 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: klook
Date: 2010-12-04 17:38
I've got a friend with an old Conn hard rubber alto clarinet he would sell me for cheap.
I understand that Malerne made these for Conn. Its a 1 piece body, seems pretty solid.
Are these like other Malerne products, they're solid but nothing really fancy?
thanks!
klook
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-04 21:12
You've got it right. Identical to the Malerne-made hard rubber bass clarinets, only smaller. Not bad but not great.
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Author: jasperbay
Date: 2010-12-05 02:21
I've got a Linton/Malerne that I enjoy playing. The plateau type keys fit very well, and it feels a little lighter than my Leblanc's. Alto's with plateau keys don't spread your fingers as much as the open-hole alto's, making it easier to switch back and forth with your soprano tooter.
If you haven't tried an alto, the Conn/Malerne would be a good starter horn.You may find that alto's sound almost as good as a bass clarinet, but they're light enough to play for short periods without a strap, or peg.
Clark G. Sherwood
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Author: klook
Date: 2010-12-05 17:33
Seems like this will be a worthy project. Also, my friend has a couple of old hard rubber mpc's that I can try with it too, and he can reface as needed.
Now I just have to finish up this hard rubber Peddler 1st..........
klook
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Author: jasperbay
Date: 2010-12-06 17:20
Just noticed a Conn alto for sale (can't say where) that has a pretty standard Conn serial number, with 3 digits, letter, 5 or 6 digits, letter. It has mostly open holes, and may have been made by Conn, not imported from somebody else. For that matter my Linton, that I assume is Malerne, may have been made elswhere, I don't have a Malerne to compare it to.
Clark G. Sherwood
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Author: klook
Date: 2010-12-06 17:59
Well, here's a question:
Do all of the Malerne made clarinets for Conn (and others) say France on them?
The one I'm looking at has a serial number that puts it in the 60's, but is not marked France anywhere that I can see.
And the bell is totally unmarked, which is strange.
klook
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-06 18:24
If it's Malerne-made, it should have some distinctive design features. Find some other Malerne (or otherwise-branded Malerne-made) basses and altos on That Auction Site or wherever, and take a look at the following:
a) Doubled low E/clarion B toneholes
b) Rectangular-shaped r.h. trill key touchpieces
c) Register key that is sort of L-shaped
You'll see what I mean after looking at a few, then you'll be able to tell whether yours is a Malerne or not. I can't recall if all Malerne products were stamped "Made in France" or "France", however.
As alluded to elsewhere, Conn made their own bass and alto clarinets (with a very different design) in-house until sometime (I'm guessing) in the late 1940s or early 1950s, after which they outsourced them to Malerne.
As for Lintons, I'm not sure who made their soprano clarinets (some people say Malerne, some say Buffet, others just don't know) but I can tell you that all the Linton-branded alto and bass clarinets I've seen have been Malerne-made stencils.
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