The ClarinetPages Forum

When I saw this on eBay, I had just bought a clarinet without a case. The damaged and then-unidentifiable lower joint, Bundy-looking upper joint, and extra wood barrel had me wondering if this was someone's clarinet junkyard. But the price was right for a case, maybe a usable barrel, and another try in the Mouthpiece Lottery.

(Unfortunately, the case might be beyond salvage. The hardware is so corroded that one of the hinges rusted apart, but that isn't the point of the thread.)

I couldn't help but notice that the tenon rings all appear to match and the plating is flaking off touchpieces on both joints in the same way, so maybe this is a complete horn. Neither joint had a serial number; it appears only on the underside of the low E/B touchpiece. The upper joint - at first - didn't look quite as Bundy-like up close, but it has a straight .590" bore and uses a 2-56 pilot screw on the A/D ring key. The lower joint's bore matches and the pivots are the same.

Since an Elkhart would have to be from the 1950s, and it's definitely made of plastic, there aren't a lot of possibilities for the manufacturer. Most European makers were still using Ebonite, as was Conn. It isn't like a Bettoney or Pedler, and Leblanc is obviously out of the question. The crow's foot is oval-shaped, but the unusual curve of that B/F# key doesn't look familiar. '50s Bundy Resonites are exceedingly hard to find, but...

Aha. https://www.ebay.com/itm/127227278991 Once in a while you do find just the information you need. Only had to get to the second page of listings to find it.

Sure enough, it must be a very early Bundy. I don't know if the 50xxx serial number is part of the Bundy range or the Elkhart range - but it doesn't matter much since it's probably 1951 in either case.

It's too bad about the lower joint socket being broken off - it'd be worth repadding if it were intact, but I don't think that's repairable.

I heard from a friend that Fox Products, the double-reed manufacturer in Indiana, has a job posting for a Clarinet Inspector. And I found this on their website which is, for now, just a page to subscribe for updates.

This is intriguing and exciting - that an independent American instrument maker (especially one with Fox's reputation) would get into the clarinet market. I'm curious if they'll be making student or professional instruments, or both (hopefully both).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355570157370

I stumbled across this "Richards" (RMC) CA47 wood clarinet. The keywork is pretty distinctive-looking, but it's outside of my familiarity - anyone know who made it?

What are the best practices for reviving wood clarinets that have been unused for a long time and seem to be very dry? Does ambient humidity have an impact? (i.e. is it detrimental to do anything in low-humidity winter conditions?)

What additional concerns are there for an instrument with a noticeably dirty bore? Is it okay to clean it first, and then oil, or is there too much risk there with immersing a dry instrument in water?

If it matters, the instruments in question are an early Normandy Special that looks like it was well-cared for but then stored for quite a while, and a Conn 424N which has not had an easy life, is very dirty, and has had a crack repaired in the past. I'm in no hurry with either so doing it right is more important than any other consideration.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166602663320

I don't believe H.N. White made clarinets in-house of anything other than metal. This one appears to be hard rubber, and the serial number of E7146 not only fits the Pedler sequence, but it looks like it was put there with the same stamp set that placed the serial number on my HR Pedler Bb.

I've never seen another H.N. White clarinet that appeared to be a Pedler stencil, and I'm not familiar with Eb clarinets. Does this look like a Pedler?

This is a bit of a strange one. It's plastic, with a brushed finish. The Conn logo stamping has the four-pointed star and wreath that was used from 1964-69, but without the model number beneath it. The serial number is stamped high on the lower joint, and isn't a Conn serial. The keywork definitely isn't 1960s Conn - but it sure looks the same as that of the oldest Artley 18S I could find on eBay (which also has its serial number stamped high on the lower joint instead of at the bottom). It also has a very un-Conn-like .580" bore. The serial number would fall in 1972 for Artley.

So, for the most part, this makes sense - it's almost certainly a 1972 Artley with the old Conn logo stamped on it.

But... why? And what model? The October 1971 Conn price list has four soprano clarinets: The Artley 18S Prelude, Conn 17N Director, 38N Connstellation, and 78N Connquest. The 17N was a wood model in the '60s, so unless they immediately reused the model number, it isn't that. Conventional wisdom was always that there were no Conn clarinets after the Elkhart factory was closed, but the price list refutes that.

On the off chance someone out there has more information than what I could figure out, that'd be appreciated - but regardless, whatever this is, if they built one they probably made more, so I might as well post it here for the sake of those who might have one of the others and be connfused as to what it is.

(Also: too bad the H-ligature is cracked...)

There's something I've long wondered about Conn clarinets. I have three Conn student models (1958 composite 14N or 50N, 1961 wood 18N, and a 1964 16N) and all three have a bore diameter of .605" at the top of the upper joint and .590" at the bottom. However, while the barrels are .590" at the top they're no more than .585" at the bottom. When assembled there is a visible "step" in the bore where the barrel meets the upper joint. The 16N's barrel is definitely original, the other two can't be positively confirmed but the socket rings match.

What is this considered? Reverse taper? Polycylindrical? What's the reason for an immediate .020" or so difference where the barrel and upper joint meet?