Boosey & Hawkes Imperial E Flat Clarinet
This is an excellent condition Boosey and Hawkes Imperial, Eb Clarinet in Grenadilla wood, which is a commission sale for Clarinets Direct This Eb has an impressive Provenance, as it was this Eb that Max Benn used in the Halle Orchestra, as co-Principal and Eb clarinettist, until his retirement in 1998 .
The Silver plated key work shows no wear, it is in excellent condition throughout. There are no cracks or repairs to the wood, which is in pristine condition. though the thumb rest has been re-positioned higher and the old screw oles have been filled. The instrument has tan leather pads throughout, which are all in very good condition, with hardly any wear. The serial nos. are 310827, which dates to the early 1970's. The mouthpiece is a B&H original, aBM2, which was re-layed by Brian Manton-Myatt around 1973. Manton-Myatt had a long and distinguished career with B&H, and was responsible for fine tuning and finishing many of their top professional models. It plays comfortably with Vandoren No. 3 or 3.5 reeds. In summation this Eb plays with a mellow, broad sound, and with excellent intonation.