 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Petrina
Date: 2018-09-07 23:15
Hello I've been playing clarinets for over 30 years ever since I started in high school. I also have a collection of B&H clarinets and I wonder if anyone could help me with a few questions.
Firstly my collection consists of a Regent, a Wooden 77, 2 78's, a wooden 400, a wooden Edgware, a wooden Marlborough and an Emperor which is not wooden.
Firstly could someone please advise me as to which order I should have them in terms of level & quality. Secondly both of my 78's are different which I was not expecting as I thought that there was only one 78. Does anyone perhaps have any information that could possibly help clear this up?
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2018-09-08 00:01
I am sure Chris P will probably correct me if I get this wrong, but I think the order is approx
lowest to highest
77s and 78s and 400 are really stencils made for B&H (in USA and Europe) and very basic student level.
Regent - a long running student instrument which went through many iterations, starting as wood, but later in various types of plastic
Edgware and Marlborough are roughly the same instrument, just badged differently
Emperor (plastic), which is an low intermediate level.
A wood Emperor would be classified Intermediate
The very early Emperors (1950s) were very different, really direct copy of the Imperial 926 and very fine semi-pro level clarinets
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-09-08 03:47
The "77" is a 1950s entry level or budget model that was priced below the wooden Regent - they have an ebonite bell and possibly an ebonite barrel as well (I'm not entirely sure about the barrel as it's been a while since I've seen one). These, like the early wooden Regents, have the dreaded Mazak keys.
The B&H "78" is made by Selmer USA - it's essentially a Bundy/Buescher Aristocrat stencil. If you have another "78" and both are different, I wouldn't mind seeing photos of them both to determine which is which.
The B&H 400 is made by Amati - same as the Corton/Lafleur clarinets. These also have ebonite bells.
The Marlborough is a late '50s/early '60s model which is the same as an Edgware (wood with nickel plated keys) but with a metal bell ring, so it's like the Series 2-20.
The plastic Emperor is essentially a Regent (injection moulded resin joints) but with silver plated keys and different socket rings. Then again, the wooden Emperor is an Edgware with silver plated keys which itself is pretty much a wooden Regent as all three are acoustically the same as they all share the same bore and tonehole layout.
Another one that's not listed but one you may see is a B&H Regent II which is the successor to the plastic Evette and forerunner of the B12. And like the Evette and B12, they were made by Schreiber but had a B&H Regent-style bell.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2018-09-08 04:33
I have a hard rubber ex-military Emperor. Definitely not injection-moulded plastic. Some time ago I sold a hard rubber ex-military Edgware, the only one I've ever seen. They both played and sounded better than their wooden counterparts.
Tony F.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-09-08 17:17
Their ebonite clarinets usually had nickel plated keywork as mixing ebonite and silver will cause the silver to tarnish what with the sulphur fumes. The Imperials were often made of ebonite for the tropics - even Imperial flutes and bassoons were made with ebonite bodies, so not just clarinets and oboes.
There's no real consistency with B&H - I find it odd they offered some Emperors with Regent joints, yet they also offered machined plastic Edgwares with inset ebonite tonehole chimneys when you'd have thought they'd have offered the Emperor with the machined rather than moulded joints. There is a player near me who has a Bakelite Emperor which is exactly the same as a '60s Regent but with silver plated keys.
I've seen ebonite Edgwares from the '50s, but most are usually wood. Some Edgwares had no logos on them except for the barrel.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Zia
Date: 2018-09-08 18:49
the wooden emperor i have dating from 1958 has ebonite tonehole chimneys, i think the ebonite version was for military bands as well as the imperial
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2018-09-09 03:03
In some (mainly line) bands the solo clarinet players were issued with Imperials and the others had Emperors.
The Royal Marine Bands at one time took this one step up. Their Solo stand players had 1010s and the rest of the section Imperial 926s.
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