 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Erika
Date: 2001-04-26 23:31
I just recently bought an old metal clarinet for $5 at a music store. It is about 100 years old. The body of the instrument is fine, but the pads on it are shot. Should I pay the money to get the old thing repaded so that it plays, or should I just leave it the way it is for decoration? I own a buffet and a selmer too, so the metal clarinet would never be played as my primary clarinet. But, I think it would be amusing to take to band and play it. Should I repair it, or leave it as decoration?
Thanks, Erika
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Author: Mike Irish
Date: 2001-04-26 23:52
if all your keys are in place.... I would get it playible...
it may not be worth a whole lot ..... but it can be fun....
as far as taking to band..... ( jr / sr hi ) .... the director may not like it...
the director here will not let any one play an alberts or metal...
something that was told to me... you fix it up, and it will be worth at least what you have in it.... sellling it may be a different story, the value would then be in the eyes of the beholder...
Mike
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-04-27 00:44
I'd fix it up for the fun of it. While most were student grade, some were not bad. Don't expect to get your money out of it though, unless it's one of the pro horns, which were quite rare. This is just for fun.
What brand and model is it?
Also while it is possible that it could be 100 years old, the majority of these were made in the 1930s and 1940s. At least one company continued into the 1960s. If you have the case and think it is original, that could give a clue as to it's age. The cases of 100 years ago were not the padded, form fitted, lined cases we are used to today. Instead they were basically plain, unpadded boxes with clips or supports to hold the clarinet.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-04-27 00:54
If you have one of the premium metal horns, you might want a better repad. If it's a common marching horn, then an inexpensive repad will suffice just for fun. You got a bargain though. Almost any metal clarinet that is complete and not bent brings $40 or more on ebay, regardless of pad condition.
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2001-04-27 02:55
I just overhauled a Bettoney full boehm, leather pads. It plays fairly well, not as well as I anticipated. It was a whole lot of fun working on it though. Perhaps you'll see it on eBay soon, after I've had a little fun with it showing to my students! It has the tuning barrel. The low Eb/Bb plays nicely....not stuffy as on some full boehm's.
John
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Author: Willie
Date: 2001-04-27 04:15
Some of those old metal horns play pretty good, some fair, and some were dogs. Still, you may find it an interesting item to have around to play on. If yours is complete with the barrel to attach the mouth piece, I say go for it. One nice thing about those metal horns is they were made almost "kid proof" as an adult wound state. I keep one in my truck and one by my computer so if I have a few minutes to puff out some quick scales or tunes, its there and you can slap one together and put it back in the case more quickly than a plastic or wooden model.
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Author: Bob R
Date: 2001-04-27 12:30
I would get it playable. I just started collecting old clarinets. You may want to consider doing it yourself. I had a great time learning how to repad, clean, oil, and buff my clarinets. Just take your time. I just bought a metal clarinet from ebay. I can't wait to restore it to playing condition.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-04-27 14:28
I picked up a Moennig Bros. (German-made) metal clarinet on eBay last year, and although the pads on it are old, they still seal and are cool-looking bright red leather, so I didn't even bother overhauling the horn, and have been playing it in jazz band. It sounds and feels surprisingly good, intonation is not bad, and it makes the audience wonder what the heck it is!
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-04-29 10:49
If it is one of the "G clarinet"s common in, and made in Turkey then it is probably so badly made that it will never really do up. Badly aligned keys cannot be corrected because they break and cannot be repaired, pivots are extremely sloppy, and tone hole soldering has problems. A most interesting instrument though. I've seen a great performance on it, put on via WOMAD.
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