 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: KatyC
Date: 2012-03-23 14:07
Hi All,
Is there a general rule of thumb about if its worth repairing an wooden clarinet?
My daughter would like to start to play and my mother produced from the loft/attic my grandfathers old wooden besson clarinet - it needs a complete overhaul in terms of dirt, dust, pads and has one broken key.
I must say I know nothing so was wondering if there is any advice from you guys who seem to know everything :-)
Thanks, it has a serial number in the 122 xx range and a besson stamp - and a very mouldy case - any advice would be great, I don't like to throw things away and I am happy to spend some getting it back up to speed but didn't know if not a good/worthwhile thing to do in terms of sound, ease of playing etc.
Thanks again Katy
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-03-23 14:58
If it has nickel plated nickel silver keys (any worn areas of nickel plate will show the pale yellow base metal), then it's the same as a B&H Edgware which is an entry level wooden clarinet. The nearest modern equivalent is a Buffet E11 or Yamaha YCL-450 as both are entry level wooden clarinets (and that's what you should insure it against).
But before you do any more, check the undersides of the keys to see if they have a row of raised numbers on them - if they do, then the keys are cast from mazak which is a very soft and brittle metal (it's a zinc alloy used for die cast toys - Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox cars are made from the same alloy) and they can't be repaired like nickel silver keys (which had numbers stamped into them). Any areas of worn plating will show the dull grey base metal if the keys are mazak.
If you can post photos of it, then that will help determine exactly what you've got.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-03-23 15:06
Clarinets really need to be evaluated on a case by case basis when determining if they are worth overhauling. If you don't know how well the instrument plays and it isn't in good enough condition to play test then you need to make a judgement based on the current condition of the instrument and the quality of the instrument when it was new.
In general older professional models from well known makers are usually worth having overhauled if they are in good condition, older intermediate models are sometimes worth overhauling but only if they are in good condition, and older student model are almost never worth overhauling. It should be noted that just because a clarinet was a high-end professional model originally it may not play well even after an overhaul. Getting an older instrument overhauled is always somewhat of a crap shoot.
In the case of your clarinet it is from a lesser known maker (Besson was purchased by B&H in 1948 and seems to be known more for brass instruments) and sound like it isn't in particularly good condition. Most likely it isn't worth having overhauled but it might be worth taking it to a repair tech and getting their opinion.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-03-23 16:10
The clarinet would actually have been made by B&H in about 1955/56.
I suspect that it may well have Mazac keys as Chris mentions especially since you mention a broken key.
Mazac keys cannot really be repaired but can often be replaced by a similar design key from one of the other B&H models of that era.
I second the view that it needs a competent technician to give it a look over.
How old / big is your daughter?
There is a lot in favour of starting on a plastic model student clarinet as these are usually noticeably lighter for a young player to hold and are easier to care for in young hands.
Doesn't mean you need discard the Besson but could still use it at a later stage.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2012-03-24 07:00
I have a Besson which is pretty well identical to a B & H Edgware. These can be a surprisingly good instrument when properly set up. With a build date of 55/56 I don't think it will have Mazak keys. These were used during and just after WW2, when metals were in short supply. My Edware is 1957 and has nickel-silver keys.
Tony F.
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Author: KatyC
Date: 2012-03-25 19:33
Lovely, thanks so much for the advice, I found a local repair person and mailed some photos, he says probably not worth repairing and also says a slightly different design to current models so also not great to learn on.
My little girl is 7, she has the hand reach for the Clarinet - she really wants to learn the saxophone but I thought it was a good idea to get her started on a clarinet so she move up when her hands are bigger (if she still likes it etc etc)
thank you so much for the history bits on the Besson, my mother will love to know a bit more even if we don't get restored at the moment.
Thanks again, so helpful and I really value the time taken to reply to me :-)
Katy
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-03-25 21:09
If she wants to learn sax, you could always get a polycarbonate one for her as they're a lot lighter than brass ones, so they should be ideal for a 7 year old.
She could always learn clarinet later on - there's no real reason to learn clarinet before learning sax and it might put her off playing if she doesn't like clarinet.
http://www.sax.co.uk/acatalog/Vibrato_Polycarbonate_Saxophones.html
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-03-25 21:53
Oops! I misread the serial number in the original post as 122xxx and not 122xx - so it's even older still and most likely an Albert/simple system which isn't taught in the UK anymore.
And as it's much older, it could also be High Pitch (the letters "HP" may be stamped on the joints) which means it can't be played alongside modern Low Pitch instruments - even if it's Low Pitch (LP), it's still not something that the majority of local teachers will have much understanding of.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2012-03-26 05:30
>> My little girl is 7, she has the hand reach for the Clarinet - she really wants to learn the saxophone but I thought it was a good idea to get her started on a clarinet so she move up when her hands are bigger <<
Are her hands not big enough to try saxophone, or is it the weight? I started learning clarinet before I was 7 and started with an Eb clarinet since it's smaller. But IMO if she really wants to play saxophone then really try to see if that is definitely not an option now.
One of the things that almost "broke" me before I started is the place that said I was too small/young to start clarinet. I was so lucky to find a different place with a teacher who had the idea of the Eb clarinet. Some young kids here start with soprano sax. I've seen very small ones manage to do that. Especailly a curved soprano. There are relatively inexpensive but decent ones available now. Personally I wouldn't dismiss the instrument she really wants before trying every idea to be able to do that.
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