 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-01-17 10:12
When (roughly) did B&H switch from using Bakelite to ABS resin on their Regents?
I assume it was in the mid to late '70s, but would like to know for definite.
Yamaha, Bundy and Vito also changed from Bakelite to ABS resin (or Resonite or Reso-Tone) for their clarinets - was it all around the same time?
And were plastic Evettes ever made from Bakelite or were they always ABS resin?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2014-01-17 18:17
Chris....your post raises an old and recurring subject. "Resonite", strictly speaking, referred to the Bundy clarinet itself which, when introduced, was made from hard rubber which was popularly called Ebonite by the bowling ball manufacturer. Whether the Bundy clarinet was ever made from "Bakelite" i.e. phenol formaldehyde thermoset resin I don't know. Resotone was (still is?) a LeBlanc term applied to its new Bass Clarinet "octave" mechanism. The term eventually was applied to soprano clarinets also. LeBlanc took Selmer to court over patent infringement and lost. The subject of non-wood clarinet materials gets very complicated due to the preponderance of misinformation.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-01-18 19:52
And how does all this relate to B&H Regents?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2014-01-18 20:03
Chris....I don't know, but you did ask a couple of questions and I thought my comments would provide support.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Chris_C ★2017
Date: 2014-01-18 21:16
My Regent is Serial No 500091. It is ABS and I bought it (from the B&H shop in Regent Street) in, I think, late 1978 or early 1979.
I will say that it is a very playable instrument - seems much more satisfactory than the older wooden Regents. No obvious tuning or mechanical problems, other than about 20 years ago the tenon socket in the bell cracked all round and fell off. Epoxy resin fixed that.
For carolling outdoors in the cold, I played it rather than my Selmer 9 Full Boehm...
Chris
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Author: derek_b
Date: 2014-01-18 22:05
@Chris P: allow me to explain. You mentioned that:
(1) a 35 years old ABS Regent fixed with epoxy resin works well for you,
(2) you also raised some points about Bakelite and ABS resin used in the '70s.
While (1) is probably of very little practical use to the readers, (2) raises a series of interesting points: hard rubber vs. plastics vs. various woods, why, who, when, the results, etc. Obviously, people are curious about different things, and it is probably best to simply skip comments of no personal interest.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2014-01-19 03:41
I know nothing about Regents but I have a fair amount of experience with plastic materials and own and have owned a number of non-wood clarinets most of which have been decent players. It's hard for me to believe what clarinet manufacturers say about the plastic materials they claim to use. I do believe that non-wood materials will continue to make inroads on wood for clarinets.
Bob Draznik
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2014-01-19 04:52
Bob, just today I've been confronted with a lot that I attribute to prejudice based on '70s materials. I too think that "plastics" will make their way in one way or the other. Big reason might simply be the depletion of useable wood. (shocking in a way, as there is no systematic and sustainable forestation of blackwood)
--
Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-01-19 12:10
You're all reading far too much into the original question.
I was simply asking if anyone knew roughly when B&H changed from using one type of plastic to another on their Regents - not anything about the plastics, the properties of the plastics, why they use plastics, the advantages/disadvantages of plastics or why they changed from using one type of plastic to another.
The reason being is if someone wanted to get a replacement top joint for a plastic Regent, it would be best to get one made from the same material as the rest of the instrument. I do know that a 400000 serial Regent will most likely be made from Bakelite and a later 500000 is most likely to be made from ABS, but it would be good to narrow it down more to be certain as there are several years in between these two numbers.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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