Picked up a hard rubber Penzel-Mueller. No Model. No Serial. Just marked Penzel-Mueller New York. Mouthpiece has a crude X3 mark but don't know if its original to the clarinet. Any ideas what I may have here? Odd that it has no serial number although I heard early ones had no model name marked.
In 1996 I contacted Leblanc USA, after hours, and a nice lady faxed me a serial number list that they had. The list was not in their computers thus no one else was given this list. So I published it on the new website for everyone to have. Then I went on a search for serial number lists of my other clarinets, and the website grew from there.
Penzel Mueller Company Serial Number List
Download File: https://urlgoal.com/2vKdk9
BUFFET - "Orfeo" excellent instrument. Has solid metal tenon on upper joint composite material- cracking (rare) still possible "Virtuoso" Composite or wood. Excellent instrument. Different bore from the "Orfeo" Lacking left C# - in my estimation an oboe with this level of mechanical sophistication should truly have a left C# key. Also, the "natural C" touch seems far too tiny to be of much use.The most recent wood professional model 3613 oboes tend to be excellent. Exquisite key-work. Impeccable scale. Lacking in the complexity, "character" department. The "composite" Buffet Greenline 3613 is, in my estimation, an unabashed "reed trumpet," extremely "brassy" sounding, lacking subtlety altogether. However, I did find one example at the 2011 IDRS convention that I liked. Perhaps best to try a bunch... The "Greenline" oboes can (and do) crack! Not possible to repair if cracked, except to have a new joint made at great expense if not still under warranty. AVOID any of the Buffet "student" model and "modified Conservatory" oboes - dreadful! The "Buffet" oboes from the 1960s and 1970s were in fact made by Marigaux- even having the Marigaux serial numbers- some good- some excellent oboes. Same as the "King-Marigaux" oboes.
CHAUVET - Excellent maker. Imported and sold by Laubin in the 1950s- serial numbers: numbers only. Ben Storch took over the importation of Chauvet instruments from the late 1950s to the mid 1960s- serial numbers: "BW" followed by numbers. Ben re-voiced the "BW" oboes to his own specifications. From the c. 1964 to the mid 1970s the Chauvet line was imported by Linx and Long in Manhattan - serial numbers: "AC" followed by numbers. The pre- Storch Chauvet oboes - not memorable. Some of the Ben Storch "BW" series Chauvet oboes may be described as first class, especially from about serial number BW100 to about BW330. I played on a sublime Chauvet "BW" as a primary instrument for some years, until I discovered Hiniker oboes. The AC Chauvet oboes- not as desirable as the BW oboes, though at times very good. Usually the "AC" oboes seem brighter in timbre. The BW series Chauvet oboe is darker in timbre than almost any of the other French oboes, comparable to the "thick wall" late "B" series Loree oboes model, or the present day Loree "Royale" model. Warren Sutherland used Chauvet BW oboes throughout most of his career as princpal oboe of the Indianopolis Symphony and Tucson Symphony. The Chauvet oboe was very well made. It is not uncommon to find Chauvet oboe still playing well even after 40 years of school/university use.
F. LOREE - The most famous maker of all, founded 1881. For chronological chart of serial numbers see Lars Kirmser serial number pages. About 80% of professional oboists in the US play Loree instruments. At present, Loree is making 3 different styles of instrument bore: "regular" bore, "ak" & "dm" /"German" bore. Loree makes all bore available in two models: "Standard" and the premium "Royale." The "regular" bore oboe is an "all around" instrument, excellent for most any musical endeavor. The "ak" bore oboe (introduced in the late 1980s) is designed for maximum projection in an orchestral setting. Personally, I find the sound of the "ak" oboe to be "brash" and overly "aggressive" - a "reed trumpet" perhaps. Sweetness and lyrical subtlety seem missing to great extent, though once in a while a will come across an "ak" with a tinge of sweetness, especially the early "ak" oboes from H-J series. I am very partial to the "dm" bore oboe. The "dm" seems to have more "sparkle" and "character" than the "regular" bore, with still an element of sweetness. I do not find the "dm bore to be in "darker" in sound than the "regular" or "ak" instruments. I find that the "regular" and "dm" bore seem to have plenty sufficient projection for orchestral solo playing. To me, the "late model" Loree oboes have a very "pretty" sound, though lacking "core" "depth" and "complexity" to the sound, skating over the surface of the "acoustical pond."
My favorite Loree vintages: "Classic C" series late 1960s, early 1970s lyrical, with a most appealing "core" to the sound. Paul Covey remarked: "The Loree C series is unlike anything else Loree has ever made." According to Tom Hiniker, the C series oboes have more undercutting of the tones holes than the B series oboes. Expect to pay premium prices for a fine examples of a Loree C series. "Classic B" series circa 1960-1969 a most appealing "majesty" and core" to the sound. Expect to pay premium prices for B series oboes, especially serial numbers BK-BP. The (rare) late B series oboes with the heavy wall- much sought after- very "dark" sound
Back the the day before electronics...when small musical instruments were tremendously important, and popular bands tuned to the clarinet...countless cheap metal clarinets were made for kids. Very few metal clarinets had respectable quality that would be appreciated by a modern player today. There were a few very impressive silver clarinets, but 99% of them were just the cheapest student clarinets that could be made at the time...a time when clarinets were extremely popular. Hardly any metal clarinets were made after plastic clarinets were invented in 1948. KEY: (I)=Intermediate, or better than student, maybe almost pro quality. (P)=Professional (S/I/P)= Quality range from student to pro. If not otherwise specified, all most all are cheap student models (S). (DW)=Double-Walled (Those designated with (DW) may sometimes also have had a single walll model that was not pro grade. *DATES* are approximations of when they were first available, or what period they mauy have been made. [In brackets is the place it may have been made], In italics is the possible maker. Bettoney refers to Cundy-Bettoney. Often records were lost or destroyed, and there was a lot of secrecy so what information that is available can not be easily verified. Serial numbers were out of sequence, or started over several times with some companies. Some manufactures, like Abbott Mfg. were not manufacturers at all, but importers. Some brand names were retail store or distributor names, and most of the brands are what we would call "stencils". Lyon & Healy Mfg. offered a full line of musical intruments that often had fancy engraving, but they actually only made harps. Most stencils were made by Conn, Martin, Bettoney, or through cooperative efforts by several factories located in Elkhart, Indiana where Conn, Buescher & Martin were based. Perhaps there were as many as 400 brands, but less than a dozen significant makers. For serial numbers, if a reliable list is available: check the specific brands at: www.SILVER-CLARINET.com 2ff7e9595c
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