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Should I fix this old A. Fontaine metal clarinet, or turn it into a lamp?

I'm planning to turn this old metal clarinet into a lamp, but thought I should check first to see whether it is worth putting into playable condition.

It is a B flat Boehm instrument that appears to be made of silver-plated brass. The silver has been worn off in places. The barrel is removable. The rest of the instrument is one piece. "A. Fontaine" is engraved on the front of the bell. The number "3726" is stamped on the back just above the bell.

I've had it nearly 50 years, and it was old when I got it. It needs new pads and cork, but the springs seem to be in good shape. It looks like the thumb rest has been replaced at some point. How old is it? Is it worth fixing up? I can post more photos, if that would be helpful.

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I have one in Eb. I'd fix it up and play it if it is half as good as my Eb.
 
I'll take it to the local instrument repair shop and see what they would charge to put it in good working order.

The mouthpiece that came with it is a Frank Wells B2, I'm guessing from the 1950s. That might be worth more than the clarinet.
 
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I checked my Terapeak Ebay research service and during the past 12 months only one Fontaine metal clarinet was sold. It brought $14.95 at auction. :)
 
Don't be too put out by the low auction prices. Most metal clarinets were produced for the school band players and are of the quality you might expect from a student-level instrument, but there were also metal clarinets produced for the orchestral player and some of these are surprisingly good. I have 2 such, a Selmer and a Silva-Bet, and they both tune and play very well. While I wouldn't use them as a concert band or orchestral instrument I use them for jazz gigs, where they add a bit of bling to the occasion. I only paid pocket change for them, one at an auction and one on EBay.
 
Tony, your instruments are worth a *lot* of money now. But a Fontaine will probably never be worth the cost of refurbishment. I use my Selmer Paris silver clarinet with a tuneable barrel for jazz gigs too. It's amazing how many people as me if it's a soprano sax. ;)

 
Yeah probably lamp (or wall hanging) material. Do all or most of the notes play? Can you replace needed pads yourself and other minor repairs to get all the notes playing to make it worth using as a practice instrument? That is my "lamp vs. not lamp" philosophy. I'm still working on a Blue clarinet someone gave me. Could go either way, but I'm not spending a dime on it.
 
Given the original post was 6 months ago, I guess the instrument may already be illuminating a room.

A. Fontaine was a student line of Couesnon, which made some nice metal clarinets. The only argument against this would be if A. Fontaine were a company already in existence, taken over by Couesnon, and this clarinet was before a take-over. I can't find evidence of that though.

What I can see from the pictures above, though, is that this is an instrument that has had a huge amount of playing. The plating has worn off with use in the touch points. This might mean that the difference between a student model and a more more professional model from the same company were finishing differences such as plating thickness and engraving quality - bu these would be cosmetic alone. Or people in the past have enjoyed the instrument and played it so much, it is showing the consequences of all that use now.

Either way, it may suggest the clarinet is not a bad player. It will never be worth much, but nice to have around. As well as fun to get out and surprise people with (because when cleaned up they are very pretty to look at, and folk always seem surprised when it sounds exactly the same as any other clarinet), I always have one set up, with a mouthpiece and Legere reed on, which I can just pick up and play, and not worry about breaking it into parts and swabbing it out.

Chris
 
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