 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DavidK
Date: 2010-07-28 14:34
Hello, does anyone know anything about Martin Freres 1740 Clarinets? I've been playing for about a year on a used Martin Freres, which I bought online and had fixed up. I know that's not a wise thing to do, but I'm just a beginner and it was cheap, and it seems fine for the time being. However, the ergonomics seem a bit weird. The right hand little finger keys are a bit awkward to press vs. those on my teacher's Buffet. The sound is nice though. The clarinet also has a big knot in the wood grain in the upper joint, which I don't know is good or bad. I recall hearing that Martin Freres bought the wood rejected by Buffet, but I'd be grateful if someone could confirm this. Thanks.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-07-28 15:26
I restored one about half a year ago for one of my favorite customers, a gentleman Down Under. The keywork on his instrument had some truly nasty old plating that I was unable to make pretty (or even comfortable), but that said, the clarinet played very well and had an exceptionally nice sound. The wood was gorgeous.
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Author: jasperbay
Date: 2010-07-28 21:27
This may seem counterintuative, but generally the wood around a knot or limb, or 'swirly' grain is actually stronger, denser, and less likely to crack than straightgrain wood. Prettier, too.
Almost all the cracked grenadilla I've seen has been in straight, usually new-growth wood, long, straight cracks. You may however, get small 'checks' around a limb or knot grain, usually do'nt go very deep or cause any problems.
Clark G. Sherwood
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Author: DaveMoyer
Date: 2012-06-09 20:41
Martin Freres was founded sometime around 1840 in France by the Martin brothers. All three founding brothers died before the end of the century, but the company lived on and manufactured a lot of student-edition woodwinds near the beggining of the 20th century. The LaMonte models are popular examples of these. Most of the Martin instruments you'll see on eBay and such are student models... they were specifically designed to be cheap and so they suffer from poor playability and poor sound quality compared to a lot of other brands. That's why they are typically sold for cheap online these days. However, the Bb clarinet model 1740 "De Luxe" was a professional model. Typically produced sometime around 1910-1925 (-ish) they were far superior to the student models. I have one myself, still with the original leatherbound wood and brass case. I've seen a few online articles by people who have played on them and we all agree that the sound quality is quite good if you have the right mouthpiece and ligature to go with it... but the keys suffer from some little technical issues. The key setup is a bit harder to get used to compared to other models, and they like to stick sometimes. Also, since it's made of wood it sounds REALLY sharp in cold climates and a bit flat in hot weather so once you get some more experience playing you can improve your sound by using an adjustable-length barrel instead of the original one, to accomodate for temperature changes. DeLuxe models are pretty hard to find, and not really intended for beginning players. If yours says "DeLuxe" on the barrel or the bell, you would be better suited with a cheap Selmer or something similar until you get a few more years of playing under your belt. If it says "La Monte" or something else it's probably a student model... cheap for a reason, but great for beginners. I believe the DeLuxe line ended around 1925, but many student models were continued for several years after that. If yours is a wooden instrument, take special care of it. Make sure you get a WOOD clarinet care kit that includes key oil and bore oil. Key oil is for the brass keys (one drop per joint, use a toothpick or something) and the bore oil is for the INSIDE of the instrument only (a few drops on a rag and then smear it around). Both of these ought to be used about every month or two. Don't use too much oil or you will damage it.
I hope that satisfies some of your curiosity.
From,
Dave, 20-year clarinetist
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Author: SamuelChan
Date: 2012-06-09 22:02
Dave, I looked thrice, and noticed "REALLY sharp in cold climates and a bit flat in hot weather"
I think it's supposed to be flat on cold and sharp in hot?
Correction king :p
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Author: JHowell
Date: 2012-06-10 15:28
In addition to inverting the temperature/pitch relationship, you seem to suggest that this is BECAUSE it's made of wood. What material is less affected by temperature than wood, in terms of coefficient of expansion?
Interesting info on Martin Freres, though, thanks.
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