How many clarinets do you own?

[BLMonopole]

Make a list of your current clarinet inventory and answer the questions:
(1) can you ever have too many?
(2) what one clarinet would you love to find and make room for?

[Skyfacer]

Amati Kraslice Full Boehm (Ebony)   A ACL 675,

Amati Kraslice Full Boehm (Ebony) Bb ACL 605.  

T. Ridenour Lyrique (Ebonite ) Bb   RCP-576 BC

Jupiter JCL-631-II (Plastic) Bb

W. Schreiber 6010s (Plastic)  Bb

All my Clarinets are in constant use. My main instrument is the Lyrique.
The two plastic Clarinets are my \'knock-abouts\' and the Amati Clarinets are also used , especially the A which is used mainly as a \"C instrument\"
I don\'t collect Clarinets just for the sake of collecting them as I always keep in mind that for every instrument you own, means one more instrument to maintain.
I\'ve settled in nicely with the instruments that I own at present. No doubt there is always other Clarinets that would be nice to own but one must draw the line somewhere.
It\'s all a matter with being contented with what one has. I\'m 68 next March , life is getting short for me.

[BLMonopole]

•   1970s (?)Bundy Eb contra alto clarinet

•   Late 1940s Olds Special (Malerne Stencil) Bb Bass Clarinet (to low Eb)

•   Ca. 1950 Kohlert Winnenden Eb alto clarinet (open hole, to low E)

•   Ca. 1920 Penzel Mueller A Clarinet

•   Ca. 1940 Penzel Mueller Bb Clarinet

•   1965 Buffet R-13 Bb Clarinet

•   1940? Kohlert Bb Full Boehm Clarinet

•   1960s (?) M. Lacroix C soprano

•   1920? Martin Freres Eb Soprano Clarinet

•   Early 1950s Couesnon Monopole Conservatoire Bb clarinet (7 ring)

•   1968 (?) Paul Magniere (SML Stencil?) Bb clarinet

The Buffet Bb and the Martin Freres Eb are my main horns, but I deeply love the Monopole Conservatoire, the Kohlert Full Boehm, and even the Kohlert Alto.  Well, I love them all really or I wouldn\'t be keeping them.....

 I guess you can have too many if they\'re not all getting played regularly (I mean, someone else could easily be enjoying them).  So, I guess I need to \"thin the herd,\" but I find it so hard to decide which ones should go.

Welcome additions would include a Selmer Rosewood Eb Contra Alto, a Penzel Mueller Clari-Met or Bettoney Silva-Bet, a metal Eb from Bettoney, or a low C bass clarinet.  But, until I make some room, I\'m going to hold tight a while.

[DaveLeBlanc]

1890s Penzel-Mueller Eb wood (parts)

1890s Penzel-Mueller Eb wood (lower section, which is slightly larger than lower section of abovementioned clarinet)

1890-1920? Henri Frenier HP C wood, simple system

1920s? American Beauty metal (nonworking)

1920s? Laube Metal, three piece body

1920s? Weymann Varsity metal (nonworking)

1920s? M. Lacroix wood (nonworking)

1920s? Paul Dupre grenadilla, with third ring on upper section (nonworking)

1920s? F. Barbier Cousenon wood, with third ring on upper section

1920s? Lachapelle metal (nonworking)

1920s? Brevetto Bottali simple system with plateau keys (nonworking)

1950s? Weymann Varsity wood, with original hard rubber bell

1950s? Lachapelle wood

1950s? Bruno Royal Artist hard rubber?

1961 K3PA Russian Albert system plastic, with third ring on upper section  (nonworking)

1965 or 1966 Conn 16 resin

1960s? Bundy Mazzeo

1960s? Mazzeo, no Bundy logo

1960s? Century Dura-Nyl by Cundy-Bettony hard rubber

1980s? Bundy Semi-Plateau plastic

1980s? Conn alto, left-hand Ab lever

1980s? Selmer alto open hole

1960s-1980s Vito Frankenstein

2005 Buffet B12 plastic

2000s? Sky plastic (nonworking)


I believe it is possible to have too many, as I think that I have way too many.  Especially since half of them dont work!  I have sold about five that I didn\'t plan on using or restoring (Artley, Bundy, Bundy, Borg, Vito alto, etc).  However, many of my current collection are currently up for sale simply because I do not have enough room and I also need to make up for my lost money.

The single clarinet I would most like is a wooden LeBlanc Bb bass, extended to low C.  Ever since I started playing bass in 7th grade, I have always wanted one, but they were too out of my price range.  I had to content myself with an alto, but that just wasn\'t the same.  I am currently saving up for a real live bass clarinet, hopefully a wooden one.  (though i\'ll be happy even if it is not Leblanc).

