Expert: Kenton Scott - 4/11/2007

Question
I just purchased a George M. Bundy - Paris, ALL Silver or Nickel Clarinet, no case. The body is much thinner than a regular wood clarinet. The only marks I can find are the signature on the bell, the word France at the top of the upper section, close to the mouth piece, and the number 340 at the top of the lower section. I saw your answer to another question about the poor playing quality of a metal clarinet. However, I don't play the instrument but bought it for an antique investment. Did I make a mistake? It looks like it would have been made during the Art Deco period, 30's to 40's.

Answer
In 1918, George Bundy gained the rights to distribute Selmer products in the United States, and gained a hold on the professional clarinet market. Selmser talks about its transition to plastics in the 1940's but does not mention the metal clarinets.  

I have been taken to task by some folks, but I cannot find any indication that the metal clarinets were other than an experiment that just didn't work out.