 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LeePal
Date: 2007-09-15 02:11
We have a question for our Pruefer friends.
Does anyone know if the wooden Pruefer Professional Model B flat Clarinet comes standard with a plastic/resin barrel and bell?
We have one that has both Pruefer bell (Carl Fischer) and Pruefer barrel that are definitely not wooden.
According to the sn# it was made around 1941.
Thanks again for any info you might be able to offer.
LeePal
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2007-09-15 21:18
Hi L P, I'm afraid that "few will remember" [as in the Ride of Paul Revere] what the 60-70 year old Pruefers came with, partic. when they weren't a highly popular make. Mine is a "pro" model 19 keys/7 rings, and is all wood. From what I've seen, only a few "intermediate" models, by Leblanc and Conn, others?, were mixed wood and plastics when new. Help,pliz, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2013-12-04 16:57
and 6+ years later..
yes Professional came with hard rubber bell and barrel
could you please get the bore/length dimensions of barrel for me?
I am guessing ~67mm and 15.2-15.4 bore, right?
Post Edited (2013-12-04 17:00)
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Author: mrgiese1990
Date: 2019-05-30 00:22
Follow-up question:
I am looking at acquiring a late 1930's Pruefer Professional (it has the plastic barrel and bell).
It will require an overhaul.
My question is: Is this clarinet really "professional" quality and is it worth restoring?
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2019-05-30 01:04
In my experience--I've got three Pruefers in my collection--they play unlike any other marque of clarinet, and are also inconsistent from example to example within a given model range.
In other words, it could be a gem or a real stinker. There's no way to know without test-playing it. Hopefully, it is still playable enough for you to determine if it has any potential.
Pruefers in good shape frequently come up for sale at low prices on Internet auction sites. If you have doubts about the one you're now considering, pass it up and wait for a better one to come along.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2019-05-30 01:14
...note also that may old Pruefers had scarlet leather pads and you might be able to revive them enough to evaluate the clarinet via the "pad doping" techniques used by vintage saxophone enthusiasts. Do a search on the Sax On The Web forum and you'll find a range of possible techniques.
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2019-05-30 17:12
I started on an old Pruefer. Hard rubber I think but I just thought it was plastic at the time. Had Rhode Island stamped in the logo. I think ai still have it somewhere.
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2019-05-30 17:41
In my shop, the repair cost would exceed the resale value. That being said, resale value may not be the main consideration.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2019-05-30 19:16
Preufers are a bit thin on the ground here in Australia, but I've come across a few. I've found the quality to vary enormously even between examples of the same model, ranging from surprisingly good to awful.
Tony F.
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2019-05-30 19:48
Are they considered to be stenciled instruments made by someone else with their logo on it?
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2019-05-31 00:38
Pruefer built their own clarinets, and also built stencils. They are best remembered for the Silver Throat model range, and these were sold under several stencil marques.
Tony's comment above is spot-on. I have two Festival Six-20 sopranos; one is beautifully made, exhibiting sturdy nickel-silver keywork with excellent nickel plating; the other is made with flimsy brass keywork that's porous and has thin, flaking nickel plating.
The Silver Throat model and its variants have a following today as jazz and big band instruments.
Pruefer, and Conn, took clarinet design in directions not seen before or since. I would not consider a Pruefer appropriate for classical clarinet study or performance. Those wishing a vintage French-style clarinet from an independent American builder should look instead to Penzel-Mueller.
ADDENDUM: A very few Pruefer metal clarinets are extant, and these almost certainly stencil instruments.
Post Edited (2019-05-31 00:46)
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