Klarinet Archive - Posting 000675.txt from 1995/12

From: John Jarvie <j.jarvie@-----.NZ>
Subj: Dan Leeson: dark sounds and all that
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 1995 20:34:55 -0500

On 22/12/95 Nick Shackeltom wrote to Dan Leeson on darker sounds and
clarinet blow-out

Nick,

Your message to Dan touched on a lot of my pet subjects. I thought
about mailing you directly rather than through the listserv. Then I
thought that it might be good to populate the Klarinet mailing list
with a few messages NOT related to Buffet R13s!

The Hawkes/Kell clarinet you mention sounds like one that has been in
an Auckland pawn shop for the last ten years. Do you have a serial
number for comparison?

My own playing started on 1960s Boosey & Hawkes 1010s and later moved
to pre-war ones which I still have. I tried some Peter Eaton Elites
but never liked the sound they produced. I currently am using Yamaha
"German Boehms" which I believe are a lot simpler than your
Wurlitzers. After some time trying to adapt a French boehm mouthpiece
to the Yamahas, I've got to like the German mouthpieces, shoestring
and all. I'm currently using a grenadilla Zinner 3MR.

Anyway, to give a few thoughts on blow-out mostly passed on from
discussions with Peter Eaton - clarinets are particularly prone to
expansion of the upper bore. My B flat pre war 1010 was presumably
manufactured at 0.600 inches or 15.24mm, it now measures 15.30mm at
the top of the upper joint and for at least 50mm into the joint. The
bottom end of the upper joint is close to original specifications. My
Peter Eaton B flat (new in 1987) has expanded from 15.24 to 15.45mm -
I must be lucky that it has not cracked but the intonation has
actually improved! However, my Yamaha B flat has been a constant
15.97 or so since new in 1990.

For you information the pre-war 1010s play remarkably well in tune
with a bored out Hammerschmidt mouthpiece and 1mm tuning ring between
the top joint and the barrel.

Also I see you interests in collecting clarinets. I have a friend
here who is an accomplished clarinettist and retired watchmaker who
has a fine collection of woodwind instruments which have been
meticulously restored. If you like I can put you in touch (he is not
on the Internet). Having free access to a really gifted instrument
repairer is a greater boon than I can convey. He has done wonderful
things to my pre-war 1010 which I had thought to be completely blown
out but is now more than serviceable.

If you hear of any pre-war 1010 B flat clarinets, I would be more than
interested. My own one has a forked B flat and articulated G sharp which makes
it a bit incompatible with my plain Boehm A.

Best regards,

John Jarvie

J.Jarvie@-----.nz