Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2018-04-23 23:53
As a long-time collector of metal clarinets, my feelings are these:
1. The internet (auctions) and YouTube-like services have introduced countless folks to the "oddity" or "novelty" of hearing clarinet-like sounds coming from a clarinet "skeleton."
2. Prior to the Internet, many of these clarinets were traded freely (no cost) or at $5-$25, and many met the fate of being turned into table lamps.
3. The "pro" model metal clarinets seem to stay priced about where informed collectors demand the price/market to be, and are generally justified by serious collectors.
4. The student model (ranging from junk to great) metal clarinets seem to be highly over-priced due to the (largely uninformed) market buying into the novelty of wanting to try a metal clarinet, while others are caught by the words "rare" and "silver"...not knowing one metal clarinet from another.
I personally wouldn't pay more than $50 for a run-of-the-mill metal clarinet. Sure, they're fun to have and to try, but they really aren't as widely accepted as equally priced non-metal clarinets - conductors and others might complain, etc.
Having said all of this, I do play a metal 1898 Conn Albert system clarinet as my primary clarinet (It was advertised as a professional clarinet in 1898), and own an 1892-1895 Conn Albert as a backup. My primary instrument possesses all of the intonation issues you'd expect from an 1898 instrument, but fits my needs. It can meld nicely in concert/chamber-type settings up to about B4 ![[B4]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/b4.gif) , but then stands out like a nudist at a nunnery until G5 ![[G5]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/g5.gif) , where it starts melding in again.
My primary musical interest is jazz, but I personally feel the metal/jazz connection is as much (or more) novelty and cliche' as it is reasoned and factual. While there were a few old-time musicians who played metal clarinets at one point or another, few remained on metal clarinets as their primary instrument - most played wood or rubber.
If you're interested in the history of metal clarinets prices (since the Internet/ebay impact), search the bboard for Jim Lande's posts. He used to post an annual analysis of ebay's metal clarinet make/model pro/student cost averages. Very interesting. He's a great guy, who (unfortunately) doesn't post here as often anymore.
As a metal clarinet performer (and I would bet others would agree), it is frequent for people to approach after a performance and ask all about the metal clarinet (even more so than the Albert...which strikes me as odd - when I play non-metal Alberts, everyone approaches me to ask about the wrap-around register key..."What kind of clarinet is that?!"). I know of at least five people who are currently planning to purchase a metal clarinet, simply because they liked how mine sounded. I know of a few more who are planning to buy a metal clarinet due to seeing an acquaintance of mine playing. The folks (self-admittedly) know nothing about metal clarinets, and are planning to buy because they are in love with the idea of playing a metal clarinet. "It's cool!"
Again - the above are just my personal thoughts/opinions/observations. I'm not trying to rock the boat, but I do wish the market would calm down a bit and make the student models or junk-level instruments affordable, but now that the fad has begun, I doubt that will happen.
Fuzzy
PS: I want to make sure there is no confusion...when I say "...as a metal clarinet performer...", I don't mean to infer I'm a professional performer. I'm not. I play publicly 3x week for fun, and seasonally or events otherwise. I make my living doing something else entirely.
EDIT: > adding these two links from Jim Lande's 2004 and 2012 surveys:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=140451&t=140451
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=367509&t=367509
Post Edited (2018-04-24 02:56)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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