Albert system clarinet made in the Soviet Union
Low pitch, Bb-flat
According to the seller in Ukraine, this clarinet was manufactured on Kyiv Musical Instrument Factory. It has a year stamped on, 1973, which means that it was manufactured under the direction of the USSR. That’s all I know about the origins of the clarinet.
Every part of this clarinet seems to be original. The body is hard rubber. The bell, barrel, and mouthpiece are pure plastic of some kind. I believe so because the shapes of the barrel and bell are different from anything I have seen on western clarinets and the fact that there is limited space between the tenons and sockets. only 0,2 mm, so I had to use thread instead of cork. The word ‘Leningrad’ is stamped on the mouthpiece in Cyrillic letters.
The clarinet is 59,50 cm long from top of the barrel to bottom of the bell. The bore is 14,80 mm and the total weight is 654 grams. Pitches in A=440.
All new leather pads and new corks throughout the clarinet, tenons are threaded.
All the keys have been cleaned and bent back in positions. Springs, rods, and screws were cleaned from rust and subsequently lubricated and adjusted. Some swedged to fit.
The clarinet is play tested with a Vandoren B40 mouthpiece.
This Albert clarinet from the USSR is clearly not a professional instrument. At least not according to Western standards. It bears the mark of being made a little discount-like, not the best finish on the key work. I had to file a bit to get optimal pitches, and stretch some hinge tubes that were made too short. The clarinet is now definitely slightly better than when it left the factory.
I would think it was produced as a student instrument.
But interesting to see what they manufactured behind the Iron Curtain.
The clarinet comes in this case:
The price is DKK 1.200,- (EUR 165,-) plus shipping.
Don’t hesitate to contact me if You are interested or have any questions.
– And please remember I’m not a professional repairman. If there are issues I can’t handle, I take it to a professional.
The Albert clarinet USSR is sold as it is, no guarantee or money back.
Sometimes I have other clarinets for sale. Check it out here:
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