I bought a b&h clarinet for my wife for christmas i need a little more info on i

Question:the clarinet says boosey and hawkes london series 2-20 and the serial number is 242701
i dont know anything about woodwinds, i think it needs a reed or something, but what kind of reed? is there like a part number for it or something?how much do reeds cost?how much is the clarinet worth? what kind is it ? and is it half decent or is it a junker? any thing you can tell me about it will help me out as i am clueless about itand i just want to give my wife a good present thankyou

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: the clarinet says boosey and hawkes london series 2-20 and the serial number is 242701
i dont know anything about woodwinds, i think it needs a reed or something, but what kind of reed? is there like a part number for it or something?how much do reeds cost?how much is the clarinet worth? what kind is it ? and is it half decent or is it a junker? any thing you can tell me about it will help me out as i am clueless about itand i just want to give my wife a good present thankyou

I had no idea that Boosey & Hawkes made clarinets! They're a big sheet music publishing company, so this makes me think the clarinet is probably a bit of a junker:( I could be completely wrong, when I have time I'll research it a little more and give you a better answer.

Secondly, reed qualities vary from brand to brand. I've she's a new clarinet player, I would recommend buying her Rico reeds at a 2.5 strength (why? because Rico standard reeds are very soft and your wife is an adult, meaning she will have a stronger embouchure, even with no experience. I suggest no lower than 2 because it will be way too weak for an adult) simply until she gets used to playing them, and then move her to Vandoren (2 strength) or La Voz (med. strength). Prices vary from brand to brand as well. The average price of a box of reeds for Rico are around $25 for a box of 20. For Vandoren, maybe $30. Stores charge differently as well, depending on whether they charge you list price or retail price.

Lastly, some other things I recommend you have if you don't already...
Rovner or Luyben ligature
Cleaning swab and sani-spray
If she's teaching herself to play, she needs a basic method book--some suggestions: Rubank, Pare, Essential Elements, Standards of Excellence, etc.
Cork grease

I'll come back later today and edit a little more for you.

EDIT:
I haven't been able to find your instrument's serial number. Boosey & Hawkes manufactured instruments overseas before they became a publishing company and have a rich history of distributing famous instruments such as Buffet, Denis Wick, and sold lots of sheet music and sponsored many prestigious composers like Aaron Copland and Leonard Berstein. Buffet worked under Boosey & Hawkes until the 2000s, so it's entirely possible the clarinet is decent only if it was made while Boosey & Hawkes owned Buffet (between 1981-2003).

However, after about 1970, their financial struggles in the past due to poor management caused them to scale down to focus on publishing music instead of instruments.

Unless the serial number you listed in incorrect, it could be likely that the instrument was flawed and sold to a store where they stamped their own serial number on it. When I saw other serial numbers starting with "24----," they dated from 1920-1935.

I suggest you take it to a music shop to get more details on it. Without pictures, it's hard for me to tell you anything about it's quality than what I find online.

No idea myself but you can go to a local music store and they'll be more than happy to set you up.

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews12124...
Full review by
waybackintolove
on 10th Mar 2007

User Rating : 9
Respect : 0
Good Points: It's a standard clarinet that has taken me up to grade 6. It has good sound quality and is perfect for anyone wanting to take up the clarinet.

Bad Points: It's not available first hand. It's hard to get a good mouthpiece for it because it's so old. It won't take you much further than grade 5/6, but it's only a standard clarinet so what else can you expect?

General comments: It's a great clarinet for beginners, and I really enjoyed playing it. I can't really compare it to other clarinets, because I haven't really played many and I've been playing it for six years so any other clarinet would feel a bit strange to me.

No offense, but kind of silly to buy something if you don't know what it's worth or if it's a good instrument or not.

Boosey and Hawkes first started making clarinets in 1891 with the serial number of 10948 and the last was made in 1934 with a serial number of 30981. They have a good reputation. New solid ebony clarinets are very expensive now because of the shortage of suitable wood - grenadilla wood is substituted today. Reeds are readily available at any music shop or on line (www.giardinelli.com) but it might need more work like new cork seals, mouthpiece etc. At least get some cork grease when you get the reeds ( a box of 10 is around $10).

I would value your instrument, if the case is in good condition and the pads are OK to be about $500 to $800.

B and H are usually pretty good Clarinets! You made a good choice! You do need a reed Just go to any music store and ask for a Bb clarinet reed. Get size 1 or 1.5 prob 1.5 is better if you have a choice. Anything stronger like 2.5 will be too strong andf she wont be able to blow. You also need a ligature if you haven't got one already! These hold the reed in place. Reeds are about $2-3 each. But sometimes if you can buy packs on ten they can be cheaper! Clarinet prices depend on how new/ used the instrument is what condition it is in etc! Best thing to go to a music store or specialised woodwind repairer and get it appraised

The link below is interesting. Do a search on that forum for your clarinet.

There are differing opinions, but the feeling seems to be that, though the 2-20s are uneven in quality, the good ones are good. Also that if one is being played so long after it was manufactured, and if the laws of natural selection apply to instruments, then it's probably OK.

Clarinet reeds can be bought from any instrumental shop, usually in boxes of 5 or 10. You can buy singly, if you're not sure what strength she needs. Ask for B-flat clarinet reeds. You don't say if the ball and . . . if the wife has experience. If she does, leave the reeds up to her. Or if you want to have some for Christmas when the shops are closed, get "number 3" reeds, which should be safe. If she has no experience, get some "number 2" reeds.