 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-09-25 19:45
Were B&H one of the first companies to offer an prestige level clarinet?
German companies offer their pro level clarinets as either theatre and soloist models which is the same thing as pro model and prestige level clarinets.
In terms of their basic lineup from the '60s through to the '80s, B&H had:
Symphony 1010 (wooden body, SP keys - prestige level, Bb and A only)
Imperial 926 (wooden body, SP keys - pro level - various keywork options and sizes from Eb to bass)
Emperor (wooden body, SP keys, Bb and A only)
Edgware (wooden body, NP keys, Bb and A only)
Regent (plastic body, NP keys, Bb only)
Buffet, Leblanc, Selmer and Yamaha all made pro level clarinets but they didn't start offering prestige levels until the '80s and '90s, so were B&H the first major company to offer prestige level clarinets?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2014-09-25 19:56)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-09-25 23:29
The B&H professional models were both initially marketed as Imperials. Imperial 926 and Imperial 1010. The 1010 was not an "upgraded" 926 but a totally different bore design to cater for differing professional tastes.
In this respect they should be viewed as say R13 versus RC etc.
B&H hope after the war when the 926 design was released was that it would become the instrument of choice for orchestral players as opposed to the pre-war designed 1010.
This did not quite happen as they hoped and more UK professional players stuck with the 1010 than switched to 926.
The build quality was identical in early days with rods used throughout rather than point screws. This changed later as the 926 was very widely used by the miltary and rodded mechanisms tended to suffer more than point screws in that environment.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-09-26 02:03
The later 1010s also had integral wooden tonehole chimneys instead of ebonite inserts and several keywork pieces were different compared to the 926 - the shorter throat A touchpiece, the linkage from LH1 ring key to the thumb ring, the E vent pad cup on the top joint with domed cups and Y arms, plastic insert for the C#/G# tonehole, the RH main action with the Acton vent, the ends of the LH levers were bent down and the linkage arm on the E/B key and F#/C# key to F/C key sliding linkage, plus the different length and shaped bells on both Bb and A clarinets (the Bb having a short bell compared to other B&H clarinets).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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