Expert: Kenton Scott - 1/1/2007

Question
I know the clarinet is not considered a brass instrument, but since it's metal, I thought you could help me.  
I just received a silver clarinet as a Christmas present and would like some more information on it.  It's a Silver King.  Serial number: (I can't tell if the first number is a one or an l or just a scratch) then 96886.  
I can't tell if it's serling silver or not.  What do I need to look for to tell?  It's golden on the inside of the bell, if that's important.  It has the big
Silver King
Made by T
he H.N. White Co Cleveland - 0
stamped on the front of the bell and a funny looking fancy L or something on the back.  Maybe it's a f with a loopy, I don't know.
It's in serious need of a cleaning and probably new pads and whatnot.  Only has two dents that are on the bell.  The mouthpiece neck thing (what you call it that connects the mouthpiece to the rest of the clarinet) is there and I think it's the orginal case.  I don't know if it plays or not.  I left my own clarinet at school and I'm not too excited about using the gross reeds in the case.
Just wondering if you can tell me more about it or if it's worth anything.  Should I spend the money on fixing it up?Thanks a ton!
Vicki

Answer
I think a Metal clarinet is still a woodwind, so that lets me off the hook as far as knowing much but I'll tell you what I do.

Metal clarinets were an industry experiment, mostly in the '30's, I believe.  They were an economy measure and an advertised as an instrument that was less susceptible to weather. And, though they sold a lot of them for a few years, and though I've been told that there is nothing inherent in a metal clarinet that would make them inferior to wooden ones, nevertheless, most serious players never accepted them.  Maybe they were just more cheaply made, I don't know.

But, King was a respected name and so it yours may be a better example than most.  Yours was either made in the late '20's or the mid '30's depending on whether that is  "1" or not.

The "L" might mean that it is built to play in Low Pitch, which is the pitch of a modern band. So, that's a good thing, if that is what it means.

I'm pretty sure that is would be silverplated on the outside and has a gold wash on the inside of the bell.  If you see any wear marks on the silverplate where some of the brass is showing through, you can be sure it is silverplate.

Its value is probably mostly what you can do with it.  If you have a good horn and don't want to take it to rougher engagements, like marching band; it might be worthwhile to fix up to use for that purpose.  You probably want to get an estimate on repairs and then decide.  

I made one into a lamp (it was in bad shape), and they make a nice decoration that way.