 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bassoonist42
Date: 2011-06-09 04:33
(Please forgive my clarinet-stupidity, I'm primarily a bassoonist and contrabassoonist)
Anyway, I've recently been approached to play in a local production of Guys and Dolls (the dreaded Reed III) and definitely need to upgrade my clarinet. Currently, I'm using a Bundy that I picked up at pawn shop when I was in high school. It has a plastic bell and barrel and either a wooden, wood-grain-plastic or laminate body. The biggest problems I have with it are some small leaks (if a small leak creates a horrendous squawk, what would a big leak cause?) and an extremely stuffy throat register. I could pay to repair the leaks (and replace the duct-tape on the lower tenon with cork!) but I'm not certain I want to put any more money into this thing.
I've found a local seller with a Noblet 27 that they claim is in good playing condition (I haven't had the opportunity to try it out yet) for $350. 1) Is this a good price? And 2) is this going to be a noticeable improvement over my Bundy?\
Thanks so much
-Richard
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2011-06-09 05:32
Richard, sounds as though you have the Bundy with wooden body, plastic bell, and plastic barrel. The big "gotcha" with this model is that intonation varies from just-adequate to awful. If your Bundy has manageable intonation, it's a perfectly OK instrument for occasional use by a doubler such as yourself.
Note that the Model 27 came in two iterations: early 27s had a cylindrical bore, while the later ones had a polycylindrical bore. The later instruments are reputed to have very good intonation.
For $350, you should be able to get the later, polycylindrical-bore Model 27 in good playing condition. If in other than tip-top shape, keep shopping.
$350 is too much for the earlier version. Cylindrical-bore Noblets are plentiful and cheap these days. You could get a fixer-upper Noblet or Normandy on an online auction for well under $100, get the horn overhauled to your specifications, and still have less than $350 into the project--perhaps a lot less.
Is a Noblet a noticeable upgrade over a wooden Bundy? Try the Noblet and see for yourself. The main difference will likely be that most any Noblet is going to be easier to play in tune than the Bundy. The tone color between the two instruments is quite dissimilar--if you prefer the tone quality of your Bundy, you could instead upgrade to a Selmer Signet.
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Author: bassoonist42
Date: 2011-06-09 20:20
Short of bringing my micrometer, is there an easy way to determine if the bore is polycylindrical?
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2011-06-10 00:32
If the exit bore of the upper joint is noticeably larger than the entry bore, the instrument probably has a polycylindrical bore. IMO though, regardless of which version it is, $350 is too high a price for a Noblet 27. When the owner (as opposed to a repair tech) says "in good playing condition," be wary. The owner may not be that good a clarinetist (he is selling a student model horn, after all) and good playing condition to him may well translate to "nothing's fallen off the instrument yet." But the need to replace pads and corks may be just around the corner. Even if the instrument has been reconditioned with new pads, corks and regulation, I think $350 is too high. Go to eBay and search the completed auctions for "noblet clarinet" (without the quotes) to get a feel for their market value. You will find that the majority of these instruments either didn't sell or sold for under $100. There were a few in the $199 - $200 range. Some of these were moel 45s. There were several in the $200 - $300 range but these generally had been reconditioned. Finally, there were only a couple that went for over $300 but, again, these were reconditioned (and I doubt the buyers knew what they were doing -- I think they overpaid). I won't even say what I think of the buyer who paid over $650 for a reconditioned "special" (laureate?) model 45.
If you have enough experience to evaluate a clarinet and the instrument is in very good condition, I would recommend you offer no more than $200 and walk away if the seller won't take $250. (Personally, I wouldn't pay that much.) For $350 - $450, I think you should be able to get at least a reconditioned model 45.
MOO,
jnk
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