Good stuff on ebay

[LarryS]

McIntyre time folks!  Two are listed at give-away prices on Ebay.  "Buy It Now", too.  You might wait a while to see one again, and next time, they won't be this cheap, I suspect.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373146862260?hash=item56e14942b4:g:kLAAAOSwXR1fNIw~

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/373564786654?hash=item56fa3247de:g:cVIAAOSwsJFe75Q8

What is the extra key on the upper body? I see 4 keys in a line above the c hole

[DaveLeBlanc]

McIntyre time folks!  Two are listed at give-away prices on Ebay.  "Buy It Now", too.  You might wait a while to see one again, and next time, they won't be this cheap, I suspect.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373146862260?hash=item56e14942b4:g:kLAAAOSwXR1fNIw~

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/373564786654?hash=item56fa3247de:g:cVIAAOSwsJFe75Q8

What is the extra key on the upper body? I see 4 keys in a line above the c hole

The the patented McIntyre McSystem. Those four holes mean that you can play all throat tone notes - G, Ab, A, Bb without having to take your fingers off of the three upper rings - by pressing down the rings in certain combinations you can get all the throat tones. This is much faster when you get used to it, but is much slower when learning.

[Windsong]

Double Boehm? Whaaat?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284399490641?hash=item423787d651:g:JCAAAOSwldthDaxa

[DaveLeBlanc]

I've heard of them. Far as I know, it was an attempt to even out the intonation on the throat-tone keys. Seems like everybody wants to try to fix those notes, and we inevitably get back to the good old fashioned regular boehm.

[Rhythmslave]

McIntyre time folks!  Two are listed at give-away prices on Ebay.  "Buy It Now", too.  You might wait a while to see one again, and next time, they won't be this cheap, I suspect.

These listings are still there...  The wooden Artiste is listed at 200 bucks, but the strange part comes in the quanty available, quantity sold columns....   0 avail, 4 sold...  clicking the sold brings up 4 sales of the two listed in this ad.

I messaged the seller to find out if there are actually any available stilll, but have an uneasy feeling that a "Picker" having a stash of rareish clarinets is a liitle iffy...

Almost hit buy it now then noticed the avail /sold numbers and hesitated.   

Thoughts?

Gary

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373146862260?hash=item56e14942b4:g:kLAAAOSwXR1fNIw~

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/373564786654?hash=item56fa3247de:g:cVIAAOSwsJFe75Q8

What is the extra key on the upper body? I see 4 keys in a line above the c hole

The the patented McIntyre McSystem. Those four holes mean that you can play all throat tone notes - G, Ab, A, Bb without having to take your fingers off of the three upper rings - by pressing down the rings in certain combinations you can get all the throat tones. This is much faster when you get used to it, but is much slower when learning.

[DaveLeBlanc]

Also, in regards to that stash of McIntyres - I actually had a good phone call with the seller who was asking for some advice when he first found them.

He basically is a Storage Wars type of guy and won a storage locker at some place in South Carolina. Inside were apparently several hundred musical instruments, including apparently dozens of brand new/new old stock McIntyre Bb clarinets of various denominations.

It appears that McIntyre sold their inventory when they went bust, someone bought it all up, and left it to languish in storage along with dozens of other random instruments of all types.

He offered to let me come visit and check things out, but that was deep in COVID-time, and I declined. Should have gone anyways, that story could have made a great documentary.