 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-01-04 20:53
Saw this gem in a description of a clarinet for sale on eBay:
"..... discontinued use of Grenadilla wood and undercut silver plated keys...."
I couldn't help myself......I had to email the seller and ask for an explanation of these "features". This is the response I got (copied verbatim, spelling errors and all):
"Please excuse the poorly worded description. Grenadilla wood is the finest wood choosen for clarinets. This is no longer used to make todays clarinets. The holes are undercut allowing better coverage. This is a plus for advancing students when it comes to more intermediate or advanced finger technique. The keys are siver plated for longer lasting. Most intermediate clarinets keys are nickle plated. Thank you for the inquiry."
Caveat emptor!
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Author: Anji
Date: 2001-01-04 21:41
This should nicely complement the $50 second-hand lyre in "Victorian" steel from last week.
What really chaps my hide is the purveying of second-rate instruments to the Moms and Pops shopping for their elementary school kids.
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-01-05 00:30
Right, Dave. I also emailed her about her "professional" moniker on the E-11. She did remove it. mw
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Author: Willie
Date: 2001-01-05 00:40
Sometimes their ingnorance can be in your favor. Last year under antiques/musical instruments, there was a listing for a "Flute, Oboe, Bassoon?". Turned out to be a Leblanc contra alto and it went for only about $650! I'm always broke at the wrong time.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-01-05 01:09
Yep - Some of these are priceless, also there are bargains [IMHO] like my Noblet-Stubbins model for about $80, needs overhaul but appears VG!! Don
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-01-05 02:07
Yet now and then one gets a pleasant surprise. I decided to risk bidding on a "broken Mazzeo" clarinet since I was curious about the mechanism and wanted to be able to examine one. I won that auction for just under $21. When I received it, I found that the instrument was in much better shape than one might have suspected. It needs one new spring, a thumb rest, and then of course pads and corks in general. All but the spring, I can do myself if I want to.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-01-05 03:13
Oh, Dee -
Don't let a little ol' spring get in the way. They're not *that* difficult.... 
I saw that one, was 'curious' about it too. It didn't look *too* broken. Glad you got it (I didn't bid on it, by the way) - I'm still curious, though, just what does the mechanism do???
ron b
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Author: Ken Rasmussen
Date: 2001-01-05 03:46
I used to own a deluxe Mazzeo horn to low Eb. The Mazzeo key is a clutch that makes it as if you're fingering Bb with the A key and the side key (instead of the register key). All you do is finger the A key and any ring to work the side key very conveniently. The downside is that any time you use one of the rings to finger a throat tone it goes up one semitone, so you can't play throat tones with the right hand down. I've since replaced the horn with an R13 which I like better. I routinely finger Bb with the side key in most passages since it does sound better.
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Author: C. Hogue
Date: 2001-01-05 18:09
Willie -- I know what you mean about those occasionally mismarked horns on eBay. I bought one listed as an alto clarinet -- but the photo clearly showed it was a bass. Needless to say, I got a very good deal. But it takes a heck of a lot of patience to go through all those listings to find a mismarked "bargain."
I was watching that broken Mazzeo model. Dee, - I'm very pleased it got a good home with a Sneezy-ite!
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Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-01-05 18:59
Last year I lucked into an old, hard-rubber (!) "A" clarinet, a French "Triomphe" model, that I paid something like $75 for on eBay. The seller didn't know it was an "A" clarinet, but he was nice enough to list the length of the clarinet in the description and that tipped me off. I restored it and, much to my amazement, it is the BEST-playing "A" clarinet I have ever played. I use it in orchestra, and it blow more easily than my B-flat clarinet and is every bit as much in tune. Unbelievable.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-01-06 01:49
Congrats, all you SMART shoppers. I'm much pleased with your success in detection of excellent buys. I am working up my Noblet-Stubbins [S-K mechanism] and will report findings. Glad you got the Mazzeo, Dee, looks just like mine from the pics and is an easily-worked-on Bundy [as far as I could tell]. You will have fun with the Bb mechanism, I'm sure. I'd like to find an inexpensive fully-developed Mazzeo, a McIntyre, and having several of his patents, a Christensen [if built by someone??]. Same with a Boehm System oboe, again patents to Dick Palodino, Las Vegas!!, all for my small? collection. Luck, Don
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