 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: jlv
Date: 2012-05-09 18:20
Hello
I have seen an Boosey & Hawkes Edgware A clarinet, but I don't know much about this clarinet model.
I wish if possible information about this model. The price is about 700$. It seems to be in very good condition.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-05-09 19:19
I have a B&H Edgware for my A clarinet. It plays quite well on the rare ocassions that I actually need an A clarinet. I should note that this is not a professional-level instrument by any stretch of the imagination. The Edgware line was always B&H's lower-intermediate line. They were available in both wood and hard rubber (my Edgware A is hard rubber). If you just want an A clarinet for ocassional use they are a decent option as they can typically be purchased for cheap. Look elsewhere if you will be playing A frequently however. You may want to consider a new Ridenour A clarinet for ~$1000 if you will be playing the instrument a lot.
The $700 price for the Edgware A seems a little high but it depends on your local market I suppose. I bought mine for ~$200 for the sake of comparisson.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: John Peacock
Date: 2012-05-15 19:20
Until Boosey & Hawkes ceased making clarinets in the early 1980s, the Edgware was their cheapest wood clarinet, suitable for early students. I had a B flat of this model as the first clarinet I owned, after learning for a couple of years. Within about 2 years, the nickel plate had worn through on several keys, and it was sold in favour of a Leblanc LL. Since those days, I haven't touched an Edgware - but I recently played an Emperor (the next model up, for more serious students) and also a professional-level Imperial. Frankly, both of these were terrible: generally lacking in resonance, uneven in response, and with shockingly poor tuning. $700 might be a realistic price for an Imperial, but I doubt an Edgware is worth the investment of much more than $100. Of course, you might be lucky and get one that was much better than average, or that has been worked on by an expert to improve its response - if you try it and like it, that's fine. But for $700 I would expect you should be able to find many other makes of used A clarinets that are in a completely different league to the Edgware.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2012-05-15 19:58
I have a bit different slant than John on B&H clarinets. First of all, from some observations and a few measurements it appears to me that (with the exception of the Symphony 1010 model), all of the B&H models are acoustically and mechanically identical, other than minor variations in a few key shapes, trim rings, and plating types. (And, the Regent/Series 1-10 models are usually hard rubber-bodied.) Comparing Edgware, Series 2-20, Series 4-20, Series 8-10, and Imperial 926 models, the ones I'm familiar with from having restored and modified them, they all seem to have identical bore dimensions and tonehole sizes/locations. The quality of wood seems to be just as good (or nearly so) on the "lowest" Edgware model as on the higher models.
But they can certainly be improved. Slight tonehole undercutting does wonders for the stuffiness and intonation on these clarinets, and some of the clunky feel of the keywork can be eliminated by narrowing and reshaping the sliver keys, the register key and the throat A key. Many of them also need a vent hole drilled into the bell and bring up the pitch of chalumeau low E.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Campana
Date: 2012-05-15 21:29
I have a B&H Edgware, Bb, circa 1964. I doubt that it has had an easy life as the first owner was Staffordshire County Council...Municipal Band?/Schools?... There are no splits in the wood and the keywork plating is, to visual appearance, as good today as when it left the factory.
Post Edited (2012-05-15 21:30)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
