediate or professional horn, available on 'the online auction site' for $100-$300 unrestored . These would be clarinets like Selmer Signets, Lablanc Symphony and Classics, Malerne Professional, Thibouville Concerts, Kohlert Graslitz,etc., etc. Buffets and Selmer Series 9 and 10 will up the price a bit, and you don't always get what you pay for, particularily with Buffets! Another approach would be to look for(on 'the auction site') a recently repadded Noblet, Selmer USA Signet, Special, or Soloist, Leblanc Normandy, Malerne Standard,etc. I've seen many in the $150-$200 range, so you wouldn't lose much come resale time.
Clark G. Sherwood
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: blazian
Date: 2010-08-09 21:55
I understood that there was nothing on the bell but I was wondering if the name was stamped in an atypical font or something.
- Martin
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Eagle Rare
Date: 2010-08-10 13:59
To Clark and Martin.....
My thanks for the information.
Martin..... there are no markings other than the Czecho-.....
I have used a magnifying glass to go over the clarinet......
I'll clean it up myself and display on the mantal.....
Thanks again.
John
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: BartHx
Date: 2010-08-11 00:28
Kohlert was originally made in Graslitz, Bohemia and was considered a rather good instrument. The logo was then changed to Kohlert and Sons, Graslitz, Checho-Slovakia (hyphenated) and the quality remained. At least through that era, the markings remained in plain block letters. I have one of that vintage that I have used for some 52 years that, except for some small intonation problems, holds its own fairly well against my collection of Selmers (Centered Tone, Series 9, and Series 10). Some time around 1939 or 1940, the Germans moved the workers from the Kohlert factory into Central Germany in hopes of using them to generate war funding. Unfortunately, in doing so, the Germans failed to move some of their critical tools with them and the quality of the instruments suffered. If yours is marked only "Checho-Sloakia", it may well be one of the instruments built while the workers were under German control. After WWII, many of the Kohlert workers moved throughout Europe and some to the United States. Many of them continued to make instruments and continued to use the Kohlert name. That makes it rather difficult to confidently identify the origin or quality of a post war clarinet bearing the Kohlert name.
The only way I know of to clearly identify the quality of the instrument you have is to have it repaired and try it out. Unfortunately, my guess is that it is probably a Kohlert from the time when the factory was under German control and there is a reasonably high probability that it would not be worth the cost of the repair. On the other hand, if you want to learn how to repair a clarinet yourself, it would be a great place for you to start.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-08-11 17:44
Just about any pre-WWII Kohlert clarinet (including alto and bass sizes) should be at least competent if not excellent; I have several and have restored and sold several more. The post-WWII "Winnenden, Germany" instruments (1950-late 1960s) are slightly more variable in quality but can also be very good, I have some of these too. I realize the original topic wasn't specifically about Kohlert, but as pointed out above there's a better-than-even chance the clarinet in question was made by them. My best soprano clarinet (a standard-Boehm Bb model) is a Graslitz-era Kohlert (probably 1920s) and is the finest-playing clarinet I own, I'd put it up against the best R-13s.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2010-08-11 18:54
What an interesting post. Maybe it is an Amati clarinet. Weren't they also known as Keilworth?
Carol
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-08-11 22:46
Amati was a Czechoslovakian government-owned company formed after WWII, so they didn't exist when the clarinet in question was made. Amati did absorb the Kohlert factory and tooling when the Kohlert family fled to Germany right after WWII, so there is that connection between Kohlert and Amati
Keilwerth is not related to Amati, other than that Julius Keilwerth's firm (in Markneukirchen, Germany I believe they were), which was in East Germany when there were two Germanies, reputedly made saxophone bodies which were purchased by other firms, including perhaps Amati (who may also have copied some of Keilwerth's design features). Julius Keilwerth only made saxes; his brother Richard made (and still makes) clarinets. To make matters worst I used to have an East German "Weltklang" baritone sax, made by Richard (NOT Julius!) Keilwerth, from which company became B&S.
Crystal clear?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
