 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: chembabe
Date: 2010-10-23 19:27
I recently purchased a vintage Evette & Schaeffer Bb clarinet that I'm restoring and going to give to my daughter. It's a lovely clarinet and sounds almost as great as my R13. As I'm polishing the silver keys, I often find myself wondering what it's history is....
It came with a Brilhart 3* Tonalin mouthpiece. It's white with a black bite patch and the serial number is 29868. Do any of you know anything about these mouthpieces? Were they used for jazz mostly? Does it have any value?
Thanks for the help!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-10-23 22:37
There are several Brilhart mouthpieces (though not that particular one) listed on the Infernal Internet Auction Site Which Shall Not Be Named. Asking prices seem to be around $50 USD, but none of the listings have a bid as of yet.
I doubt they are worth anywhere near that amount. I had a friend who played one of that type of mouthpiece (or one very similar) back in the '70s. I was not impressed with it.
EDIT: I found a concluded auction, where a Tonalin recently sold for $41.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
Post Edited (2010-10-23 22:40)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2010-10-23 22:46
A number of jazz players used/still use them. They tend to be pretty easy blowing. Yours is a medium ostensibly, though that may not mean too much, and the star indicates a longer lay. It has a fairly low serial number indicating an earlier date of manufacture and made at Brilhart's plant at Great Neck, NY. Not sure when they were first made - fifties I think. Brilhart also made a lot of tonalin sax mouthpieces which a number of jazz players like. They also made mouthpieces out of "ebolin" - black with a white biteplate. As to value somewhere between $40 and $80 would be typical. You'll see higher prices asked but I don't know if anybody pays them. Try it with a #3 reed see how it sounds
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: susieray
Date: 2010-10-23 23:41
I actually auctioned an old Brilhart Tonalin mouthpiece a couple years
ago, and it sold for $220. I was shocked that it went that high. It was an old "Great Neck" one with a very low serial number.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bill G
Date: 2010-10-24 05:44
This could be a very good mouthpiece. I would be glad to own one again, based on my experience with one which I owned about 65 years ago. By the way, I believe that the star indicates a short facing rather than a long one.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2010-10-24 12:46
Bill: just checked my six brilharts - the star definitely indicates a longer lay. The lay on the two "specials" is the same as on the two mpcs with the star. The lay on the other two regular mpcs is shorter. I didn't know these were around that long ago; interesting.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2010-10-24 16:24
Hard to argue with empirical evidence but ... According to the old Brilhart ad about half-way down this page:
http://www.theowanne.com/mouthpieces101/Brilhart.php
the star indicated a shorter facing. That's consistent with what I was told back in the early 60's when I bought a "Level-Air." The owner of the music store told me that starred models had more resistance.
BTW, according to the ad, the "Specials" came in a medium facing only.
Best regards,
jnk
Post Edited (2010-10-24 18:50)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2010-10-24 17:47
well I just checked again and of the ones I have those with a star are 0.4mm approx. longer than those without a star. Definitely not shorter! The specials are the same as the ones with a star. And yes specials only came in a medium about equal to a 3, although in contradiction of Theo Wanne's Brilhart ad. that specials only came in ebolin I have a tonalin special in front of me (Carlsbad #135628).
Wonder if anyone else can explain it all?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2010-10-27 18:13
Well my humble apologies especially to Bill G. After looking more carefully at the various mpcs I find, lo and behold, what I thought was a star was something else - in one case a misaligned and poorly printed smudge of a digit "8". The star is actually to be found on the table and in both these mpcs very hard to see, i had to get a mag-glass and a very bright light to it. Anyway as Bill said the star indicates a shorter lay -- about 2mm shorter overall. Grovelling apologies for the misinformation...
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bill G
Date: 2010-10-28 15:25
Chris, no apology is necessary. One of the benefits of this Board is the opportunity to exchange and verify information. I apreciate your information from actually measuring some mouthpieces and sharing your findings.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
