 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-02-19 19:21
Can anyone tell me anything about the Boosey & Hawkes Special model clarinet? I bought one cheap at a local "get rid of it" auction last night. This is a Bb grenadilla clarinet with the model name "Special" and (smaller) "Made in England" in block sans-serif letters on the top section, above the A/Ab crossover keys. The serial number, on both sections, dates the clarinet to late 1951 or early 1952. Standard Boehm keywork, 6 rings, 17 keys. The keys are cast, not forged.
There's lots of info online about Boosey & Hawkes, the pro-quality Imperial and Emperor (1010) clarinets and the student-quality Edgeware and Regent, but I haven't been able to find a thing about the Special. It needs new corks and pads before I can try it out. Any information much appreciated!
The only mouthpiece in the case is an after-market hard rubber Noblet that seems to be a lot newer than the clarinet. (There are no tooth scars and the mouthpiece cork looks fresh, whereas the clarinet corks and pads are all extremely deteriorated and the key touches show plate wear.) The case appears to be about the same age as the clarinet, but it has no manufacturer's logo. The case is wood, contoured, small, with good brass "Presto" latches and key, matte black Keratol covering in an alligator hide pattern and an amusingly hideous, shiny, orange fake fur lining. The mouthpiece and reeds had not been kept clean and the case and instrument smell bad, but otherwise there's no damage except the potential for cracking later because someone has glued the metal tenon rings to the wood.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-02-20 03:00
Photo please, Lelia? I'll bet it's basically identical, except perhaps for trim and bell rings, to most of the other wood Booseys of yore (e.g. Edgware, Series 2-20, Stratford, Series 3-20, Imperial 926, Emperor, etc.). From what I've seen B&H built clarinets the way GM used to build car lines --- same vehicle underneath, slightly different body styles and badges on the outside. Also, measure the bore diameter if you can, it's probably .584", but could be .590-.593" depending on model.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-02-20 07:33
Has it got an ebonite barrel and bell, or is it all wood?
What are the numbers on the undersides of the LH levers (should be a series of numbers in a line seperated by hyphens), and what is the serial number (just the first three digits).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-02-20 12:39
Thank you for the help!
David Spiegelthal wrote,
>Photo please, Lelia? I'll bet it's basically identical, except perhaps for trim and bell rings, to most of the other wood Booseys of yore ...>
Sorry, I don't have a camera in working order at the moment. I'm not famliar with Boosey & Hawkes clarinets in general, but this one looks like a typical Boehm-system clarinet from the 1950s. All of the key levers are longer and wider than on a Buffet. There's nothing unusual about the keys except that the contours of the four RH pinkie keys differ from each other more than average. (The two RH pinkie keys below the crow's foot are less oval than the two RH keys above the crow's foot. The lower ones are longer and narrow conspicuously, not quite to points, toward their tips. Also, on the other axis, the two RH pinkie keys that are closer to the bell are longer and wider than the corresponding keys next to them that are closer to the center joint.)
The metal rings are at both ends of the barrel, on the lower joint at the center tenon socket and on the bell tenon socket and the bottom of the bell.
>Also, measure the bore diameter if you can, it's probably .584", but could be .590-.593" depending on model.>
Bore measurements (electronic calipers): top of upper joint 0.585. Center joint 0.583. Bell joint 0.852.
Chris H. wrote,
>>Has it got an ebonite barrel and bell, or is it all wood?>>
It's all wood. Tone holes are not undercut. Workmanship is excellent and the wood is dense and heavy.
>>What are the numbers on the undersides of the LH levers (should be a series of numbers in a line seperated by hyphens), and what is the serial number (just the first three digits).
>>
The serial number begins 605xx (from late 1951 or early 1952, according to the SN lists on woodwind.org and elsewhere). The undersides of the LH levers are 926-B-32, 926-B-335 and 926-B-36. It's possible that the B could be an 8, but I'm fairly sure it's B.
Thank you again!
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2009-02-20 19:02)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-02-20 12:42
Be very careful if you need to bend any keys!
This is the same clarinet as the early (all wood) Regent which was later made in plastic, and based on the 926 with the 14.9mm bore.
I suppose with the popularity and affordability of die-cast models (Dinky, Corgi, Matchbox, etc) in the post-war era, B&H and others went down the die-cast route with their keywork. Though they did offer replacement keys (the raised numbers on the undersides) if and when they broke. There are still a lot of these old Regents doing the rounds, still with the majority of the original mazak keywork.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2009-02-20 12:50)
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-02-20 12:51
From the description and .585" bore measurement it sounds like a typical "mid-range" B&H model (by that I'm including "Edgware" through 926 Imperial); and the 926 numbers underside the LH levers seem to indicate that it's a 926 model (duh!), which (correct me if I'm wrong, Chris) might be considered the "top-mid" model. I assume the keys are nickel-plated and not silver-plated?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-02-20 13:17
The keys are of the earlier 926 style - I can only assume B&H put '926' on them as that's what they used as patterns when making the moulds (the numbers stamped into the mould) - earlier 926 and Edgware keys (in nickel silver) will go straight onto this clarinet with no hassle. They'll more than likely be nickel plated.
Looking at a 1983/84 B&H 926 revealed they used a variety of production methods with their key making - it was a mix-'n'-match affair with turned, stamped and single-piece nickel silver castings (both key pieces and whole keys) all on the same instrument.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2009-02-20 18:03)
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-02-20 19:25
Okay, it makes sense that this is a student or "step-up" model. I'm guessing it's a step-up rather than the bottom of the line just because the wood and the workmanship are so good.
These keys are probably nickel plated over nickel-colored smelter. In places where there's plate wear, I don't see a difference in color beneath the plating. I need to clean the instrument before I know for sure that I'm really seeing places where the plate is worn clear through instead of just rubbed down.
In high school, I found out the hard way about the brittleness of cast keys. My 1957 wooden Conn Director, the first clarinet I ever owned, has cast keys so brittle that after I'd been playing that clarinet for several years, a RH pinkie key lever snapped off during normal use. I've passed up buying Edgewares a couple of times because I was leery of those cast keys. But, I've read that B&H used a better-quality alloy than Conn did (or perhaps annealed the keys better) and when I saw I could get this similar-looking "Special" for next to nothing, I decided to let curiosity win.
That was comical scene at the auction. Only one other person showed any interest in this clarinet. Just before bidding began, he picked it up and figured out how to put it together, sort of. Turned the barrel this way and that, tried the two sections upside down first, etc.. Finally he put the filthy mouthpiece in his mouth and blew into it. He seemed surprised that no sound came out. Guess he didn't know that he'd need to put on a reed -- oh, and take off the mouthpiece cap! Yup, he was blowing through the little hole in the top of the cap. Eh, at least he didn't drop the clarinet or snap the bridge key when he fumbled around trying to assemble the sections.
Btw, I wrote above,
>Also, on the other axis, the two RH pinkie keys that are closer to the barrel are longer and wider than the corresponding keys next to them that are closer to the center joint.>
Oops. I think you figured this out despite my typo, but fwiw, I went back just now and corrected the word "barrel," which should have been "bell."
Thanks very much for the helpful information!
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2009-02-20 19:26)
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