Looking for replacement trill for Bb Clarinet (pix)

PrincessJ

PrincessJ

So this is my new little Topper wood clarinet, whom I'm enjoying restoring thus far for my own personal "backup" instrument.
One problem - there is a broken key with the extra piece missing, the D# trill key.
I was hoping someone could possibly find me a key that looks like it would fit judging by the supplied pictures. If you want me to take a couple more shots for more accurate fitting, please let me know and I will. Toppers are hard to come by (the wood ones, not the metal ones of dubious quality) and I can't just go out on ebay and expect to find the perfect match.

Thanks loads in advance!
 
Okay, so, so far no luck. Probably because I haven't specified an important detail.
It's a Boosey and Hawkes stencil. Maybe an edgware. But nobody is too sure yet.
 
Thank you, Steve!
No huge deal if you don't have anything, but I appreciate the effort.
The other key was in fact replaced, it's believed to be a pre-1950 model from the 5 digit serial number.
 
If you are correct, and the clarinet was made by Edgeware, there may be a problem.

Edgeware clarinets had molded keys made from a material that can't be silver soldered because the keys melt at a temperature lower than the the temperature necessary to silver solder.

If you can find exactly the key you are looking for, you may be OK. In your favor, the key you want is not the key that breaks most often on Edgewares, so someone may have one available from a junk horn.
 
Yeah... I was worried about those keys being mazak. Now in two places I've heard the same thing about the edgware. I may be incorrect about it, but thanks again.

Also, it wouldn't be too bad if someone had the right pinky "F", that too broke. Silly pot metal. :p
 
PrincessJ said:
Yeah... I was worried about those keys being mazak. Now in two places I've heard the same thing about the edgware. I may be incorrect about it, but thanks again.

Also, it wouldn't be too bad if someone had the right pinky "F", that too broke. Silly pot metal. :p
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it might just be cheaper and easier to get a different clarinet if it is breaking on you.
 
Alright alright you win.
I'm cheap! I admit it. I'm just not that good at being cheap...
Well so much for my old "reliable" backup horn.
I may as well just get a new cheap but presentable one.
 
SteveSklar said:
it even has spare parts for the mouthpiece !! :)
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Not only that, it's a rare "instrament." I've never even seen one before!

PJ, we could, of course, start to pile on with suggestions of "backup" horn. However, before anyone else comments, what's you current "main" setup and how much ya lookin' to spend?

Unless, of course, you buy the "instrament." Could be that this one's in better shape than your horn. Maybe mix and match body sections ....


 
PrincessJ said:
Alright alright you win.
I'm cheap! I admit it. I'm just not that good at being cheap...
Well so much for my old "reliable" backup horn.
I may as well just get a new cheap but presentable one.
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as long as you don't cut corners in your airplanes ...
 
pete said:
Not only that, it's a rare "instrament." I've never even seen one before!

PJ, we could, of course, start to pile on with suggestions of "backup" horn. However, before anyone else comments, what's you current "main" setup and how much ya lookin' to spend?

Unless, of course, you buy the "instrament." Could be that this one's in better shape than your horn. Maybe mix and match body sections ....


Click to expand...

I actually did this one time. I bought two old junker Conn tenor saxes in a pawn shop and used the best parts from each to build "Frankentenor". It was butt ugly but it was my main axe on gigs for years. I ended up selling it to Jason Dumars who said it was one of the best tenors he had ever played, and it ended up looking like this:

Frankentenor-1.jpg


Hey how about producing a calendar with pictures of the ugliest saxophones around? You know, kind of like the "ugliest dog" contest. Just a thought.
 
John, I've seen pictures of that sax many times. It is one of those "It's so ugly, it's beautiful" instruments. I've said it before, the coolest cat in the band invariably comes in with the ugliest horn you've ever seen and then proceeds to play everyone under the table.
 
I'm impressed with Frankentenor. I've never seen anything quite so odd before apart from the abstract section of the local art museum.

My "main" setup is my '71 Noblet 27 (I love him dearly) and the now-confirmed B&H stencil was my backup because to me, it had the nicest feel and tone for those outdoor gigs. Everyone else made fun of the little guy but I liked it while it lasted. I use the same MP and ligature on the two, a steelite ebonite N4 that came with my '28 Selmer in the case. The ligature is the associated penzel mueller.

I need something "cheap" that I won't have to worry about if it cracks up and falls apart like this one (I paid 40 bucks for it, and another 15 for pads. Lasted me as long as I needed it).
But it has to be wood, I can't stand plastic tone horns, even in jazz. I really can't... I get week long migraines if forced to play one.
Hard rubber is my lower choice option, but I like wood.

I don't know... a $5 gamble doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. The "instrament" may just have something to offer.
I hate to see "the other guy" retire. I set him up and "fine tuned" the keywork and setup well enough that he's probably one of the only edgwares that plays and sounds as well as he does.
 
Actually I have always heard that key referred to as the side Eb/Bb. It comes in most handy when going from low C to Eb and back, or from high G to Bb and back.

The top side key when added to the first finger and thumb Bb creates a C and is called the C trill key in the nomenclature I am familiar with.
 
jbtsax said:
Hey how about producing a calendar with pictures of the ugliest saxophones around? You know, kind of like the "ugliest dog" contest. Just a thought.
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I mentioned this once. I don't know where, though.

There used to be a magazine called Jazziz. While I didn't care much for the content, they gave me a free subscription. The magazine came with a CD. The instrament (I feel this will be our new word) featured on the CD's cover was always a beat-up horn and I doubt if any were playable. But the picture composition was extremely nice: beat-up French horn with rust matching the plants surrounding it, etc.

This past calendar features one of the best pics I've had in all the calendars I've produced: a minty SBA bari in what looks like a bombed-out building (it's for March; see linky). However, I could see, say, that Frankentenor in the same composition.

All that being said, I've generally used all of one criterion for the calendar: does the picture fit? Very, very seldom do I have to e-mail a calendar artist back and say, "Sorry. I can't use this because it's out of focus or just doesn't look that nice. Please do a retake. Thanks!"

So, I wouldn't mind ugly horns if the picture looks nice.
 
jbtsax said:
Actually I have always heard that key referred to as the side Eb/Bb. It comes in most handy when going from low C to Eb and back, or from high G to Bb and back.

The top side key when added to the first finger and thumb Bb creates a C and is called the C trill key in the nomenclature I am familiar with.
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Personally, I've never had call to use the top-most trill key. The lowest one I've used quite a bit.
 
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