Old Dolmetsch 'School' recorders.The Old Dolmetsch Plastic Descant (ABS).
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The Old Dolmetsch Plastic Tenor (ABS).
The 'EMI' branded model is the same and accepts the same spare parts.
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The keys are fitted to a 'saddle'. This should have two little 'fingers' that act as springs. These should be checked for cracks before any keys are ordered. Check also for a gap between the underside of the finger and the saddle. (Prolonged storage under pressure may permanently close this small gap and prevent the finger from working as a spring.) I have the 'saddles' and pads as well as a quantity black keys that will fit all. The keys come complete with pad. I have a very few screws (foc) if yours is missing. (Other small self tapping screws will do.) Each part is £2.50. (I have spare pads at £0.50 each.) Do not discard a broken saddle. I have new ones but the steel rod in the saddle is not available separately and the saddles do not come with one. However, it is an easy job to take the rod from a broken saddle and fit it to a new one. The rod is 12.7mm long and 1.58mm in diameter. These dimensions are not so strange when you remember that these recorders are about 50 years old and were made in the UK. The 'Imperial' size is 1/2 x 1/16 inch. The diameter is critical. Too small and it will fall out and not hold the keys. Too big and it will not go through the holes. If you enlarge them, to make a larger rod fit, a rod that is too large will break the keys. Please contact me, john@saundersrecorders.com confirming that you have read this page, if you need any of these parts. |
An Old Dolmetsch Plastic Treble (ABS). | |
The first 'Dolmetsch' mass produced trebles were made of bakelite, a very hard and heavy moulding material, in the 1940's. Many of these recorders survive despite being brittle and are still used by aficionados. There were different versions and the first were the best. (That's progress for you!) Later, ABS, plastic trebles similar to the descant and tenor illustrated above became available. When production ceased they were replaced for a short time by the model illustrated on the left, which came from Israel. These were nice instruments with 'soloist' tone. (Similar recorders branded 'Ariel', the factory's brand, were available at the same time.) As ever, quality control became a problem and this model soon disappeared. Its (Korean) replacement was the 'Nova' treble. | |