 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Maatje
Date: 2011-07-29 10:13
Hi everyone,
I'm from Holland and I'm new to the Clarinet bboard.
I bought a 2d hand clarinet as a present for my wife. She wants to learn to play the clarinet. No experience whatsoever though.
The clarinet is a wood Conn Director U.S.A. Bought it from a guy who's father played it untill recently. He says cork is in good shape, hardware also, but some pads are worn. A set of pads is included and also a case. I paid 75 euro for it (107 dollars).
My questions for you experts
- how much does it (approximately) cost to renew the pads?
- is this a good instrument for a starter?
- did i make a good buy?
- what do I (or my wife) need to take good care of the clarinet
- Any other things I should be aware of?
Wow, many questions from a total noob. But.. I really love the sound of a clarinet. Fell in love with it completely when I heard a clarinetplayer in Hobart, Tasmania (Australia) play Django Rheinharts' Nuages on the street. So I will secretly try playing it myself also.....
Post Edited (2011-07-29 11:59)
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2011-07-29 16:10
Seeing as how no one else has responded, Maatje, I will take a stab at your post.
The Conn Pan American is an older student model clarinet. They are nice-looing instruments, when in good shape.
If it has been recently played and consistently maintained, it is probably not a bad choice for your wife and yourself.
What I would do is take it to someone who plays the clarinet well, and ask them to evaluate it. You could also take it to a shop that does instrument repair, and ask them to evaluate it, but I would feel better taking it first to someone who plays, and ask them to try it. Then, if they say it may need to be looked at by a tech, take it to the repair shop.
It is always a good idea to make sure that the instrument is in good repair when you are beginning, because an instrument which is out of repair can create additional frustration to the learning process.
Susan
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-07-29 17:13
Good advice above, imho (I'm an amateur), except that the Conn Director and the Conn Pan American are different models. Also, those instruments marked "Conn" but *not* "C. G. Conn" are not the same brand as the famous C. G. Conn instruments from earlier in the 20th century. After C. G. Conn died, his family sold the Conn part of the brand name (but not the initials) to an American manufacturer who used that brand name only on student-quality band instruments. Since then, the name has been sold and re-sold. Today there is a brand called C. G. Conn again, but it is also a manufacturer or student instruments unrelated to the original Conn brand.
My first clarinet is a wooden 1957 Conn Director that my father purchased new in 1957, in the USA. The Director was being marketed as a "step-up" model for advanced students, although I was a beginner then. I've kept that clarinet as a memento. I don't play it regularly any more, because the intonation is typical of beginner clarinets: very wide 12ths. That means the upper register plays sharp while the lower register plays flat.
As a child, I had no idea (and my parents had no idea) that the original mouthpiece supplied with this clarinet was poor-quality. If your clarinet still has that Conn mouthpiece, then you will probably get better use out of the instrument if you buy a better-quality student mouthpiece, such as a Fobes Debut or a Hite Premiere. My Director has much better tone quality and intonation with either of those mouthpieces than with the original.
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: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-07-29 17:23
I've played a few Conn Director's before and a couple of my classmates had them back when I was in middle school. They were sold as student/intermediate clarinets and perform that job reasonably well although not as well as many newer student clarinets. Many Conn clarinets had a reputation for questionable intonation but I don't remember the Director model being too bad in this regard.
The price you paid is fairly reasonable but not a great deal since the instrument will need to be repadded. If new pads are all that is required it will not be too expensive, perhaps ~$100 depending on what the repair technicians charge in your area. Maybe a bit more if additional repairs are required. All told your final cost will still be less than the cost of a new Bundy clarinet and your's will likely play better.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2011-07-30 01:04
Oops! I saw "Conn" and immediately brain-defaulted to "Pan American". What you have is probably better, as Lelia has pointed out.
Susan
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Author: Maatje
Date: 2011-08-01 01:55
Thank you all for the information. I had just ordered a Fobes debut mouthpiece to match the Conn director. I will have an experienced player take a look at the Conn.
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Author: Steve H
Date: 2022-02-09 07:59
I believe I just found a 1957 Conn Firector which looks like wood to me. SN 677xxx. But the metal cast keys plating is in sorry shape for being stored for 64 years in who knows where. Many of the keys aren't too bad but some of them are horrible with the plating pitting, which I suspect would be difficult to fix for cheap (and why bother with fragile keys anyway). Would it be easier to find German nickle keys from a compatible model that could be swapped out successfully? I don't think it had much use as the pads look barely touched and the register key has solid cork.
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