 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2020-09-27 23:08
I've been in the market for an affordable E-flat clarinet and a dealer I trust has a vintage Martin Freres (Paris) eefer on offer, with a fresh overhaul and new wooden case, for $750. I'm rather torn between getting this, or going with the "safe choice" Bundy and sprucing it up with a nice barrel.
Using the Search function, I've seen 2011 and 2012 references to these as being "surprisingly good" and "pretty nice-playing".
Surely, more of these have been encountered by Clarinet BBoard members between then and now. If anyone has insights on the vintage Martin Freres E-flats, I'd like to hear about your experiences with them.
Regards...Greg
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2020-09-27 23:49
Also...the clarinet in question is only marked as a Martin Freres; there's no mention of an inscription denoting it as a lesser submodel such as the Grand Prix, Versailles, Victoire, etc.
Post Edited (2020-09-29 23:00)
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2020-09-28 16:20
I'm guessing that some of my previous posts about my Martin Freres Grand Prix e-flat were what you were reading. It was a great little horn, and no more pitchy than most eefers. I'm actually sorry that I sold it!
I'd advise investing in a good mouthpiece, barrel, and Fobes extension -- which I would recommend for most eefers. Also, as a person with larger hands, I found the Martin Freres to have a reasonable "handprint" that accommodated my larger fingers.
Best of luck to you!
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2020-09-28 19:50
Thank you for your reply...yes, I was referring to posts from yourself and one other owner of these instruments.
It's good to know that the intonation on yours was manageable, and that the ergonomics fit your hands well.
Were there any issues with keywork construction, such as soft metal, plating flaking off, pitting, or porous areas? Martin Freres advertising from the '50s and '60s indicates that their B-flats were built with forged keys. I hope that the E-flats are similarly equipped.
What mouthpiece, reed, and ligature setup did you end up going with?
I am planning on getting the Fobes extension.
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2020-09-29 17:32
The instrument I owned was made from gorgeous wood, and the keywork was solid (not plated, I don't believe). It was an older instrument though....probably from the 1920's.
I switched around mouthpieces a lot, but ended up with a Vandoren M30 as the most stable and in tune. I also liked Fobes and Gregory Smith mouthpieces for the eefer depending on what I was playing. I like Vandoren Optimum ligatures.
Importantly, I used a Backun barrel with the cut out and Bb reeds (rather than Eb reeds) as I preferred the larger reed as it gave me more to work with in terms of tone.
Of course, this is just my experience and preferences....YMMV!
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2020-09-29 23:11
Thank you so very much for sharing all this, bradfordlloyd. I feel a lot more confident that the clarinet in question will turn out to be a fine instrument.
I'm going to go ahead and purchase it. 
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2020-09-30 17:19
Great! I hope that it works out!
P.S. -- definitely try to play the instrument first. Eefers (of all brands and vintages) are like wild animals that have to be tamed!
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Author: EbClarinet
Date: 2020-10-04 17:40
I purchased my Eb Clarinet when I was 28-years old. I saw the steal it was for $299 so I got is on my Visa CC. It's made by a company called "woodwind" and it's not made of plastic or wood. It has great intonation and I have excellent tone quality on it.
I would suggest that u got 4 it and make the instrument yours. It's the player and not the instrument.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/mbtldsongministry/
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