 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jerry McD.
Date: 2001-08-28 19:36
Hey all,
I have just received a Romeo Orsi clarinet that has been my wifes family for a veeerrryyyy long time. The serial number is 111. I went to the Orsi website but they don't have any type of serial number catalogue. Any of you historians out there have a clue? My guess is 1920's - '30's. Does anyone know anything about these instruments? It needs a complete overhaul which I might try and do myself.....wood and keywork are intact. Ultimate value isn't that important but if anyone has an idea what it would be worth once the overhaul is finished I would appreciate any input. Thanks....this board is awesome!
Jerry McD.
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Author: Jerry
Date: 2001-08-29 16:49
Check out the Orsi website:
www.orsi-wind-instruments.it
Regards,
Ralph
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-08-30 11:23
40 years ago here the 'standard' student instrument was a wooden Grassi, made in Italy. I have serviced Orsis from about the same time and they seemed identical in every way - I imagine another name from the same factory. The grassis had problems from weak, crystaline key metal breaking too easily, perhaps more as they aged. Their intonation was also poor. They were characterised by a non-standard, over-large diameter socket for the mouthpiece.
Then Grassi stopped making clarinets and focussed on flutes.
About 10 years ago I came across the odd new Orsi, being marketed as a top line instrument. Players liked the sound. I considered the mechanism poor indeed, for example pivot 'point' screws were not pointed, but relied on a cylindrical fit. That is fine, and is used on top quality flutes, but not if the screws are a really sloppy fit in the key. That is a foundation for noisy, unreliable linkages and key closure, and is difficult for a technician to do much about.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-08-31 18:41
Gordon,
I believe Romeo Orsi and Ida Maria Grassi are two entirely different Italian companies. For what it's worth, I recently acquired an intermediate-level Grassi alto sax, maybe 10-15 years old and somewhat abused/neglected, and after a bit of restoration I find it to be a rather nice instrument --- good sound and excellent intonation, and the workmanship and materials are pretty good, if not top-notch.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-09-01 11:23
Perhaps a few decades ago they both got their clarinet keys from the same manufacturer, using the same dies. The current Orsi clarinet certainly has different keywork from the old Orsis I worked on.
The odd modern Grassi flute iI have seen has been nowhere near the engineering standards of Yamaha student, which I treat as the measuring sick.
I think sax mechanism design is not as demanding as for flute, and getting the low keys reliable on clarinet is more challenging than most sax linkage & key set-up.
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