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Albert System C. Jeuffroy

Helen

Content Expert Saxophones
Staff member
Administrator
Well I finally found one. A clarinet-playing colleague of mine emailed me over the weekend, and told me that a thrift shop in Burnaby--another suburb of Vancouver--had a Bb Albert system in decent shape. It's made of grenadilla, with no cracks or repairs, a stock mouthpiece, no mouthpiece cap, and sadly no case. A really crappy reed comes with it too though. ;) The clarinet does need to be re-padded, but I went into the shop today, and picked it up.

Since I basically remember none of my clarinet fingerings from way back when anyway, and I've tried to relearn them to no avail, I thought I'd give the Albert system a try. Will it be the cure to my clarinet woes? No, of course it won't turn me into a concert clarinetist, but I thought it can't be any worse than the horrible sounds that emanated from my little Boehm licorice stick last year.

I'll take some pics in the next day or two and post them here. Perhaps someone here can tell me something about this potentially demonic instrument. :emoji_rage:

Oh, I should mention, the only reason I'm interested in relearning clarinet is that I'm playing in a Big Band, and my part does have a few clarinet doubles in it. Until now I've played them on sax, but at some point I really do need to switch over to clarinet.
 
Here are some pics of the little fellow...

Bell.jpgBottom-Top-&-Top-Left-Side.jpgFront-View.jpgLeft-Hand-Keys.jpgLeft-Side.jpgRear-View.jpgRight-Hand-Keys-2-Rings.jpgRight-Side.jpg
 
...but I don't like the clapper keys on the lower joint, no way. They bother me a bit on clarinets (including the current model of professional bass being produced by Selmer (Paris), but they really get to me on a bassoon.

I have a CD of bassoon stuff (Faggottisimo, or something like that) that has some great arrangements of classics and novelty numbers that I love listening to, but hate all of the clacking from the clappers on the lower joint. The damn'd things are already heavy as sin, but the way that they are held would cover up the additional weight that axle style keys would add.

It was also irritating sitting in front of the bassoon section and listening to all of that when in an orchestra.
 
Oooh. No rollers and missing some alternate keywork over the "standard" Albert.

I noticed that too. I therefore surmised, perhaps incorrectly, that it is older than the ones we see so often on eBay and the likes. Also, what I found interesting, is that most C. Jeoffroy clarinets mentioned on the web were actually metal ones. :confused:

I was thinking that maybe Terry might know something about this type of Albert system, sans all the extra keys and rollers, or maybe Steve--although I haven't seen him around lately.
 
The arrangement of the F/C touchpiece on the lower joint (with the large round touch piece atop the arm attached to the key cup) and the center pivot on the side trill keys on the upper joint are all indications of an older instrument.

All of the Alberts that I have owned save only one piece of junk were not provided with rollers. Neither the A Buffet bass nor the Bb Buffet bass that I played as a youngster/young stud muffin had a roller.

My Oehler, on the other hand...
 
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