Its too bad it wasn't complete, I've had a chance to play a few old Buffets and WOW! There is a reason that people like these so much, they are possessed by something very magical!!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Buffet Bb LP Albert system clarinet
Here's a photo of another clarinet I sold to a fella as is, it was missing keys but he didn't mind as he was looking for this setup (rings on both sections but no rollers, and Bb LP) and he also had a tech who was good at fabricating keys.
Its too bad it wasn't complete, I've had a chance to play a few old Buffets and WOW! There is a reason that people like these so much, they are possessed by something very magical!!
Its too bad it wasn't complete, I've had a chance to play a few old Buffets and WOW! There is a reason that people like these so much, they are possessed by something very magical!!
Wurlitzer C clarinet, high pitch!
Okay, let me just say this now, I LOVE this clarinet!
This is marked "R Wurlitzer and Bro Cincinnati"
The keys are the "salt spoon" variety, rounded cups! This is the 1st instrumet like this I've worked on. I really liked floating pads in these cups.
The instrument is pitched in C and is "high pitch", it seems to tune to A-457 or so which was the standard for much of the world at one point.
This clarinet also has some interesting keywork on the lower joint, notice the pinky keys for the right hand! One of them even has a little pivot rod that goes in to the clarinet body!
There were no real issues overhauling this clarinet. The body sections had no cracks and the keywork was tight, nothing was bent out of shape, the key cups were level, the leather pads seated easily.
The real hard part here is finding the right barrel/mouthpiece combination. I couldn't find the original barrel so I'm just going through the box of barrels I have trying all the C barrels I have. Its interesting going because I'll often find a barrel/mouthpiece that sounds GREAT, but when checked with a tuner the intonation is just awful.
My next lead on this front is an old wooden mouthpiece that I've found which seems to be made for C clarinet, its smaller than a Bb mpc and bigger than an Eb, and the tenon is sized so it fits in the Wurlitzer. I played it and the intonation was very very good, however, the facing was so short that I could barely play and also suspect an out of whack curve, so I sent it to my friend Peter Deley in Portland who will be fixing it for me. More on that when I get it back!
I'm keeping this clarinet. It is a joy to play and one of the nicest sounding instruments I've ever laid hands on! If you have a Wurlitzer from this era you would like to sell me , let me know!
Pics are from before and after.
This is marked "R Wurlitzer and Bro Cincinnati"
The keys are the "salt spoon" variety, rounded cups! This is the 1st instrumet like this I've worked on. I really liked floating pads in these cups.
The instrument is pitched in C and is "high pitch", it seems to tune to A-457 or so which was the standard for much of the world at one point.
This clarinet also has some interesting keywork on the lower joint, notice the pinky keys for the right hand! One of them even has a little pivot rod that goes in to the clarinet body!
There were no real issues overhauling this clarinet. The body sections had no cracks and the keywork was tight, nothing was bent out of shape, the key cups were level, the leather pads seated easily.
The real hard part here is finding the right barrel/mouthpiece combination. I couldn't find the original barrel so I'm just going through the box of barrels I have trying all the C barrels I have. Its interesting going because I'll often find a barrel/mouthpiece that sounds GREAT, but when checked with a tuner the intonation is just awful.
My next lead on this front is an old wooden mouthpiece that I've found which seems to be made for C clarinet, its smaller than a Bb mpc and bigger than an Eb, and the tenon is sized so it fits in the Wurlitzer. I played it and the intonation was very very good, however, the facing was so short that I could barely play and also suspect an out of whack curve, so I sent it to my friend Peter Deley in Portland who will be fixing it for me. More on that when I get it back!
I'm keeping this clarinet. It is a joy to play and one of the nicest sounding instruments I've ever laid hands on! If you have a Wurlitzer from this era you would like to sell me , let me know!
Pics are from before and after.
Penzel Mueller/Pruefer grenadilla flute!
These flutes are new for me! Along with alot of clarinets I got a BUNCH of old grendadilla flutes of various sizes.
This is the 1st one I worked on.
Its marked Penzel Mueller NY, a fine old American company specializing in woodwinds.
It is also marked "Pruefer" in the stamp, which is interesting because they were another American company at the time, but maybe they joined forces to make some of these instruments? Info on this would be great!
I don't know if these play in C# or C, I'm not much of a flute player, but I can get both sounds as the open note.
This baby was very dirty, but there were no cracks anywhere which is why I started with this one.
After cleaning, oiling, and reassembling with leather pads and cork as needed, I was very surprised at the sound and playability!
I could play the whole instrument with some work, my embouchure for flute is pathetic!
The keywork is beautifully wrought, the wood is in great condition, and its seemingly very old, being an instrument of only 12 keys!!!
This is the 1st one I worked on.