The soprano clarinet I most want is the LeBlanc Bliss.  It is a beautiful clarinet and has an incredible sound!  If only it wasn\'t so expensive...

[ZoeB]

I can\'t compete with any of the previous posts, but I\'m 18, so I still have time. Here\'s my meagre collection:

-1975 Noblet Artist 45
-1960(ish) Noblet 40
-1950s Schrieber Pro model
-2000ish Yamaha YCL 221 Bass clarinet

The Noblets are were both saved from school band abuse, and play quite well, but the Schrieber (AKA Felix) will always be king. The bass clarinet is on a sort of permanent loan, and works, albeit grudgingly. The clarinets I\'d like most are a low C bass (I know someone who plays an RC Prestige bass. It\'s a really pretty instrument in just about every way.) and a Noblet 40 Eb. It\'s the only Eb clarinet I\'ve ever played that didn\'t seem to be on a mission to kill everyone in the room.

[ZoeB]

Oh, I\'d also like to get a cheap purple plastic \'clarinet\' that you can get for like $100 on amazon (might actually be my next clarinet purchase) just to have fun with.
And I kind of want to try a Backun protege.

[DaveLeBlanc]

Hey Zoe,

     A great place to pick uP cheap clarinets is eBay.  I have never spent more than $55 on a soprano clarinet and 80 on an alto.  My cheapest soprano was my set of two Mazzeo systems for $20 ($10 each), and my Selmer open hole alto for 20 dollars.  You can get good stuff of of eBay for an incredible proce and you don\'t have to break the bank.  Notable ones I\'ve gotten are that Selmer alto, HP C clarinet, metal simple system wih plateau keys, and a cool semi-plateau Bundy.

You will have too many clarinets in no time at all!

[bbrandha]

1915ish Jean Marbeau (wood)
1970s Selmer 100 Mazzeo (wood)
2 1950s Noblets (metal)
Frankenhorn with Selmer Paris MP (plastic) for parts
Vito for repair (plastic)

[ZoeB]

Dave: I know. I\'d like to pick up some old beaters from Ebay to overhaul, but it\'s hard to get good deals with overseas shippings costs, so I\'m waiting until next time i visit the states. I still want to get a flashy plastic clarinet though, so i don\'t have to waste good wood on the frigid marching season (early may).

[DaveLeBlanc]

Oh I see, overseas reallly does kill.  I\'ve sold a couple clarinets for cheap overseas to like bulgaria and random places like that and i have to charge up to 50 dollars shipping

[lcm20c]

Evette

red vito dazzler

the chinese hard rubber no name wonder,  I thing its either an etude or em winston

ridneour 147

pruefer artiste, currently in Phils capable hands

and a supertone C clarinet, made of hard rubber.  what are the odds of finding that at an antique mall? there is a metal one in the same mall that may end up in my collection in the near future as well.

[DaveLeBlanc]

1915ish Jean Marbeau (wood)
1970s Selmer 100 Mazzeo (wood)
2 1950s Noblets (metal)
Frankenhorn with Selmer Paris MP (plastic) for parts
Vito for repair (plastic)

Hey bbrandha, is your Jean Marbeau an albert or boehm system?

[DaveLeBlanc]

UPDATE:

Gains:
1960s? Amati Kraslice plastic.  nonworking.

1950s? Centry Dura-Nyl by Cundy-Bettony resin.

1940s? A. Robert Stubbins mechanism wood. nonworking.

1980s Olds plastic.

1990/2000s Bestler plastic.

Losses:

1950s? Lachapelle metal. nonworking.

1960s? Amati Kraslice plastic. nonworking.

1990/2000s Bestler

[Daltonl]

You likely can own too many but I have no idea what that number might be .  I currently own a Very Good Yamaha about 18 Yrs old but I don\'t remember the model,   a circa 1934 Selmer BT  and a Pensul-Mueller Soloist.   All are excellent clarinets.   I may add a couple more to the fleet this weekend...

[gkern]

Thought I\'d jump in here for my first post:

1952 Selmer Centered Tone
2008 Selmer CL211
1937 Pan American (hard rubber)
1952 Conn 424N
circa 1950 Penzel Mueller Brilliante
Martin Freres LaMONTE
circa 1980 Leblanc VSP (French wooden Vito - kinda)

My favorite is the Centered Tone, with the PM a close second.  However, the Pan American plays beautifully with either a Brilhart Tonalin or a George Penney PM mouthpiece.  The VSP plays good with any mouthpiece, well, maybe shouldn\'t use the 5JB...