 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: klook
Date: 2010-10-28 01:08
Well I just finished up working on my 1st Penzel Mueller clarinet.
Although I've heard about them before, I never had a chance to lay my hands on one. I picked one up locally from a friend that needed a bit of work, and today I finally finished up putting it back together, new pads and all.
I still need to tweek the key adjustments a bit, but wow! I wasn't actually thinking it would sound quite this nice! In comparison to the big 3 French companies this one really would hold its own.
It doesn't have a model name at all stamped, just Penzel Mueller New York.
The serial number starts with GB.
Its a stadard 17 key 6 ring Boehm clarinet.
When did they start with model names?
Any idea on when it was made?
I'm gonna spend some more time with this one, can't wait!
klook
PS Big thanks to forum member Steve for hooking me up with some pivot screws I needed to finish this up!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2010-10-28 01:54
Glad the pivot screws worked out for you! I'd rather see them put to use on someones instrument than sitting in my junk drawer.
I think P-M started putting model names on clarinets in the 1940's. Prior to that they just had different variations of the company logo. If yours reads "Penzel Mueller" and not "G. Penzel & Mueller" then it's probably made sometime in the 1920's or 1930's.
I'm a fan of P-M clarinets myself and have a couple in my regular playing rotation. The tone is pretty nice on all of them but the intonation can be a bit of an adventure at times. My personal favorite is an older model with a semi-wraparound register key.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed Lowry
Date: 2010-10-28 04:42
See whether there's an umlaut over the "u" in Muller. That should set an upper bound in the mid twenties.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2010-10-28 06:23
>> I wasn't actually thinking it would sound quite this nice! In comparison to the big 3 French companies this one really would hold its own. <<
That's very different from the two PM clarinets I had, which were no where near the quality of any clarinet I would consider a good professional model.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-10-28 12:57
I have a P-M "Empire State" model with 7 rings and articulated C#/G# (and evidently came from the factory with a left-hand Ab/Eb lever but it had been removed when I acquired the instrument). I like it fine. Intonation isn't top-notch but (after some tweaking) I consider it acceptable, and the tone quality is as good as anything I've played and I find the keywork very comfortable. It's my "go-to" backup clarinet. I've had a number of Penzel-Muellers go through my 'shop' and although they're a bit variable in quality, generally they're pretty decent instruments.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2010-10-28 17:21
I agree about the variable quality. I have two P-M's from the c.1920's, a boehm and an albert, and consider both to be pretty good horns. The boehm would probably be as good or better than my current primary clarinet after a proper overhaul.
Conversely I have two c.1950's P-M's, an artist model and a brilliante model, that I consider to be mediocre instruments as the intonation is really questionable on both of them.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: klook
Date: 2010-10-30 17:28
It seems alot of people like the older PM better? Most of the things I've read in digging around for info these is that the later ones, 50s, don't seem quite as nice.
This one I has, with no model name, no G before Penzel, and no umlaut over Mueller, plays real nice.
My first comment about it being able to hang with the big 3 might have been a little much....I took it to my friend Peter's house and he played it along side his old R13 and some others, and it sounded good...but maybe not THAT good!
klook
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