Its marked Penzel Mueller NY, a fine old American company specializing in woodwinds.
It is also marked "Pruefer" in the stamp, which is interesting because they were another American company at the time, but maybe they joined forces to make some of these instruments? Info on this would be great!
I don't know if these play in C# or C, I'm not much of a flute player, but I can get both sounds as the open note.
This baby was very dirty, but there were no cracks anywhere which is why I started with this one.
After cleaning, oiling, and reassembling with leather pads and cork as needed, I was very surprised at the sound and playability!
I could play the whole instrument with some work, my embouchure for flute is pathetic!
The keywork is beautifully wrought, the wood is in great condition, and its seemingly very old, being an instrument of only 12 keys!!!
Selmer Bb LP Albert system
Well here's just a pic of a Selmer I had, but sold. It needed too much work for me to work on: it was missing keys and had a broken finger bush.
Interesting to note there are rings on both sections, but no rollers!
This one actually went to the same Greek in Australia that got the Chedeville clarinet I've posted about.
Interesting to note there are rings on both sections, but no rollers!
This one actually went to the same Greek in Australia that got the Chedeville clarinet I've posted about.
Edmond Chedeville Bb clarinet, low pitch, Albert system!
Here's the 1st clarinet I worked on out of the pile that I recently picked up.
Why did I pick this one? It seemed like the thing to do. I actually was able to find the body sections mixed up in a few boxes, and then I found the bell, so I figured lets start here!
There is not much information on Edmond Chedeville. It seems he is most likely a relative of the famous Henri and Charles, makers of fine mouthpieces (some which I have, more later!).
As far as clarinets by Edmond I've seen mention of some Boehm system ones, which were described as "decent but nothing special". This clarinet was pretty nice although it did have some extensive crack work done at some point!
Its interesting to note that when Albert system clarinets ruled the world, there was no such thing as a student instrument. I've never seen an old Albert that was cheaply or badly made. Yes I've seen many that were so old, neglected, and worn that they couldn't be played anymore despite any amount of money invested, but thats not their fault! Of course some do sound and play better than others, but we'll talk about all that later!
Back to the Chedeville clarinet.
This one is actually marked both Bb and LP, meaning pitched in Bb and tuned to "low pitch", which is either A-440 or sometimes A-435.
The keywork is an older system, what some have called "simple Albert".
Basically there are no rings on the upper section, only 2 side keys, and no rollers for the pinky keys on the bottom section.
These clarinets are tricker to play in tune without the upper rings and side keys. This isn't a problem for many players who love Albert system clarinets for their ability to play micro-tonally and the bending/slurring capabilities.
This clarinet, like all the clarinets and instruments that I have right now, was filthy!
All the keys were removed, the body was scrubbed with soap and water with a brush, the bore was scrubbed, and the wood was oiled for days to re-hydrate.
The upper section had 6 old pins holding 2 cracks together. The person who did the work never even filled in the ends of the pins, all the metal was showing.
After shoring up a short section of crack that was leaking (using cyanoacrolate glue and grenadilla dust) I also spend alot of time filling in the gaping hole left by the pins and the cracks.
The keys were cleaned by hand, key cork was replaced as necessary, leather pads were installed, and the instrument was ready to go to the next owner......who happened to be a Greek living in Australia!
I couldn't find the matching barrel so I used an old Barbier that seemed to play decent with the insrument.
The clarinet had a great tone! The intonation was what you would expect on some notes giving the amount of keys present. But not bad! The wood was beautiful and dense, the keywork was sturdy and well made.
I think given the time to find the best barrel/mouthpiece for this clarinet it will make a find Greek or other ethnic clarinet.
Oh, note that the tenon cork in the pics is shot, I actually ran out and was waiting for a shipment when I took the photos!
Why did I pick this one? It seemed like the thing to do. I actually was able to find the body sections mixed up in a few boxes, and then I found the bell, so I figured lets start here!
There is not much information on Edmond Chedeville. It seems he is most likely a relative of the famous Henri and Charles, makers of fine mouthpieces (some which I have, more later!).
As far as clarinets by Edmond I've seen mention of some Boehm system ones, which were described as "decent but nothing special". This clarinet was pretty nice although it did have some extensive crack work done at some point!
Its interesting to note that when Albert system clarinets ruled the world, there was no such thing as a student instrument. I've never seen an old Albert that was cheaply or badly made. Yes I've seen many that were so old, neglected, and worn that they couldn't be played anymore despite any amount of money invested, but thats not their fault! Of course some do sound and play better than others, but we'll talk about all that later!
Back to the Chedeville clarinet.
This one is actually marked both Bb and LP, meaning pitched in Bb and tuned to "low pitch", which is either A-440 or sometimes A-435.
