 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetgirl2
Date: 2010-12-02 05:00
I recently picked up a used student model clarinet. There is no logo anywhere on the clarinet. There is a serial number on the lower piece reading "P002085". Can anyone give me an idea who the maker might be? Amazingly it plays quite nice.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-12-02 05:09
Post a photo of it and we'll have a go at identifying it.
I suspect it may be Taiwanese.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2010-12-02 06:13
>> I suspect it may be Taiwanese. <<
AFAIK there are no clarinets made in Taiwan. The clarinets made by Taiwanese woodwind companies are made in China, eventhough they have saxophones and flutes amde in Taiwan. But I could be wrong. Do you know of any clarinet model that is for sure made in Taiwan?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-12-02 06:18
Artemis/Trevor James/Sapphire clarinets were made in Taiwan in the '80s-'90s (all from the same factory, likewise with TJ flutes that were identical to Sapphires apart from some decorative knurling on the joint rings) - I'm sure there are others.
Aren't Cannonball and the upper model Jupiter clarinets Taiwanese?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2010-12-02 09:53)
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Author: clarinetgirl2
Date: 2010-12-02 12:53
I will try to take some photos.
The clarinet appears to be plastic but has a dull finish and a wood look to it. At first glance (without touching it) the clarinet looks to be wood. Even has the metal ring on the bottom of the bell. They keys on the left hand pinky are very loose to the touch and are placed slight lower than my R13 so you have to remember to stretch your pinky a milimeter or two further to play them. It has a super sound, a little brite, but quite good with my Gigliotti MP.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2010-12-02 13:23
Chris, I didn't know about those. I only know about more recent ones, from what I remember for example in Musikmesse in spite of the many Taiwanese makers, no clarinets from Taiwan. I know some Jupiter clarinets are from China, I'm not sure about all models, maybe worth checking with Jupiter. I just remember some owners of Taiwanese woodwind companies told me there aren't any clarinets made there. Cannonball clarinets are made in China. BTW this is specific to clarinets since flutes and saxophones are definitely made in Taiwan.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-02 13:29
That sort of serial numbering is being used on recent Selmer-USA (formerly Bundy) clarinets. I can't recall if the current instruments use a simple sticker for the logo, but the older Bundys did and that sticker usually wore off after a few years, rendering the instrument logo-less.
Despite the "Selmer-USA" name I wouldn't be surprised if their current production is actually made in Asia, like everything else sold in this country nowadays. :(
This past summer I repaired quite a few of the Selmer-USA clarinets (these were band rental instruments) for a local music store, and they do play rather well.
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Author: clarinetgirl2
Date: 2010-12-02 13:38
The clarinet did come is a square plastic case with a blue selmer plastic nameplate on the front of it. Since the clarinet has no logo & plays far better than I remember those old Bundy's played years ago I was just assuming the case was just not original to the clarinet. I could be wrong & it may just be a Selmer.
Anyway this clarinet has been in the hands of a 10 yr old for a week. He sounds as though he's been playing for a year. It's amazing what can happen when you give a kid a descent setup to starting learning on.
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Author: jasperbay
Date: 2010-12-02 16:09
I've found, like Dave S., that more often than not, a well-built student clarinet with 'inexplicably' no logo, is a Bundy. That pretty gold-lettering on a clear decal/sticker falls off after a few years, leaving you with a 'no-name' clarinet.
I could be wrong, but don't even recent Bundy's have that quaint 3-post arrangement for the throat A/G# keys? Also, the left pinky keys are fairly distinctive, the paired E/B and F#/C# keys look more like a pair of 'feet', than the more common pair of 'flat-sided teardrops'.
Also, sometimes you can see a very faint "Bundy" above the A key. Possibly the sunlight shining through the decal differentially fades the plastic. Finally [DUH] these Bundys pretty often come in a Bundy case!! They do play pretty well (the gal who had one back in highschool band whipped my butt every time I challenged her with my 'Belmont' for 5th chair). The sound is in tune, and a little 'bright', as you say. Someone less charitable might refer to the tone as more 'plastic', but that would be mean. ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
As for my high school band carreer,in fairness, I could only afford one reed per year in high school, and replacing the two worm-eaten pads was totally beyond my budget!. The director finally gave up and made me play the school's Bundy Bass, another equally sad tale.
Clark G. Sherwood
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-12-03 18:15
>>The clarinet did come is a square plastic case with a blue selmer plastic nameplate on the front of it. Since the clarinet has no logo & plays far better than I remember those old Bundy's played years ago I was just assuming the case was just not original to the clarinet.>>
That's a valid guess. Those American Selmer and older Bundy cases are much sturdier than a lot of other cases that come with instruments. I'm probably not the only one who buys empty Bundy cases at flea markets for clarinets that go up for sale without cases (many used, old clarinets, for instance), or with such crummy cases that they don't protect the instruments.
For that reason, whenever I lift up a closed Bundy case at a flea market and can tell by the weight that it's inhabited, I don't assume it contains a plastic student instrument and keep walking. I open up that case to make sure someone didn't squirrel away a homeless antique in there. Once in a rare while, I get lucky.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2010-12-03 18:18)
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