 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-03-23 21:46
Attachment: wardwinterbourneb.jpg (674k)
Attachment: wardwinterbourneb2.jpg (670k)
I've recently fully rebuilt a W&W Eb clarinet which is only stamped with the very low serial number of 002. It comes with a Peter Eaton mouthpiece with a shortened tenon. The thumbrest is exactly the same as you'd see on W&W oboes and cors, so that's why I assume it's a W&W Eb clarinet as Peter Eaton ones had the later style B&H thumbrest with the screws mounted vertically (one above the other) instead of both being perpendicular to the bore.
It's in a long B&H Imperial case where all the sections are joined together (I recommended the owner get a better case where all the joints are separated) and at first glance what with the condition of it, I assumed it was a B&H imperial as it's not stamped, but the bell flare decoration isn't typical for a B&H. The serial number is stamped with the same characters as Peter Eaton clarinets (as well as only having three digits), but it's the thumbrest that gave the game away. Both W&W and Peter Eaton have close ties when it comes to clarinet manufacture.
It's had a fair amount of tuning work done to it, but I can't see much evidence of any bore work at the top end although there is a distinct line around the bore near the throat A tonehole, similar to what you'd see in polycylindrical bores. I play tested it and it's a really lovely player and has a rather fat and full tone quality to it - almost like a miniature or sped up bass clarinet in its tone quality.
This one doesn't have a crow's foot and has an arm with adjusting screw for the E/B-F/C link and even more unusual is the F#/C#-F-C linkage which fortunately isn't that dreadful 1010-style sliding linkage (as used on Peter Eaton clarinets), but the RH F#/C# key barrel has a linkage tab that lifts the LH F/C foot to close the RH F/C key (see 2nd attachment).
The keywork is rod mounted throughout like 1010s and some other older B&H clarinets (older Imperials and Edgwares until the early 1950s), but at least they're all full width rods instead of being thinned down along their lengths except for the ends or sections at the ends of key barrels like B&H did.
This one has the 1010/Peter Eaton style linkages on it and is a much later one (serial no. 022): https://www.clarinetsdirect.net/store/p301/Ward-and-Winterbourne-Peter-Eaton-Clarinet.html#/
Does anyone have any more info on them (manufacturing dates, etc.) besides them being based on Imperial Ebs?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2025-03-24 05:06)
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Author: JohnP
Date: 2025-03-24 01:51
I had a W&W Eb for a bit which I bought new in the early 1980s as far as I remember. I didn’t keep it for long as I didn’t think the intonation was very good. I do remember thinking it had a very good sound though. I had a B&H Eb before that so I must have thought the W&W was an improvement.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-03-24 22:18
It's been collected and the owner is dead chuffed with it - he was even flying up to altissimo G and Ab no problem without even warming up and he also could hear and feel the same tonal weight I experienced when I played it. He said he only paid around £150 for it as it isn't stamped with any name, so that was an absolute steal. I told him to insure it for the cost of a new Buffet RC/R13 Eb as these Ebs (both B&H Imperial and W&W) seem to sell for around the £1500-£2000 mark.
While I recommended he got a new case for it where the joints are all separated, I remembered I had an old 1960s Buffet Eb case that came with my old Buffet Eb clarinet (black covering with stitched edges and blue velvet lining), only I put that case aside as it was really stinky.
Turns out all that time put by on a shelf (we're talking around nearly 20 years) was the best thing I did as I could hardly smell anything when I opened it and stuck my nose in, so that's saved the owner the cost of a new case. It was either around £50 for an Ortola case or somewhere around the £300 mark for a new Buffet case, although a Yamaha Eb case was another I'd have recommended as they have a polystyrene inner tray that can be adapted easily to fit where needed.
It's nice to go to town on instruments like this as they deserve it and deserve many more decades of playing. I last overhauled his Bb/A set of Marigaux clarinets in around 2015 and serviced them just before he brought the Eb clarinet in and the cork pads I used back then only needed some minor dressing with a pumice block to make them look nice and fresh again.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2025-03-24 23:53
>> The thumbrest is exactly the same as you'd see on W&W oboes and cors, so that's why I assume it's a W&W Eb clarinet as Peter Eaton ones had the later style B&H thumbrest with the screws mounted vertically (one above the other) instead of both being perpendicular to the bore. <<
Have you seen an Eaton Eb clarinet? I'm not sure if they ever made any.......?
The thumb rest being evidence that it's not an Eaton implies that it could have been.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-03-25 00:02
By 'Peter Eaton ones' I implied 'Peter Eaton clarinets' but didn't specify the pitch.
It made sense in my head even if it's open to interpretation.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: crazyclari
Date: 2025-03-25 10:19
I can't tell you about manufacturing dates. At this time Tony Ward was likely making the bodies in South Australia and shipping them back to the UK for key fitting, though I would not swear by it. A sorely missed man. I had him make custom barrel of my design at that time, I only recently changed from. So your clarinet may have been partially made in Australia.
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