The ClarinetPages Forum

My rough estimate is that it's from 1932. There isn't much information on Kohlert, but with the handful of data points I have, that's what I can extrapolate yours to.

There is or was a serial number chart for these compiled many years ago, but it's highly erroneous.

For the longest time, I told myself "Don't get involved with vacuum tube junk."

But, one of those pandemic-era beer-fueled eBay purchases...
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Johnson Messenger I, probably from 1965 given the date codes on components. Hooked up to my base station antenna it did receive, but I think the microphone cord is shot since it wouldn't key up. Gave me a slight shock at one point and it looks like there might be something missing inside, but I have too many other things going on to poke around in it. It does have its full complement of crystals for five channels though - 1, 9, 10, 14, and 19.

The LL model was introduced in 1960, so that one must be from 1960-62.

As for the other one, I'd guess the first half of the 1950s. Probably equivalent to or the predecessor of the 476 "Classic" since it isn't a Symphonie or Dynamique.

Selmer using decals for 15+ years and on over half a million clarinets means there's a lot of unbranded Bundy Resonites out there. If you see enough of them, the "tells" get easy enough to spot.

They aren't the greatest student clarinets, but they're serviceable and predictable - and plenty good for a beginner.

Regrettably, I didn't see this while the auction was live, but take a look at this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/188783579891

Early Vito Reso-Tone brochure from 1962 or 1963, showing the original logo and listing out the available models - plus a comparison against "Brand B. R." (gee, I wonder what that could be?).

Most of the images are gone, but the archived version of the old ClarinetPerfection Buffet page is better than nothing. There's a little bit of explanation regarding the Carl Fischer catalog numbers.

Quote from: Windsong on July 26, 2026, 02:51:35 PMI am wondering if this is Zyloid?
It looks a bit different than what I am accustomed to, but also appears to be phenolic of some sort.
(https://shopgoodwill.com/item/271591422)

I don't think so - it looks like a postwar 58N. I'm reasonably confident those had an Ebonite body (when I get around to servicing the one I have, I'll probably have to level a tonehole and can find out for sure) with plastic barrel and bell.

Very unfortunate. First the Conn Loyalist, now ClarinetPerfection. The old ClarinetPerfection site was a trove of information.

Hopefully some Woodwind Forum members find their way here.

The impermanence of social media makes it nearly impossible to search for and find information posted previously, and places like Reddit are rife with misinformation. The rise of AI chatbots has only made things worse. Forums were traditionally well-moderated enough to keep a fair level of trustworthiness.

I don't know if anyone used Bakelite per se. (I rather hope not, since true Bakelite contains a filler which was sometimes asbestos.)

I've read of "ebonol" which was paper-filled and used for fingerboards/fretboards and, supposedly, woodwinds, but no information on when it came about.

The earliest plastic clarinet I'm aware of is the Pan-American Zyloid from the latter half of the 1920s. It doesn't seem quite like Bakelite to me, but the wire-brushed finish might be impacting that.

The plastic clarinets of the '50s are clearly a different material than modern ones. I have a Grenolite with the lower tenon broken off as well as a '50s Bundy stencil with the center socket broken off, and the brittleness of the material is clear. The way the plastic sometimes flakes away around serial number stamps is a sign as well.

There were at least a couple different plastics then. The earliest plastic Leblanc (the Normandy Reso-Tone) had a noticeably heavy plastic with a surface that isn't entirely smooth. Conn, ironically one of the last to fully change from hard rubber to plastic, seems to have used a similar material for the barrels and bells of their hard rubber student models.

Quote from: ghostler on July 23, 2026, 08:05:25 AMIf my 1965 Vito clarinet is stencil, does anyone know who made it or the parts it was assembled from?

It wasn't a stencil - Leblanc USA made their clarinets wholly in-house in Kenosha, using a keywork design and bore geometry similar to French Noblet and Normandy models.

For many years, some lower-tier Buffet clarinets were made by W. Schreiber in Germany. I don't know for sure which models were made by them when; that said, that looks like a Schreiber serial number.

Schreiber serial numbers reached 200000 around 1980 according to my notes, and extrapolating based on the other extremely limited data I have would put your instrument in 1982. I believe it was 1983 when B-C did away with the Evette name and rebranded this model the Buffet E-11, so you might have one of the last ones so named. Schrieber does have production records that they can look up, so you could contact them to get a precise date of manufacture.

I have a 1977 Buffet price list that shows the Evette Master Model as having nickel-plated keywork. From the closeup in the third picture above, it looks like nickel plating to me. I've never tried a silver polishing cloth on nickel, but using Flitz it too turns the cloth black. If the keywork was tarnished a dull gray before polishing, it's nickel. (And that isn't a knock against it - nickel plating is more durable and requires less maintenance. The only tangible benefit of silver plate is to someone with a nickel allergy.)

Having "Master Model" only on the upper joint is how they were - the upper joint is the only one with enough space to have it in addition to the Evette marking.

I'd lean towards a music ed undergrad - many of them are preparing to teach 10-year-olds anyway and would be more likely to be interested in teaching private lessons for a beginner. I don't think being rigorous is going to enter into it for the first couple years - there are a lot of fundamentals to start with.

A used clarinet that's had a full repad done should run about $225-$300 depending on the model and your location.

For a used beginner clarinet, the best overall option in my opinion is the Vito (and it's numerous permutations). Sturdy keywork, consistent design, and consistent quality. Plastic Yamaha models are well-regarded but command a high price on the used market. The plastic Buffet models were the B10 and B12 (older ones were called Evette) and should be solid choices as well.

The Symphony 1010 was Boosey & Hawkes' top-of-the-line clarinet. That one looks to be in excellent condition.

Value is going to depend a lot on your location - these have an uncommonly-large bore and are highly desirable to those who want that, but the market is a bit soft right now. It'll probably need some work on account of its age, so if you have a repair shop near you, you could ask to have it evaluated (and if they're a music store as well, they might be able to advise better on value).

It was made in 1967.

Is the body material wood or plastic?

Value is dependent on its condition, and possibly your location to an extent.

In November 2013, I bought three clarinets from Siwek Lumber in Minneapolis, all apparent castoffs from Minneapolis Public Schools. Two were Pedlers - a metal American and a wood 18-key/7-ring Premier.

Twelve-and-a-half years later, that spark has become this: Pedler serial number charts.

http://stockinstrumentrepair.wordpress.com/pedler-clarinets/

The only detailed ones so far are the one for metal clarinets and the one for the Grenolite; the rest are either very rough or generally nonexistent. However, these are at least something, while what'd heretofore been available was decidedly nothing.

A handful of military-issue instruments all appearing in quick succession last year established a reliable range of WWII production, and the Martin earlier in this thread cemented the early part of the run. Knowing that metal clarinets were still available in 1955 but gone by the end of 1957 gave me a narrow enough end point to run with it.

I hope to improve these as information becomes available, but since what I have now was a long time coming and anything more would likely be a long wait, now was the time to publish. Special thanks to Windsong for the research he's done in parallel.