[Ambaryerno]

So, I just picked up what I THINK is a Great Neck Tonalin Clarinet (thanks Brilhart for not stamping Great Neck on there to make it clearer ).

It has the ligature line and large Old Fashioned font, with serial range of 52XXX. While that could put it in both Great Neck and Mineola, the tip size (4) is stamped on the table. As I understand it from Theo Wanne's page, only the earliest pieces had the tip on the table before it was moved to the back. However no one seems to really have a proper chart of S/N ranges for clarinet Brillys like there are for alto/tenor.

What do you think is the verdict? The post-Selmer pieces had the ligature line again, but those used the small Arial font with the date as the S/N. Huntington era removed the ligature line, so I think it HAS to either be a Great Neck or Mineola. But the Mineola's never had the tip opening on the table. That would make it an early Great Neck, but the S/N would seem rather high to be such an early model, unless Brilhart simply made substantially more Tonalin clarinet pieces than the other types.

 

[ZootTheSim]

Great find! How's it play? I have a Great Neck Tonalin for alto (SN 383XX) that's pretty nice, if a bit closed for me, and recently scored a very open NOS red Runyon 22 clarinet piece that plays well and beats out my M30 for intonation.

 

[Ambaryerno]

I haven't had a chance to try it out, yet, but I will tonight. I do have a Great Neck Tonalin for my alto and love it (I'm still disappointed they never made one for soprano) which is why I wanted one for clarinet (I already had a later Brilly, looks like a pre-Selmer Carlsbad, but I saw this one and had to go for it).

 

[ZootTheSim]

Cool, hope it works out. I do like my Tonalin, but play a 6 alto these days, so it rarely leaves the drawer. I should probably just sell it and use the proceeds for a Portnoy BP03 or Morgan J6.

 

[Ambaryerno]

Played around with it a bit tonight. I don't know what it is about Brilharts, but those Great Necks can REALLY bend a pitch. My alto piece is the same way.

 

[sandster]

I have a similar clarinet piece with the S.N. 27049. It’s a 4. Plays really well, altho’ in order to play high “A”, I need to put a 3 reed on rather than a 2 1/2. Is this a vintage piece?

 

[Reet McVouty]

Look's like Woody was a Tonalin man too ...

 

[Ambaryerno]

I have a similar clarinet piece with the S.N. 27049. It's a 4. Plays really well, altho' in order to play high "A", I need to put a 3 reed on rather than a 2 1/2. Is this a vintage piece?

Yes, definitely vintage. No one seems to have a full chart of the clarinet S/N, but it would have to be sometime between 1942-1946. Since the facing is stamped on the table rather than the back I'm guessing towards the earlier end.