Older Pro Clarinets - Pros and Cons

Ed

Ed

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I play a couple of older clarinets and have often wondered what people think of the older R13's and older Selmer clarinets. Are they a better choice than an intermediate new instrument for someone starting out? It seems like old pro clarinets don't necessarily hold their value like some vintage saxophones.
 
It all depends upon their condition.
For instance. my two 1955 R13s couldn't be opposite sides of condition.

The 51xxx came to me with keys so cruddy i can barely clean them. big surface crack down the side of the lower joint; it doesn't play (bad pads) ... inside bore was very very rough - the entire instrument was dried out.

The 55xx came in completely playable condition. silver plated keys, fantastic inside and out.

Some players prefer the Selmer K series for Jazz - assuming in good condition.

Since they are all wood (or most of them) it all comes down to the condition of the instrument itself. they can easily be damaged by storage location versus a saxophone.

So the answer is ... it depends.

but assuming in great condition, they are very good alternatives to modern instruments. You can save yourself alot of money buyng a vintage clarinet, assuming it's in good condition of course. A new or used instrument that needs to be serviced from the get go is not a good thing.

Some of the newer New Intermediates are really good instruments - Leblanc Rhapsodie, Buffet E13.

For someone starting out they may not be after a certain tonal nuance or even know what it is. Thus a Buffet R13, Noblet 45, Leblanc Symphonie, Selmer Centered Tone is then just a name recognition thing.

For me, a person starting out needs good advice rather than just buying something inexpensive (which could also be cheap). beginners need to get an instrument that will play easily, have good scale and make it fun for them to continue. Whether that is a Buffet B12 (plastic) or a vintage Selmer Centered Tone is simply a matter of direction.

One key factor that I look at is ergonomics. how well does it fit the hands of the player - is the new player a young person with small hands or an older person with larger hands. You'd be amazed at how much they vary even though they all look the same.

Most clarinets do not hold their value much over time - too many things can go wrong with them. the most equivalent thing to an SBA or mk VI value is the Buffet R13 and those can be had for under $1600 for even the nicest vintage ones.

The specialty makers like Eaton or Chadash sell for premium but I have yet to see one sell anywhere to be able to decide it's used value.
 
I've mentioned before I used to own a Selmer Centered Tone. The YCL-34 I owned blew it away. Heck, so did the clear plastic Buffet with the copper keywork.

Now, the Centered Tone is ... unusual, as it has a tonehole through a tenon and I think that was part of the problem, but I really did appreciate that YCL-34 a lot more.
 
"blew it away" ??

setup ... setup ..... setup (leaks, etc)

did the clarinet play easily top to bottom ?

or are you speaking in terms of the tonal quality and the way you were able to play the Yamaha vs the Selmer ?

the articulated keywork on an articulated Centered Tone does take a competent tech to proper adjust it (and nice new pads so it plays well).
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/4Sale/CL03/09.jpg
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/4Sale/CL03/12.jpg

My articulated CT plays very easily top to bottom. Pads degrade over time. many players just get used to the minor deteriorations until they play something else that is well setup.

So I always ask if it was the setup.
 
very possibly ... very possibly ... very possibly.

:p

It's also possible it was just a bad one. I grant that it may have had minor leaks, but I did have a pro clarinetist that wasn't named "pete" look at the horn and he didn't see any obvious problems or find any when he played it, although he preferred his R13. (Well, so did I, so no big deal there :)).

I just found the YCL-34 to be superior in sound quality and feel. And the CT played fairly easily ... when it wasn't squeaking. I had to line up that hole juuuuust right. If it was off, it'd squeak. It was definitely better than my brand new late 1970's wooden Signet, but my wife's 1980's Signet 100 is better. Maybe I like the YCL-34 better because it was more forgiving.
 
I've played Selmer horns with articulated G# keys on them for well over fifty years, and while there can be problems with the mechanism (if you are not normally painstaking when handling your horns), squeaking due to a misaligned G# hole has never (not once, ever) been a problem for me. It sounds to me like the horn you were dealing with had a bad cork on the tenon, one that opened enough of a passage to act as a vent under certain circumstances. Easy enough to fix if you've ever done a tenor cork before.

On all of the Selmer horns from 1950's or so forward, the hole is set in the middle of a square of wood left proud of the tenon "groove". The trick is to start applying on the far side of the tenon, trim the cork to fit the square once you get to the hole, and then finish the cork off properly on the back side of the tenon.

I have seen one Selmer horn ('part Boehm') that did not follow this dicta, instead ending the cork around the square. It had problems with the ends of the cork not being very adherent, and potentially could develop a leak at that point (but did not when I was testing it).

Most sax players who play a full Boehm clarinet like them, if for no other reason than for the articulated G#.

Terry L. Stibal
Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
 
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