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Cleveland metal clarinet, made by the H. N. White Company

This Cleveland clarinet is brass with silver-plated keys, and it dates from the late 1950s. It looks like it’s made of gold! This instrument was actually marketed as an “intermediate” clarinet. It has only two sections: the body of the instrument and the barrel. Overall, this instrument has a nice, warm tone. It’s biggest weakness is that it is not very even in its tone quality and its response. The Silva-Bet is much smoother. You can listen to the Cleveland clarinet on the Metal Clarinet Test page.

The barrel is “double-walled” and so is the bell of the instrument (see the photo below). The double-walled bell was a feature that H. N. White used on its Silver King clarinets, too, and it was supposed to improve the tone of the instrument.

The engraving on the bell is simple with no decorative markings at all. The brass plating is in excellent condition. For more information on H. N. White clarinets, visit www.hnwhite.com/Clarinets.htm

Further links:
A brief history of metal clarinets
The Metal Clarinet Test
My experiences with metal clarinets
My thoughts and opinions on metal clarinets
The advantages of metal clarinets
More info and pictures of the Silva-Bet used in the recordings