 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: xxknight48xx
Date: 2012-07-28 21:04
I played Bb clarinet and Bass clarinet all through middle school and high school. i was never able to afford my own instrument so i always used the schools.
A friend of mine was recent cleaning out her garage and came across a clarinet that her sister bought off an old roomate.
She passed it to me at no charge. Now after sitting in a garage for a few years collecting dust it obviously needs to be " tuned up" for lack of better words.
I do have a question though. the brand name is CONN with a "16" under it,and i have never heard of them before. the serial number on the clarinet is
C58506.
If anyone could tell me a little more about this clarinet it would be greatly appreciated =]
thanks
kyle
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2012-07-29 00:14
Hi Kyle,
Your Conn is a student clarinet, most likely from the 1950s. Probably well built. And the price was right -- if it doesn't need too much work.
Susan
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Author: xxknight48xx
Date: 2012-07-29 01:06
it just needs new pads and a few of the keys need to oiled really good. im looking at getting some good pads for it now, oh and it needs to be polished. i can post pictures if you want me to but its really dirty lol
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-07-29 01:07
Is it plastic or a form of plastic or is it wood. In the 30's, 40's, and part of the 50's, Conn's in general made some really nice horns. I have an alto sax from conn called the naked lady which is on the bell of the horn. I looked these up on ebay a few years ago, thinking I may trade/sell for a Mark 6 Selmer, but I kept the naked lady. I kept the the naked lady, because a lot of them in good condition were selling around the $3000 mark. The mark 6 is a very nice horn and so is the Conn. I think it has a deeper sound compared to the Mark 6. The 6 is better, which has nothing to do with clarinets, so forgive me here. I get carried away.
Well even though the bass is a student model check it out on ebay.
Lastly ask the amazing pro with the Baltimore Symphony -Eddie Palanker.
After 60 plus years in this sym he knows everything about the bass. Also what mouthpiece? This too could spark a lot of interest. If it's not too good of an MP Eddie can get you set up and the horn could actually be something worth keeping.
Eddie, where are you? hehe
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Author: xxknight48xx
Date: 2012-07-29 01:09
the mouth piece says " CONN" on it so im assuming its the original mouth piece. and i really dont know how to tell if it is plastic or wood. if you could tell me what to look for, like signs of aging or stuff like that i can tell you some more. in the mean time ill uup load some pics
EDIT : the mouth piece also says " Precision" on it
Post Edited (2012-07-29 01:12)
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Author: xxknight48xx
Date: 2012-07-29 01:14
pictures. sorry for crappy cell pic
EDIT: obviously i fail at posting pics lol
Post Edited (2012-07-29 01:23)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-07-29 01:52
With wood, you should see grain, wood grain going up the length of the bass. Although it's black, you will see a slighty off shade of black. If this isn't the case well it's most likely a form of plastic. This can be fine. This can still play very well. My guess is the Conn mouthpiece is not the first choice for bass players.
Are you planning on selling or playing it? Mouthpieces are well over $100 just to start off and can go way, way, up from there, $500, $1000, It depends. I'd never pay more then $400 to $500 for a student horn, although it will really help improve the instrument. If you plan on selling it I wouldn't change the mouthpiece because the buyer may already have a good MP or a mouthpiece in mind to buy. If you keep the bass, I've always liked the basic Selmers. Perhaps they aren't the best, but when making reeds, the reeds sounded pretty good.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2012-07-29 02:01)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-07-29 02:08
If you are new to clarinets and reeds, I worked at Rico reeds. The tenor reeds were the exact same reeds as the bass clarinet, same measurements, the works. They were simply cut a bit shorter, because the tenor MP's were longer. You could actually sand the back of the tenor reeds and you will have a bass clarinet reed. Some players that had trouble finding bass clarinet reeds ar music stores, bought the sax reeds. Some even bought the Kemke reeds, which were designer reeds for classical players.
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Author: xxknight48xx
Date: 2012-07-29 02:47
i plan on playing it and it looks like its plastic. also its a regular Bb clarinet. not a bass. i wish it was i LOVED playing bass haha.
when i would play regularly i always used rico royals. never had an issue with them
what would you suggest i do with this like maintenance wise? obviously it needs new pads, polished and oiled. anything else???
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Author: pewd
Date: 2012-07-29 03:03
Most than likely you'll need key and tenon cork in addition to pads.
Instruments that sit un-played for a long time usually need a full overhaul when put back into service. Pads that seem ok many times will fail a few months after you start using it. Cork will start falling off or tearing. Consider taking it to a shop to have all the pads and corks replaced, plus anything else they might note when they tear it down.
Get an estimate from a shop, then you'll have to decide if the cost is worth it to you.
Make sure the ligature is ok - if its an old metal one it might be bent.
A few lessons with a good teacher to get you started would be helpful.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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