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old simple system C clarinet

Author: Donny
Date: 2001-04-06 14:12

I have an old simple system clarinet pitched in C. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about this type of instrument and if it is worth anything either in value or to a collector. On the top joint it has the markings,

BUTLER
Haymarket
London

Any info would be appreciated, please feel free to contact me via email

Thank you!!!

Donny
-x-

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RE: old simple system C clarinet

Author: ron b
Date: 2001-04-06 16:41

Hi, Donny -
If your instrument is 'modern pitch' (A-440) it's fun to play. I have a plastic Bb simple system. It's worth to me is that it is interesting in its 'simplicity', is standard pitch - so I can play it in groups - and is pretty sturdy, making it a good 'emergency' horn

It's so-so as a player. Some fingerings are a bit awkward if you try to play up-tempo stuff but it's okay. I suppose if you played one all the time you'd get used to it. Mine is a Carl Fischer, an importer ( we had a discussion about Carl here a while back ) - so, my horn's maker is anybody's guess. I bought mine, on eBay, for about $60-70(?), don't remember exactly, just for the novelty of it and it had a fairly nice boot case. Yours may be worth more to you, depending on its pitch, for its novelty rather than monetary worth.
Yours, having a real mfgs'. name, could be worth *something* on the collector market. 'Something' is about whatever a collector wishes to pay for it. Simple systems aren't too uncommon; they turn up on eBay, not frequently but often enough that they're not a rarity.
John Butler might be interested in it because of the name :])
- ron b -

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RE: old simple system C clarinet

Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-04-06 17:27

Should we read "simple-system" to mean something like a 13 key Albert-Muller clarinet ?? They could date from ?1850 to maybe 1910 and I should think that one pitched in C would be a bit rare. Almost no matter how much repair might be needed, you should be able to sound an open G or G#/A to ascertain High-Pitch vs Low Pitch [against a piano]. Mark C, can you help? Interesting! Don

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RE: old simple system C clarinet

Author: ron b
Date: 2001-04-06 19:56

Hi, Don -
Oops... you're right. I presume that 'simple' means 'pre Albert', Mueller type with *no* alternate note mechanism(s). Bare, basic - 12-13 keys - something like that. I really need to watch myself about assuming things. Thanks for the reminder :
Dee kindly steered me in the right direction about assumptions on another thread and now I find myself slipping back into my old routine :[ I need more refresher courses that most, I guess.
To determine pitch, sure, you can blow any note that'll sound. An open G will do as well as any. Just make sure the piano's in tune or, better yet, use an electronic tuner.
I s'pose a simple horn pitched in (standard A-440) C would be a rarer bird than Bb ones. So, yeah, we'd expect to pay more for it. Maybe a collector will come on board to help Donny with this. Old horn prices seem to me to be about whatever someone is willing to pay for the thing for whatever reason :]
- ron b -

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RE: old simple system C clarinet

Author: jim lande
Date: 2001-04-10 00:53

I bought an ebonite (read plastic) one on eBay for $80. I have seen some go for less. Unless it is a Selmer or Buffet or Leblanc, I can't see it being worth more than a hundred or two.

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