The keywork is an older system, what some have called "simple Albert".
Basically there are no rings on the upper section, only 2 side keys, and no rollers for the pinky keys on the bottom section.
These clarinets are tricker to play in tune without the upper rings and side keys. This isn't a problem for many players who love Albert system clarinets for their ability to play micro-tonally and the bending/slurring capabilities.
This clarinet, like all the clarinets and instruments that I have right now, was filthy!
All the keys were removed, the body was scrubbed with soap and water with a brush, the bore was scrubbed, and the wood was oiled for days to re-hydrate.
The upper section had 6 old pins holding 2 cracks together. The person who did the work never even filled in the ends of the pins, all the metal was showing.
After shoring up a short section of crack that was leaking (using cyanoacrolate glue and grenadilla dust) I also spend alot of time filling in the gaping hole left by the pins and the cracks.
The keys were cleaned by hand, key cork was replaced as necessary, leather pads were installed, and the instrument was ready to go to the next owner......who happened to be a Greek living in Australia!
I couldn't find the matching barrel so I used an old Barbier that seemed to play decent with the insrument.
The clarinet had a great tone! The intonation was what you would expect on some notes giving the amount of keys present. But not bad! The wood was beautiful and dense, the keywork was sturdy and well made.
I think given the time to find the best barrel/mouthpiece for this clarinet it will make a find Greek or other ethnic clarinet.
Oh, note that the tenon cork in the pics is shot, I actually ran out and was waiting for a shipment when I took the photos!
Introduction I suppose!
The postings here will be an ongoing documentation of various musical instruments that I repair, sell, trade, buy, what have you.
A brief introduction might be helpful.
My name is Mark E. Kaylor and I've been a musician and lover of musical instruments (especially old vintage instruments) for many years. Technically I'm a drummer but have a deep fascination for all instruments, even more so what one might call "band instruments"......woodwind, brasswind, percussion.
I also have a deep itch for fixing things, playing with tools.
Lucky for me I was able to work at a buy/sell musical shop while living in Portland Oregon where I was able to learn ALOT about the world of instruments, value, repair, etc.
Now I'm in Philadelphia and have a workshop set up that allows me to do a variety of repairs to any instrument that comes my way. I buy more tools and acquire more skills along the way.
I specialize in finding instruments that have been long neglected and bring them back to life.
I'm a special kind of restorer: I'm not the guy who buffs keys to a shiny finish or spends all his time making an instrument worthy of a museum collection. I do whatever is needed to make them play, within my ability, and pass them on to the next person.
I've been able to work on all sorts of instruments in recent history, upright basses, clarinets, saxophones, guitars, wooden flutes, drums you name it.
And just in the last month, this:
I picked up a large lot of old wooden clarinets and flutes (and parts!) from an old Philadelphia musical instrument distributor.
We're talking piles of instruments and parts in boxes, dirty dirty dirty, destined for the dump!
I'm bringing these instruments back, which is part of why I started this blog for documentation.
Alot of these instruments are extremely rare, old, and amazingly beautiful handmade American and European instruments!
I fell an overwhelming sense of wonder whenever I'm around these, working on them, organizing, I'm a custodian of neglected instruments of musical creation!
A brief introduction might be helpful.
My name is Mark E. Kaylor and I've been a musician and lover of musical instruments (especially old vintage instruments) for many years. Technically I'm a drummer but have a deep fascination for all instruments, even more so what one might call "band instruments"......woodwind, brasswind, percussion.
I also have a deep itch for fixing things, playing with tools.
Lucky for me I was able to work at a buy/sell musical shop while living in Portland Oregon where I was able to learn ALOT about the world of instruments, value, repair, etc.
Now I'm in Philadelphia and have a workshop set up that allows me to do a variety of repairs to any instrument that comes my way. I buy more tools and acquire more skills along the way.
I specialize in finding instruments that have been long neglected and bring them back to life.
I'm a special kind of restorer: I'm not the guy who buffs keys to a shiny finish or spends all his time making an instrument worthy of a museum collection. I do whatever is needed to make them play, within my ability, and pass them on to the next person.
I've been able to work on all sorts of instruments in recent history, upright basses, clarinets, saxophones, guitars, wooden flutes, drums you name it.
And just in the last month, this:
I picked up a large lot of old wooden clarinets and flutes (and parts!) from an old Philadelphia musical instrument distributor.
We're talking piles of instruments and parts in boxes, dirty dirty dirty, destined for the dump!
I'm bringing these instruments back, which is part of why I started this blog for documentation.
Alot of these instruments are extremely rare, old, and amazingly beautiful handmade American and European instruments!
I fell an overwhelming sense of wonder whenever I'm around these, working on them, organizing, I'm a custodian of neglected instruments of musical creation!
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