 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: moonshine30
Date: 2010-02-02 09:07
Hi there, I just bought this clarinet off ebay, because apprently I love buying and researching old instruments, it was cheap, and if I don't like it, I'll turn right around and slap it back on ebay :-)
The clarinet I bought is a Getzen Deluxe Wood clarinet.
Serial number 38,106
I have been having fun googling for hours, and have read all the info that this board has to offer on Getzen clarinets, which isn't to much. Don't know if that is a good sign or a bad sign :-)
I bought the clarinet for $50 and the guy refurbished it somewhat; replaced pads that needed it and cork that needed it, used a silver polish cloth on keys. He says it passes a suction test and plays. We'll see when it get here.
Getzen was the superintendant for the holton factory until he left and started the Getzen company in 1939??. He did band repair for 7 years in a dairy barn behind his house until he started manufacturing in 46', specifically brass instruments, and thus the getzen co. took off.
I have found very few references to getzen clarinets. A few people on different forums, one a sax forum and the other a brass forum mention that if the serial number doesn't have a prefix, then is is pre- 1946(or pre fire) where all the records were lost. One person in a sax forum mentioned that they thought that getzen clarinets were stencils, possibly buescher in origin. Another person thought they werre stencils made for Getzen that came from Europe.
Just wondering if anyone else has any insteresting tidbits about the clarinet I have, the clarinets that were briefly made at Getzen, quality of those clarinets, ect....
I don't have the clarinet yet, so I can't post pictures.
Also, even if this turns out to be a piece of junk, I would still be interested in hearing what anyone has to say, so at least I'll have the info if I decide to get rid of it. I just wanted a cheap wood clarinet to toodle around with and didn't have to take to the repair shop until i decide if I want to spend more at some point down the road.
I would consider myself a advanced beginner. I played 10+ years in high school and am now picking it back up in my early 30's. Can still read notes, have a decent embochure for not having played in 15 years.
Thanks a lot everyone!!
jennifer
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Author: Dan1937
Date: 2010-02-02 11:37
Jennifer,
I don't want to burst your bubble, but as a retired band director who encountered several Getzen clarinets in the mid-60s, I would say that those are the clarinets which were manufactured with "pot metal" keys, which, if adjusted by bending, would snap into two pieces. The ones that I saw were very average in playing qualities, also.
Dan
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2010-02-03 17:59
If you make [or have made] a "Getzen" sSearch, you will find my post re: the good G bass cl I worked on, good player with only one register key/vent, but had the FB extra keys. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: moonshine30
Date: 2010-02-04 23:51
I called Getzen and they actually had the old pamphlet for the Getzen Deluxe clarinet. I thought I would just put the info that they told me on here in case anyone else was ever intersted in it.
Here goes:
The Getzen Deluxe clarinet was made in the 50's, before the fire. They have no way of dating any of the clarinet serial numbers because all of the records are gone. The deluxe was their "high line" of clarinets, at least at the time. I was told they were made with nickel plated keys and had grenallia wood. There were apprently two models of the Getzen Deluxe wood clarinet. One has metal reinforced joints which was the higher end of the two and sold for $140 and the other slightly lower end one was just missing the metal joints and sold for $124.
I asked how they compared with today's clarinets and was told that back then they were considered their "high line" or more specifically a high intermediate wood clarinet. Compared to the stuff that is out today, they would maybe be considered a low intermediate but nothing extremely special.
Anway that's the info I got in case anyone is every interested. I'll give it a test play when I get it, ametuer that I am and maybe post back one here with what I noticed.
Jennifer
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2010-02-06 02:03
Bob,
I believe you're thinking of Gretsch. They also make the Chet Atkins line of guitars. George Harrison used a Gretsch on "Paperback Writer". Baldwin bought the Gretsch company in the late 60's I believe. It's now back in Gretsch family ownership. I almost bought a Gretsch 6120 model a couple of weeks ago myself.
John
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Author: Clarinet Repairman
Date: 2011-02-25 17:22
I'm surprised at your finding that the company says the Getzen Deluxe is a wood clarinet. I've had four of them and those were all composites. They were very good beginner models, however; good intonation and incredibly sturdy (and heavy). They sounded as good as mid-priced intermediate-level blackwood models. If I had one in fine playing shape I would expect it to fetch about $200 complete.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-02-26 01:16
Why does it seem that EVERY clarinet manufacturer that's been around for many decades is unable to date their older instruments because "the records were lost in the big fire"? Is it some sort of tradition for an instrument factory to burn to the ground every half-century or so?
Just curious.
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Author: richard1952
Date: 2011-02-26 01:55
Just curious, but how could one play for 10+ years in high school when most high schools are grade 9 to 12??
richardseaman@cox.net
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Author: Clarinet Repairman
Date: 2011-03-27 15:28
My first comment to the originator of this thread is to ignore those responders who know nothing about your clarinet but give answers and comments in any event.
Your clarinet, if it is a Getzen Deluxe and all parts are original to the instrument, is indeed a grenadilla clarinet. You can confirm that quite easily without damaging it. Some "experts" advise running a pen knife along a tenon. That does work, but can easily weaken the joint. You do not want to cut into it anywhere, whether at an exposed area or otherwise.
The milled area under the cork at any joint will disclose if the clarinet is wood, plastic, or resonite. You will find it to be wood, and it is grenadilla.
Trust me. I have owned three Getzen Deluxe models and ALL of them were grenadilla. The value of one of these clarinets is not high; that is to say, the resale value is not high. The above posts are indicative of the general knowledge of the maker and model.
Playing well and in excellent cosmetic condition you have a clarinet comparable to a Buffet E13, which is a good intermediate-level instrument.
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Author: Clarinet Repairman
Date: 2011-03-28 18:14
Just a word of clarification: I'm afraid I stand a bit humbled.
I mistakenly referred to the Getzen Deluxe earlier as being a resonite model. I meant the non-Deluxe, of which four have passed through my shop. The Deluxe is undoubtedly grenadilla. Sorry if I caused anyone to be confused. There's little enough information out there about this brand without my adding incorrect comments.
As for value, it matters not at all whether the Getzen is grenadilla or resonite. Either way, if in very good cosmetic and playing shape it is not going to be worth more than a student level Buffet ($200-$275).
And, by the way, they were made in Elkhart, Wisconsin.
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