Klarinet Archive - Posting 000402.txt from 1994/02

From: Karen Noel-Bentley <karennb@-----.CA>
Subj: Re: Pad stuff
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 1994 22:17:29 -0500

On Sat, 26 Feb 1994, Jordan Selburn wrote:

> Last note: some of the new top of the line instruments have resonators on
> the pads as do saxes. Any opinions on retro-fitting with those?

My set of Leblanc Opuses has these resonators. I asked the top repairman
in Vancouver about them, and he says that they don't improve (or hurt) the
sound; Leblanc put them on this model simply to do something different, to
make the Opus more special. I don't know if this is a fact, but he does
know what he's talking about.

Regarding Valentino pads, apparently they're difficult to install. Could
this be why some repairmen don't like them? When Tom Ridenour customized
my A Leblanc, he glued created hybrid pads, combining cork and tan
Valentinos. The cork is on the bottom, I suppose to make them easier to
install, and the Valentino material is on top, to do the sealing. I
haven't had any problems with them, but the local repairman feels that
this combination is unnecessary. A good repairman shouldn't have any
problem installing Valentinos.

Does anyone know the difference between the colours of Valentino pads? I
think the black ones are softer than the white ones, and tend to lose
their shape.

Karen