Penzel Mueller Serial Time line

[350 Rocket]

Very nice!

Period catalogs and the like are so hard to come by, and shed light on so many things.

[Windsong]

Certainly right.  Most catalogues get tossed, being deemed dated and irrelevant.  It takes a true hoarder to save them.  Let us take a moment to thank them for doing so!

I notice that for 1925-1926 model years, P-M is still showing a wrap-around register key, which is a bit late, honestly.  Conn had dropped it by late 1920 and Pedler had dropped it by late 1923, and The large French manufacturers had all abandoned it by the early 1920s too.

It is a lovely detail, and if it works sufficiently without the need for constant adjustment, I suppose there is no need to ride the coattails of a trend.

[Windsong]

I would love to know what this "patented insert" located in the top joint, referenced in the newly acquired literature above actually looks like.  I find it interesting that Pruefer also developed a "Silver Throat" and worked with P-M for a time, though most of those were hard rubber and therefore were nigh imperveous to seasonal cracking, anyway. 

I cannot help but wonder about the similarities.

[PigSquealer]

Fabulous catalog find !
The bell stamp on @Ryanm s example and the one I have interestingly match. The mouthpiece too. That being spelling of Mueller and no Eagle.
Does the catalog show a bass ?

[Windsong]

Aah yes, PigSquealer; that is the 2nd generation logo. It started at some point after the war, and while I don't know specifically when they made the switch, I know it was by 1948.  I have a poster from April 1945, and they were still using the eagle.

Regarding bass photos, here you are:

[350 Rocket]

I have enough irons in the fire that I resist looking deeply into Penzel-Mueller, but here's what might be a valuable data point:
https://goldenerainstruments.com/collections/clarinets/products/penzel-mueller-artist-professional-metal-clarinet-circa-1940s-1

A metal Artist, serial number K-748, produced for the U.S. military. Not a guarantee of WWII production, but a strong possibility.

[Windsong]

I believe your example here is from 1943.  It is a very low sideways serial, directly after they reset, and began alpha-numeric configuration.  My conventional direction (parallel to joint ends) 16xxx serial Artist is reportedly from 1942, and I just received in the mail today a sideways serial Artist--the first of its kind (and last of the original serials before the reset), in the 17xxx realm.  I also believe this is from late 1942 or early 1943.  Serials apparently ended in the 17,000s before resetting.

[Windsong]

A week and a half ago, I received a pre-war/wartime P-M Artist.  I jumped right into its resto because this clarinet had been long neglected, and while this post is not about its restoration, I wanted to show a few things that relate. 

Some of you already know just how incredibly good P-M grenadilla is.  It is the glossiest, tightest gained grenadilla I have ever seen, and in my experience, it is rivaled only by Selmer.  If you have seen a P-M and assumed it was plastic or Rubber, you are forgiven.  It is nearly impossible to find the grain sometimes. I even wonder if after turning and drilling the blanks and then stamping them, whether they heat treat them, to seal the finish, like burnishing.  I would love to know.

The one downside to their nearly flawless finish is that if you let them get too dry, they will "spall" around the tone holes. They will also crack, quite readily, if oil treatments are not attended to.  The easy solution, of course, is to oil them liberally at the time of a resto, and then at least once annually.  While they often look like they could not possibly take any oil, do it anyway. 

I do not know what type of care this one received, but it was so dry that it consumed each daily oiling and has requested more for 10 days straight now (edit: today is the 17th of March, and I have been oiling every day for over 3 weeks, and it is still drinking heartily). When this happens, keep feeding the oil until it rejects it.

Look at the beautiful, prominent stamps.  Again--nobody stamps a clarinet better than P-M did.  They are crisp and deep with no distortion.  You can read them from 10 feet away. 

I got lucky, in that with exception to a mildly scruffy bevel on a tone hole (posted elsewhere today),  the upper and lower joint and bell were all virtually flawless. The barrel was missing its lower ring and shows three very slight cracks (+/- 5mm long, each) that have not broken through or run yet.  While not ideal, I'd gladly sacrifice a barrel before any other part of the horn. 

