[Ryan K]

My friend was just given a very old clarinet as a gift from one of our retired music teachers. It is approxomately 40-70 years old, not being played for the past 40 years. We, however have no idea to its quality or model. It says F Barbier, sponsored by Selmer. Its searial number is 32XX. Any information on this old horn would be greatly appreicated.

From what our teacher, Stewart Morgan told him, it was played by a principal of the PSO way back in the day.

Thanks in advance,

Ryan K

 

[Roger Aldridge]

A quick Google search on Barbier Clarinet returns a number of hits. Also, I think it would be helpful to post your question on the woodwind.org clarinet forum. Someone there may be able to give you some historical information about it.

The best thing I can suggest is to find a good clarinet repair tech in your area, have him give your clarinet a check-over, and see what he thinks about the instrument's quality and playability. Checking for cracks and warped bore are key items. It's certainly going to need a major overhaul after not being played for 40 years. The question is whether it's worth the money. Let's hope that the Barbier is a gem waiting to be discovered.

Good luck!

Roger

 

[stevesklar]

I think on the woodwind.org we just went through a F. barbier sponsored by Selmer. It basically was a Selmer Paris instrument. But that was that one, this one could be different. Though if the sn# is a paris sn# it would make sense and it would be very old.