Vintage Noblet
How much to restore a Vintage Noblet French Metal Clarinet?
Finding a tech who will do it will be your first problem. Getting parts for one of those is a real problem. But, for all real purposes it is repaired just like a hybrid between a clarinet and a soprano sax.
A full repad, corking, adjustment done keys-off will run you over $150. Then, it’s a matter of how much metal work is needed, whether it’s solid metal or plated, and whether it needs to be replated. A simple buff and clean wouldn’t be too bad (maybe another $50 on the repad) but dent work on something small gets costly because it takes a lot of time. Refinishing the metal such as replating will be the most costly – easily $200 or more.
Full overhaul – about $350
But, this is an area where price depends on the quality/reputation of the repair tech too. You could probably find someone out there to do it “playing condition” for about $150 and someone else who will make it factory fresh and showroom quality with 100% original specs for about $1000
The issue then is that you have a lot of money into an instrument that probably isn’t worth all that much. With very few exceptions, metal clarinets are cheap. The metal Noblet Paris was a real good instrument in its day but it doesn’t bring top dollar on the resale market. It’s more of a curiosity to hang on the wall these days. [note: some were .90 silver and these are heavy. The silver scrap value is much higher on those than the musical instrument value]
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