Klarinet Archive - Posting 000512.txt from 1995/12

From: tom.spence@-----.COM
Subj: Re: Clarinet Cracks Revisited
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 13:42:31 -0500

CLARK FOBES <reedman@-----.COM> Wrote:
|
| This subject has come up before, but I thought I
| might throw some
| ideas out again.
|
| Buffet, Selmer, Leblanc and Yamaha all have some type
| of crack
| warranty. This usually involves replacing the joint
| rather than pinning
| it. I have been a Buffet dealer for 5 years and have
| always advised
| against replacing a cracked joint. In fact, the
| replacement and
| repadding of a "free" joint is more expensive than just
| pinning the
| instrument. Typically the cracks I see require 2 or 3
| pins. I charge
| $35 per pin. A new joint involves transferring and
| refitting keys and
| repadding. Add in the cost of shipping back and forth to
| Buffet and you
| are at about $150.
|
| But the least desirable aspect of replacing a joint
| is the
| overwhelming possibiltiy that you will end up with a
| mis-matched upper
| and lower joint. The few times that customers have
| insisted on joint
| replacement I have been disappointed with the acoustical
| change in the instrument.
|
| A crack in a clarinet does not necessarily decrease
| it's value if
| the repair is done correctly. And pins in the clarinet
| emphatically DO
| NOT change the playing characteristics. Granted, there
| are only a
| handful of people in this country that are truly
| qualified do make this
| kind of repair, but with the efficiency of 2nd Day air
| shippers it is
| not a problem to get instruments to the qualified repair
| person.
|
|
|
| Clark W Fobes
|
Casey Burns in his article on flute cracks (see Lark in the Morning)
suggests gluing instead of pinning. Is this blasphemy or is there a
difference between cracks in flutes and cracks in clarinets?