A Silva-Bet

Happy Holidays!

So I got a Silva-Bet.

I really need to get out of rescue mode. This poor thing was donated from a school music program (there are two sets of initials gouged into the plating on the bell; one on the inside, one on the top rim). The bell is also uneven in an oddly even way, allowing it to remain balanced while swaying gently like a rocking chair when set standing upright on a known flat surface. Two pads were installed so roughly there is shellac on the pads and the cup rims. Not going to discuss the plating, or the repair to the once-broken key... The case is a mess, but somehow it still has 98% of the original equipment - with the Bettoney-marked reed case, cap, ligature, and cork grease container, (bright.green.grease. >>eeewwww). There is even a foil "Silva-Bet" logo on the inside lining. Only the paperwork and the original mouthpiece are missing.

It has a lot of small leaks, but it still plays. The mouthpiece it came with is wood, so not usable. I tried all of my mouthpieces, and wouldn't you guess, it picks the one I never have liked much - the Vandoren B45. I'll give it a good bath, maybe a spa day, and some new nice pads.