 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Arun
Date: 1999-06-24 01:47
Howdy, What is your opinion on Silver clarinets or in general, metal clarients as a whole. Whether or not they should be refurbished, played or sold. Thanx
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jim lande@erols.com
Date: 1999-06-24 02:18
Arun wrote:
-------------------------------
Howdy, What is your opinion on Silver clarinets or in general, metal clarients as a whole. Whether or not they should be refurbished, played or sold. Thanx
-------------------------------
Well, I like them better as a whole (clarinet) than when they are in pieces or incomplete. Metal clarinets were produced by the ton between 1935 and 1950. A few (primarily double walled) were made starting around the turn of the century. In the late 1920s, several leading clarinet makers attempted to make professional quality metal instruments. Some claimed that they produced the same tone, but that they would never crack. Some of these are quite desirable to collectors. I have refurbished a Buffet, a Silva Bet and a Silver King, all of which are fine instruments. I bought all three on eBay for $300, $200 and $100, respectively and by complete coincidence, that is the order in which I would rank them. The Silva Bet, by the way, has a low Eb as well as some extra trill keys and is gold plated. I think that all three play better than a Bundy or Vito. If you have a metal Selmar or a metal Albert system or one in the key of C or the key of A, please write to me directly.
Ahh, but your's is a Cadet or a Three Star, American Standard, PX Laube, Regent, Collegiate, Cavalier, Duval, Gladiator, American Gloritone, etc. These were student models. The "professional" models were not wildly popular but high schools like instruments that can stand a lot of abuse. School systems bought great numbers of these metal clarinets and they were widely used through the early 1950s. By the time they dumped them, many were in very poor shape, giving metal clarinets a bad reputation.
ctually, a few makers continued to sell metal clarinets through the early 1950s and LeBlanc continued to sell the Noblet model until 1972. [I believe that the 1940s Noblets were among the best student models. By 1968, the metal Noblet was the cheapest clarinet that LeBlanc offered. More personal opinions: the American made student model metal clarinets were better than the French and especially than the Italian models. Beware: small sample.]
Metal clarinets are good instruments on which to learn the healing arts -- pads, springs, corks, etc. They take more abuse than a plastic or wood horn. Yes, you can damage them, but you can always buy another for $60 on eBay. A shop will charge you between $80 and $200, depending on condition, on whether you want everything polished, etc. The instrument may not play as well as an old plastic Bundy or Vito, but would certainly be good enough for marching band. My son, with his metal Noblet, was the envy of the 7th grade clarinet section.
By the way, if the barrel or a key is missing or there is a bend in the body or major dents, then the horn may not be worth repairing.
Good luck
jim
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 1999-06-24 12:14
Jim has just provided a great summary of metal clarinets. I would just like to add a reminder that MOST of what you might come across in flea markets, ebay, etc will be student grade instruments so don't pay too much for them. Very few sellers know anything about them and say they are silver when they are not.
As far as worth restoring, that's always a personal call. I think they are just for the fun of having a piece of history. Turning an instrument into a lamp is horrible.
If you do buy one, make sure it is complete. These are discontinued and if they are missing keys or the barrel, you probably can't replace them. Many of them are missing barrels. You will have to look close as some had it built right on the horn so then you are ok. They took standard clarinet mouthpieces so if their is a "cup" on the end that accepts a mouthpiece or you can see that the barrel is there, you are ok.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 1999-06-24 17:46
I think that Jim pretty much said it all and very well, but I'll just add my own single experience. I recently bought a William Nuernberger German-made, single-walled metal clarinet on eBay, and refurbished it. It is a well-made instrument, and plays surprisingly well. I brought it to orchestra rehearsal one night and it gave a very good account of itself. It also looks cool. So I suppose it's like anything else, there are good ones, bad ones, and lots of mediocre ones in between.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-06-24 17:53
Very true, Dave, I have a Gunkel and a Bettoney 3 Star, and prefer to spend my time restoring several better [occasionally] wood cl's. Incidentally, for those interested in metals generally, see the Cundy-Bettoney posts below. Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: John
Date: 1999-06-24 19:37
I do have a silver Albert system clarinet in B flat. It was great fun to try to learn the fingering system!
Are you hinting that this odd duck may have some value?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia
Date: 1999-06-25 21:54
I agree with what others have said here and would add only: Try before you buy, if possible. I don't mean play the instrument, necessarily, since it probably won't be in playable condition without new corks and pads, but try it on for size and see whether it feels comfortable. I own two silver-plated metal clarinets. One is an H. Bettoney Silva-Bet, one of the better pro models, and the other is a Selmer Barbier, which is pretty good by the standards of student metal clarinets. Both of them sound like...well, like clarinets. However, the balance in the hands feels very different than the balance of a wooden or plastic clarinet. The metal ones tend to roll back and forth on my thumb. I find that distracting and I don't care for the skinniness, either, so for me the metal clarinets are interesting things to collect, more than instruments to practice on regularly.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
