 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bbrandha
Date: 2012-03-18 19:08
Do you personally think it is worth restoring old clarinets to working order, provided they were decent clarinets in the first place?
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-03-18 19:38
Yes.
Then, "worth" is an ambiguous term. Personally, I find it a pity to throw away an old clarinet just because it is "old" or of little commercial value. But, making a living off restoring old honkers is probably very difficult.
Why do people restore old cars?
--
Ben
Post Edited (2012-03-18 19:38)
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2012-03-18 20:10
Because they're too big to make lamps out of. ![[toast]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley15.gif)
Best regards,
jnk
Post Edited (2012-03-18 20:12)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-03-18 20:17
Jack Kissinger wrote:
> Because they're too big to make lamps out of.
LOL! Touché, Jack!
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Ben
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-03-18 20:48
With the proliferation of cheap but often nasty clarinets from some far eastern areas I certainly believe in the rehabilitation of older really decent clarinets.
A player of limited finance would be far better off using such a restored instrument.
In the UK the Leblanc and Noblet brands were never really "fashionable" and as result decent instruments can be found quite cheaply which once restored are every bit the equal of (and in terms of construction actually superior to) much more expensive new instruments
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Author: BobD
Date: 2012-03-18 20:56
Some of the old wood is better than what is being used today. I'm with "TicTac"
Bob Draznik
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2012-03-18 22:13
Many of my favorite clarinets are vintage instruments I've bought on the cheap, had restored, and plan to enjoy for many years to come.
I've been known to give away nice vintage instruments to promising students who don't have the funds to obtain the equipment upgrades they need. Sometimes ya just gotta pay it forward.
Post Edited (2012-03-18 22:19)
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2012-03-18 22:45
If one considers the monetary value of a vintage clarinet considered good during the time of its production, with only a few exceptions, the value is going to be quite low. The principal value of these instruments to me is that they offer sonic possibilities that are unavailable from the clarinets of today.
Those of us who prefer renowned vintage models such as the Selmer Centered Tone, Leblanc LL, and Boosey & Hawkes 1010 have very limited options if we would care to buy a new clarinet, and quite often no options at all.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2012-03-19 01:52
I spend most of my evenings and part of my weekends rehabbing old clarinets (and saxophones, and the occasional oboe). I certainly hope I'm not wasting my time!
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Author: bbrandha
Date: 2012-03-19 03:08
I love the old ones. I have two. My Jean Marbeau has cracked badly and I have been told by 2 techs that it is not worth fixing. I just got an oldie that I plan to try to fix up myself. No experience at all, but everyone starts somewhere.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2012-03-19 10:13
I love restoring good oldies. Some have no particular merit other than age, but some, when restored to playing condition, really surprise you. Not many of the oldies will equal a modern top-line instrument, as design and technology have advanced since the oldies were made, but the best of them in the hands of a player who knows their foibles can perform very creditably. A good restored professional-level oldy from a good maker can certainly out-perform cheap modern student instruments.
Tony F.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-03-19 11:07
The 1958 Selmer CT full Boehm I bought off eBay back in 2006/07 and only recently rebuilt from the ground up is now my main clarinet and perhaps the best one in my collection.
I'm glad it turned out as good as it has considering the condition it was in when I bought it. There's something very satisfying when you've turned something around that no-one else would even take a second look at - hardly anyone else bid on it, so it's their loss.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2012-03-19 13:56
Ursa wrote,
>>Many of my favorite clarinets are vintage instruments I've bought on the cheap, had restored, and plan to enjoy for many years to come.
>>
Same here. Quite a few regulars on this b-board play good old clarinets. I've never regretted the time spent on restoring old instruments. Squeaks to people who make them into lamps!
But it's also true that not every old clarinet is worth restoring. Some old clarinets are just ... old. If it was junk in the past, it's still junk. It's well worth the time to research whether brands and models deserve the time or money or both that they need to make them playable.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2012-03-19 13:58
Some are well worth restoring BUT if you plan on selling them there is little or no profit to be made after labor and materials.
jbutler
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Author: stevesklar
Date: 2012-03-20 15:56
The history and evolution of the old clarinets is very interesting.
I have Buffets from the late 1800s to today and it's interesting seeing the keywork, bore, design "improvements" over time. Much less the playing characteristics of those various models.
==========
Stephen Sklar
My YouTube Channel of Clarinet Information
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