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Re: Q: Kleartone Professional

Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2013-10-31 17:58

Kleartone was a stencil brand most often associated with the M.J. Kalashen music shop that was located in NYC from ~1903 until ~1931. Reportedly the Kleartone instruments were sourced from manufacturers in Europe as well as in the US so it will be very difficult to tell just who exactly made your mouthpiece. Unless someone else started to use the Kleartone brand at a later date you would probably be safe in assuming that your mouthpiece was manufactured sometime between 1903 and 1931.

The required reed strength cannot be determined without knowing what kind of facing the mouthpiece has. Assuming that the facing is in good condition your best bet would be to start out with an intermediate strength reed like a #3 and then adjust to a harder or softer reed as necessary.

It's tough say how the Kleartone mouthpieces stack up against other brands since they very well may have been sourced from multiple manufacturers. The few that I have run across I would probably put it the "decent but not great" category. With a good facing they can probably play quite well but I seriously doubt they will ever be sought after.

Post Edited (2013-10-31 19:56)

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