Also, the lower and upper joints (as well as the keys) are all numbers matching.  Do you want to know just how original your Artist, Brilliante or Super Brilliante is?  Look at the underside of the register key and the F# LH pinky key, and you should find a 3-digit number which corresponds with the last three digits of the serial number.

These bores are quite like a mirror, too.  They are splendid.  I wish I had the ability to take a photo of it. 

Yes, I know...I vowed I would never again use white leather pads, and I intended not to, but I have so many of them, and finding quality, affordable pads in colors other than white or black is problematic at present.  I had wanted to use lipstick red pads, quite frankly, just as it came to me with, (and laugh if you will, but I sincerely tried to save the old ones) but I could not find any.

[Windsong]

Also, and very uniquely,  P-M fitted blued steel into the flat spring tracks, presumably for quicker response, and not just to preserve the wood, long-term, from wear--which it also does.  It works! 

The only post lock you will find on these early 1940s P-Ms is on the Lower Joint with the duplex post for the lower joint outside pinky spatulas.

[Trond Erik Torgersen]

Hi
New to the forum. Just bougth a penzel mueller K 1301 serial number. Seams like original penzel- mueller mouthpiece also.
The seller told me that the instrument have the last 50 years hanging on her dads wall. I thinking about restoring it to top condition. What is the thoughts about age and production of this instrument?
Rgds
Trond

[Jabby]

Hello!
I am very new to this forum and decided to post after reading through most of this thread, as I was just recently gifted a Penzel-Mueller clarinet and would love to know more information about it :)

Model: Soloist
Serial Number: U3883B
Mouthpiece: Penzel-Mueller, marked X3
Additional info: Stamped with 'made in France' on both the upper and lower joints. The lower joint and bell have 'New York, Toronto, Paris' stamped into them. This clarinet also has an attachment in the ring between the upper and lower joint for a sheet music clamp, but I'm pretty sure that was added later on.

I apologize if I got any terminology wrong, I do not play the clarinet.

[Windsong]

Welcome, Jabby.

Your Soloist Is a nice entry-level intermediate level clarinet. 

It was made after the war.  I really cannot speak to quality, since these were not actually made by P-M, but if they were held to the same standards as U.S. made clarinets, then it probably is a nice horn.

If it is in excellent, unrestored condition, it is worth between $125.00-$150.00  Restored, or in full playing condition and clean, you can expect $325.00-$350.00. Occasionally these go higher because of the allure of the name, and belief that these are higher-level models. 


Here is a link from SilverSorcerer that you may benefit from:

https://clarinetpages.info/smf/index.php?topic=125.0

[Windsong]

Also, I just noticed the mirror sequence with Soloist serials, which seems a rather odd coincidence. 

You note that your serial is U3883B. 
Sorcerer noted two with serials 4004B and 5775B.

Regardless the prefix or lack thereof, the numbers are truly curious.

[Jabby]

The mirrored serial number pattern is so interesting!
I know my horn is in playable condition, but it isn't perfect. Hopefully I can get some work done on it later.

Thank you so much for the help!

[ghostler]

May 25, I won a bid on US eBay for a G. Penzel (Mueller) Pacemaker Grenadilla wood Bb soprano clarinet. Bid: $29.99, after tax and shipping $53.63. It is in extremely clean condition and in a new looking Prestini quality case.

I did a little research, appears this is dated sometime in the 1940's, stamped "Germany", serial no. H13xx. Stamping on it states "G. Penzel New York". Is an intermediate quality instrument.

With some further work, I thought it may make a nice stocking stuffer for a high school student considering college who wants something better but parents have difficulty for affording a new intermediate like a Yamaha YCL-450II Intermediate Clarinet on-line retailing for $2,200.00 US.

I feel blessed to have this now in my hands. When I get a chance, will post photos of it. Any have further inputs / thoughts on this clarinet?