F A Uebel Bass Clarinet, Tony Coe Collection
This is a very good condition, rare, handmade Bass clarinet in wood, to low C, stamped "F Arthur Uebel Markneukirchen ". This clarinet is a commission sale for Clarinets Direct, having been owned from new by Tony Coe. He was probably one of the most successful Jazz clarinettists of his generation, and was a member of many bands including Humphrey Lyttleton's and John Dankworth's. The F A Uebel design of Boehm system Bass clarinet differs radically from that of the major French manufacturers' in that it is basically a much smaller bore instrument, 20mm rather than 23mm bore, which is closer to the regular Bb clarinet in tone and ease of response. The tone has a lovely warmth and focus, a quintessential German sound. If you are looking for a superbly even, well tuned instrument, capable of rapid passage work, and also long phrases, then this is the Bass for you.
This instrument is in very good condition: There are no cracks to the wood , apart from one minor chip to the bell rim, see photo 8. The silver plated key work is pristine throughout. NB the top locking screw has been replaced by a standard threaded screw, there are also several small dings to the top of the crook. The Uebel design has small grub screws attached to every pillar to ensure maximum efficiency, and lack of movement on every rod. Consequently the regulation and positive feel of the complex mechanism is second to none. The quality of the key work and plating is also superior to current mass produced French design. NB. With the Uebel design, the double overblowing vent is actuated by the mechanism for the C/G LH3 touchpiece. Therefore, unlike wider bore French Bass clarinet designs, there is no need for a double correspondence mechanism across both main joints. The supplied mouthpiece, is by Edward Pillinger which accepts standard Alto sax reeds. The Bass has just had a full overhaul in fish skin pads and is sold with our 1 year warranty. The matching serial nos. on both main joints are 950-7202. I understand that the first two digits of the longer number, are, in fact, the year of manufacture: 1972. The original case shows some wear to the interior and exterior but is fully functional.