There is a serial number on the body: 584168. The ligature has FRANCE inscribed on it. On the barrel, there is an appearance of what used to be a BUNDY logo, but it has disappeared other than a slight reminiscence of it.
Conn Pan American
This is from David Mack Endres, [email protected]:
![Clarinet Clarinet](http://i0.wp.com/test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/download.html/1,3559/1967%20R13%20serial%20number%20lower%20joint%20II.jpg?quality=80&strip=all)
![Numbers Numbers](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125860808/184059633.jpg)
I contacted the museum, and was told the following: The instruments in question are actually 'Violin Finish' clarinets manufactured for the Conn Pan American student line. Production started soon after WWII as Conn got it's instrument lines running. They were manufactured from 1947 until 1949 or 1950. Records were destroyed so no serial number information is available. They are indeed a wood laminate. They would have probably been successful but a bad batch of wood was used and they got a reputation for cracking. As a consequence of this bad reputation the line eventually died. I find this striking because I had been informed by a instrument salesman familiar with the line that they had been guaranteed never to crack!
In summary, these 'rosewood' look Pan American clarinets were a brief post war experiment in producing wood laminate clarinets with the durability of plastic (resonite) and an attractive finish. The experiment failed failed, possibly without good reason. I have heard various claims about their desirability as collector items, but the Museum could shed no light on this point.
Personally, I like mine, but not as well as my pre-R13 Buffet. The keywork and intonation are decidedly inferior. The tone is almost as good as the Buffet, though - without entering into mysticism, and without a spectrum analyzer I can say no more about the sound quality. I use it as a spare and when camping. And, I suppose one could claim I'm 'collecting' it.