Amati Kraslice and stencils

[Silversorcerer]

OK, thread off course but a Penzel Mueller Gloritone is 13.5mm and an H. Bettoney Columbia is 19mm, and a Merson Ultratone (HP Bb Bettoney stencil) is also 19mm.

[DaveLeBlanc]

With measurements all over the place, does this mean that the articulated C# was actually nothing special, since metal clarinets were doing it too?

[Silversorcerer]

Bettoney seems to have taken maximum advantage of the single tube design to move the tone hole downward. I'd say that the 19mm that we see on the Bettoney models and stencils is probably an optimization point.

[Silversorcerer]

Getting back to the Amati clarinets, I came across another maker in Austria, Musica Steyr, that could very plausibly have a connection to Amati, Kraslice. The key work is just too similar to have an entirely different origin, regardless of the country of manufacture. Compare the details of this Musica Steyr soprano with the Amati clarinets and known stencils. The only thing I see different in the key shapes is the C# key arm. The ring arms and other details are much the same. Late Amati clarinets also have a different C# key, more like this Musica Steyr example that is presumably Austrian in origin (photos borrowed for educational purposes):

[Silversorcerer]

This is an Amati with a later logo style. By this time the ring arms have a more standard appearance and the trill guide and C# key on the upper joint match the Musica Steyr.

[Silversorcerer]

Apparently the type with the more vintage keys, exemplified by the minimalist ring key arms and the cool straight across C# key arm was marketed in the UK as the Corton clarinet. While these are so smooth and uniformly black that they look like they could be plastic, these are wooden clarinets upon close inspection. I don't know how these play, but all of them I have seen in used condition still looked very well preserved. These must be quite durable. While the plating is often worn, the key metal underneath looks to be better than average.

[DaveLeBlanc]

Here's a Carl Fischer with that Amati cartouche thing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carl-Fischer-Artist-Wooden-Bb-Soprano-Clarinet-w-HSC-Made-In-Czechoslovakia/122683030880?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

Very cheap so far, could be a nice pickup.

[DaveLeBlanc]

Here is the first clarinet I have ever purchased from someone via Craigslist.
It is a "Luxus" by Amati Kraslice.
The kicker here is the rare third ring and the rare left hand Ab key. Both are features that make this one step above the rest of the crew.

Also managed to get a really neat F. Arthur Uebel mouthpiece. I've never seen one of these before so I made a dedicated post about it.

[Dennis]

I have discovered that "Lignatone" was a stencil name for Amati products. They seem quite common, and had a large logo with a lion and a shield. I found them researching a full boehm Bb clarinet unbranded on the upper and lower joints, merely saying "Made in Czechoslovakia." The bell however was marked "Ligna." The font of the letter "L" is distinctive and matches the L on the Ligna. At first I thought it was a Kohlert. Has anyone seen a "Ligna"? The case appears to be from the 20's or 30's, but Lignatone seems to be from the 70's and 80's.

A puzzle to me is that both Amati and Kohlert used the phrase "Made in Czechoslovakia." This indicates that they were aimed at English speaking markets....

[Silversorcerer]

I f some one can save and post a photo? I can't do it from the iPad. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klarinette-Lignatone-mit-Mundstuck-und-Koffer-Frankreich-System-/292271022382?hash=item440cb5e12e:g:zWUAAOSw47dZwS4l

[mechanic]

I f some one can save and post a photo? I can't do it from the iPad. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klarinette-Lignatone-mit-Mundstuck-und-Koffer-Frankreich-System-/292271022382?hash=item440cb5e12e:g:zWUAAOSw47dZwS4l

Here you go. 

[mechanic]

And a few more.