 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarimad
Date: 2016-04-02 12:24
My B&H eefer is a standard Boehm instrument made from blackwood with nickel silver keywork but no model name on it just "Made in England" on the rear side and the B&H logo in the usual place. Has a serial number 46X.
Any ideas?
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2016-04-02 13:06
Can you describe the rings? Are they scalloped or plain? If they're plain it will be an Imperial, if they're scalloped it will be an Emperor, if they're conventional rings it will be an Edgware. Can you post some pics?
Tony F.
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Author: donald
Date: 2016-04-02 13:07
It would appear that you have an E flat clarinet made by Boosey and Hawkes.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-04-02 19:36
To my knowledge, B&H only offered the Eb clarinet as a pro level instrument made by them which in turn became their 'Imperial' line of instruments ranging in size from Eb soprano through to bass clarinets (like the Yamaha 60/600 series clarinets). There was no Edgware, Emperor or Symphony 1010 version of the Eb clarinet.
Any other Eb clarinets bearing the B&H name (but not made by B&H) are most likely Bundy stencils - not sure if they had Amati Ebs stencilled as part of the B&H 400 line, but they most likely imported and had them stencilled as 'Lafleur' back in the '70s.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-04-03 00:28
He meant socket rings. They're usually completely flat/smooth/plain on B&H Imperial Ebs.
Have you got any more photos of the whole instrument or of both halves (or thirds from the barrel to bell)?
Would also be worth seeing the shape of the bell as B&H Ebs don't normally have a metal bell ring (at the wide end) whereas their Bb/A clarinets sometimes did (but not normally).
Also some photos of the pillars that have a single or two screws securing them in place and also the thumbrest.
Looks like it's missing some of the lower joint keys:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/download.html/1,4805/IMG_0989.JPG
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-04-03 01:09
Am I going mad? I responded to this post a day or two ago and it appeared as item 2 or 3 in the sequence. No sign of it now. Is this a duplicate pst?
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Author: clarimad
Date: 2016-04-03 11:08
Norman,
My original post had been removed as I had infringed the rules of the site! You are not going mad.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2016-04-03 13:34
Interesting, that is the style of rings normally found on the Edgware range. As can be seen on the pics that Chris P posted, those were Imperials with flat rings. This one has the post securing screws and the ringless B & H bell, so it's probably not a stencil.
Tony F.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-04-03 13:34
Attachment: b&h_price_list.jpg (145k)
That's got the Edgware style socket rings. See attachment of a B&H price list - they only list the Imperial Eb on there.
Can you post a photo of the serial number and also the logo at the top of the body (and barrel)?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2016-04-03 14:03
Hi Chris, do you know what year that price list dates from?
Tony F.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-04-03 14:40
Well before 1971 as it's priced in pounds, shillings and pence (£-s-d) instead of decimal. I suspect it's from the late '50s as they have the B&H "77" listed there which was a wooden bodied clarinet with an ebonite bell (and maybe ebonite barrel as well) and had the dreaded Mazak keys.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarimad
Date: 2016-04-03 16:42
Photo of the B&H logo on the top and the rear with serial number. Note the barrel is plastic and not an original
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Author: clarimad
Date: 2016-04-03 16:50
Why won't this site now allow me to add attachments in the form of photos??
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2016-04-03 18:50
Even more interesting. The body ring at the bell end of the body is an Edgware style, but the barrel ring shown is definitely from an Imperial. Is the ring at the top of the barrel plain as well? Not an Imperial-style makers mark. The serial number isn't on the list I have.
Tony F.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-04-04 00:21
I paid £30 for my Emperor complete in case in 1954. This list indicates the Emperor at £30 but complete outfit at £35.
So I would also think this list comes from later 50s.
There are certain things in the photos that could point towards a genuine B&H provenance but that number and the ribbed bell ring just don't add up.
When the protype Imperial Bb was produced in 1946 it also had Emperor type body rings and a metal rimmed bell but it was marked with the correct sequence of serial no. e.g. 359xx. to 361xx on the 3 examples that have passed through my hands.
Curiously my first pair of Imperials also from 1946 had the official Imperial Logo, smooth body rings and wood rimmed bell yet had a serial number just a few digits earlier than at least one of the prototypes.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-04-04 01:41
Looking at the more extensive photos just found on "that site" there are quite a few characteristics similar to a 1960s Imperial Eb in my hand but also some keywork differences as well.
I am starting to wonder if this might be a proptype model despite it's unusual serial.
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