I have one of these guys. It’s a Bb clarinet made of metal. Silver in colour (perhaps nickel over brass?). I’m told by the tech who rebuilt it the age is around 1940-45. It says it is made by the Ohio Band Instrument Company.
That’s about all I can find out about the bugger. That and they sell on the cheap because most are crap players and end up as lamps. (I’ll say mine is fine. It plays better then my student Vito and looks 10 times better.)
Whenever people see mine I’m bombarded by questions about it. Sadly I have no answers.
Is this made by another company with Ohio Band stamped on the bell? Has anyone heard of these before? Any idea on where to nail down its real age? Any info at all? I seem to have come to a dead end finding out more on the thing.
Well, I’m no expert, but I’m home sick and have plenty of time for Googling, which has led me to these observations:
There are a number of Ohio Band Instrument Co. brass & woodwinds listed on the web, either for sale or in collections. All are student models, and bear the names “Regent,” “Paramount,” or “Roth.”
At least one person thinks the OBIC name was made by H.N. White or F.A. Reynolds, both Cleveland intrument makers of great note. White sold student models under the name “Cleveland Instrument Co.” Their first line of professional instruments was called “King.” A lter professional line was called “Super.”
Reynolds, who worked for White (as well as Olds, and other instrument makers), was in business for himself from 1936-1947. He then sold the business to Roth.
It seems likely that OBIC was the student brand of F.A. Reynolds. Reynolds is known to have produced instruments bearing the “Roth-Reynolds” engraving, and the names “Regent” and “Paramount” are too similar to “King” and “Super” to have been anything but direct comparisons to those H.N. White lines.