Semi Plateau Bundy

[Carl H.]

A retired band director friend is selling off his stash of instruments. He has a like new Bundy semi plateau and was wondering if there is any demand for them or if anyone knows of any information about them he could include with the sale.

I know of them, but know little about any demand for them or reason to avoid them. I figured they were just for smaller than average hands. He's going to send me a couple pics of ii and I'll share them here.

 

[saxhound]

Don't know about demand, but they do seem kind of rare. Seems like initially they were a student thing for kids with small fingers. I've also heard that older players with arthritic fingers like them. Some claim that they sound muffled and suffer from bad intonation, but that could just be internet juju.

I briefly entertained looking for one several years ago because I do have arthritis in my hands, but decided that I should practice through it and that the exercise would be good for me.

 

[Tony Fairbridge]

I had a wood Bundy some years ago that had plateau keywoek only on the upper joint. I've never seen another like it and I suspect it may have been a special order. I sold it to a lady who suffered from osteo-arthritis and she plays to this day. I bought a Noblet plateau when carpal tunnel syndrome was causing difficulties with playing. I didn't find the intonation to be any worse than my normal instrument, but you can't do a decent glissando with them. Well, I can't anyway.

 

[pete]

I'm going to say that the last plateau clarinet was made at least 3-5 years ago. It was a Vito model.

saxhound's comments mirror what I've read on the Internets. We've also got a thread here, somewhere, about trying to create "plugs" to make an open hole clarinet into a plateau without harming the instrument in question.

I also mentioned, somewhere, that my sister has to play her open-hole flute with plugs for the tone holes. She has problems getting her fingers around a couple holes.