Matched Pair of Howarth & Co. Clarinets
An extremely rare [apparently only 38 clarinets were made] and unusual early pair of Howarth & Co. professional clarinets, which are a commission sale for Clarinets Direct. It is important not to confuse these instruments with later Howarth clarinet manufacture, which was initially overseen by the late Jon Steward, and commenced with his Howarth S1 design. This pair seem to date from the 1950s and feature an unusual type of key work, with tenon rings and bell rim design heavily influenced by Boosey & Hawkes. The bore is very interesting, featuring a large taper through the upper joint. This results in instruments that tune exceptionally well. Both clarinets have just been completely re-padded in tan leather pads. The wood and silver plate condition is excellent throughout. The Bb has matching serial nos. 1168, the A, 1086. The original Howarth m'piece is in excellent condition and, as mentioned previously the tuning is exemplary. NB This pair do not play with modern French bore m'pieces. The supplied double case is a brand new Champion.