 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Steve Rutlidge
Date: 2014-06-12 07:47
I have 3 metal clarinets in various stages of repair. A Gretsch Pathfinder, Noblet Paris and a 3 Star. The Gretsch and the Noblet play well and just need to be cleaned up. The Noblet actually sounds pretty good. I would like to donate them to the Tipitina's Foundation in New Orleans where they will be given to a local school.
My question is are metal clarinets between 50 and 100 years old that play and sound good something that a student should start out on? The option would be to sell them online and donate the money. The foundation has a deal with Jupiter and a local retailer where they get a large discount on new instruments.
My guess is if I'm lucky I could get around $200.00 online for the 3 of them which would almost be enough for a new student clarinet with their discount. Although I don't think it would sound as good as my Noblet. Any opinions on which option would be best for a music department?
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2014-06-12 10:35
sell them online and donate the money. (and advertise in the auction that the money is for a good cause)
Else the instruments land in a store room when a snobby teacher finds them unworthy of learning on.
--
Ben
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2014-06-12 15:42
agree with Ben. No student or band director will ever touch metal clarinet. They just don't have good reputation.
PS. I'd probably want your Noblet though
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Author: Steve Rutlidge
Date: 2014-06-12 16:10
I spoke with someone from Tipitina's and they would definitely want them and be putting it in a students hands. They have enough need that everything gets used that plays. Knowing that do you still think selling them is a better idea?
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2014-06-12 17:01
in that case, make them a "permanent loan". Should, for whatever reason, the school decide they didn't want them, the instruments go back to you and you could still sell them.
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Ben
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2014-06-12 17:02
Sell, sell, sell! Kids and band directors alike have been conditioned to reject the notion of using metal clarinets for ages.
A Noblet metal in good playing condition should bring in $100-$150, maybe more. Bundle the best of your available mouthpieces with this one to help bring in top dollar.
A playable Gretsch should be good for $50, a needs-work Bettoney 3 Star between $30-$50.
Then, either donate the proceeds, or go forth and find some decent plastic clarinets. You can really stretch your used-instrument dollars by looking for forgotten American marques such as Holton, Buescher, Olds, Reynolds, Conn, King, and Artley. These can be found in playable condition for $50 and often much less. The $200 or so recovered from the metal instruments could be parlayed into 4, 5, or maybe more plastic instruments that would be welcomed by most any program in need.
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2014-06-12 18:47
Steve wrote:
>I spoke with someone from Tipitina's and they would definitely want them
> and be putting it in a students hands. They have enough need that
> everything gets used that plays. Knowing that do you still think selling
> them is a better idea?
had a 6-grader playing on Silver King. She absolutely refused to take it to concert when her plastic school clarinet was in need of repair.
Metal clarinets make sense for marching, but most of the kids would hate them b/c "they don't look like clarinet". Most of the teachers will reject them b/c a) it is not Buffet b) metal is plastic of 50s, many bad quality horns were made back then and they (or their instructors) hated them for this very reason.
just an opinion: sell it to someone who'd appreciate the instrument for what it is.
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Author: Steve Rutlidge
Date: 2014-06-12 19:47
Thanks for the input. I bought the metal clarinets all for under $20.00 each because I like to tinker. Looks like the best plan is to sell them and then buy some resonite clarinets with the proceeds and then tinker some more. If it could make a child feel uncomfortable to play then there's no point giving it an organization that's trying to get kids interested in music.
Steve
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2014-06-12 20:01
^^
Noblet could be a good sell to traditional jazz player.. rest probably not.
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=340223&t=340223
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Here's a webpage with some info on metal Noblets, in French:
http://www.clarinette-metal.fr/galerie_de_photos.htm
Here's a translation of the relevant passage:
"The Leblanc and Noblet companies merged in 1900. A very large number of metal Bb clarinets were produced under the Noblet brand up until 1972. These are good student instruments, playing well in tune with a rich tone. Well suited to classical music and lighter in weight than wooden clarinets… For all these good reasons they were used in abundance by young student clarinetists.
"Most Noblet clarinets were nickel-plated (at left), sometimes silver-plated (at right), and exceptionally in lacquered brass (middle). Practically all of these have a single-piece body plus detachable barrel, the model with two-piece body plus barrel at the far right being the exception to the rule.
"Below: two Noblets in their original cases, the one at the bottom being the oldest."
Here's a link to is the American webpage about metal Noblets. It's the source of the idea that the older diamond-logo instruments are best:
http://www.silver-clarinet.com/
Klarnetisto
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Author: Steve Rutlidge
Date: 2014-06-12 20:15
I'm afraid the Noblet isn't a the top of the line metal clarinet. It has the rectangle with the rounded top logo, not the diamond logo. If it was the diamond logo I wouldn't consider getting rid of it. My main clarinet is a Leblanc LX which I will never get rid of! It's a great clarinet and from a company that started in France in 1750 and now is in Kenosha, WI which is only 90 miles from my home.
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Author: Klarnetisto
Date: 2014-06-17 21:35
The metal Noblets may vary in quality. I'm told that some are very, very good. After having more experience and discussion about these with a French collector (who gave his daughter a metal Noblet for her own clarinet!), I'm now wary of the advice given on that silver clarinet site I linked earlier.
I'm unfamiliar with the Gretsch, but suspect it's only a student model; "Pathfinder" sounds like a student model name.
The Cundy-Bettoney Three Star is definitely a student model. While CB pro models -- Silva-Bet and military -- are excellent in every way, the Three Stars are mediocre and are best avoided.
The tendency these days is for schools to get rid of metal clarinets. My Silva-bet A is from the San Francisco School District (my home town! The first A clarinet I played was metal and belonged to my high school, but this one isn't it. Too bad for them they got rid of it, because it's excellent, fully as good as my Selmer). So you may have trouble getting yours accepted.
You could try Latin America. They have huge school music programs and always need instruments. I have a couple of contacts if you're interested.
Klarnetisto
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Author: BobD
Date: 2014-06-18 01:58
Just maybe kids in New Orleans who can't afford a clarinet would not be so snobbish as to turn their nose up at a metal clarinet.....the kind that some of the New Orleans Greats themselves played.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Steve Rutlidge
Date: 2014-06-18 02:41
These are mostly kids from the 9th ward. I know a lot of them and I'm pretty sure it's not a snobbish issue. Unfortunately most of these kids never had the opportunity of selection of things in their lives to become that way. I just want to make sure whatever I send them has the most bang for the buck.
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Author: Steve Rutlidge
Date: 2014-06-18 06:49
I apologize if I did. I guess my point is if a kid is playing something that looks different than what everyone else plays then as wrong as it is, that kid will likely be uncomfortable. If the goal is get kids hooked on music then I might as well give them something they won't be self conscious about. This didn't even cross my mind until I thought about some of the above posts. I'm sure a lot of kids would love to play it, they would just love playing a plastic clarinet a little more.
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