Klarinet Archive - Posting 000716.txt from 1996/04

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: A Question
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 1996 23:12:10 -0400

Abby,
You stated that you've had wrist problems. In that case, DON'T
FORGET TO GET AN ADJUSTABLE THUMB REST WITH THE NEW CLARINET!!!!!!!!!!
You can also buy it separately from the clarinet. Your wrist will thank
you. Incidentally, fixing that cracked tenon part is a really simple
thing for any good repairman and takes only a few minutes with some
industrial-strength epoxy (essentially extra-strong "crazy glue"). And I've
never heard of this wood getting "saturated". Grenadilla is extremely dense
and it is very difficult to saturate. After all, it has no problem with
hours and hours of condensation on it. I wonder what your teacher meant.
Whatever clarinet you buy, I strongly recommend you try it first. There
are lousy Selmers and Leblancs just as there are bad Buffets. I think
that the ones you tried and hated, however, were in very bad condition,
which is not surprising for Buffets. They are notorious for being is very
bad condition by the time they reach the show rooms. The are, though,
wonderful horns. Don't write them off because of a few badly adjusted
ones. When I worked at Russianoff Winds, a now-defunct store specializing
in clarinets, we would usually have to do adjustments on at least 10% of the
new Buffets we got in, just to make them playable. Often the ones which
played the worst turned out to be among the best ones when put in proper
working order.

Fred Jacobowitz
Clarinet/Sax Instructor, Peabody Preparatory

On Wed, 24 Apr 1996, Bob Kreisa wrote:

> Hey all! My clarinet (my dear, precious, beloved Noblet) fell out of
> its case on the sidewalk in front of school the other day, and the cork
> and wood on the top joint tenon chipped off (only part of it). Anyway,
> my teacher told me today that the wood could get saturated and that it
> needed to be fixed immediately. I have State SoloEnsemble a week from
> Saturday, and the music store might not be able to fix it that fast.
> Anyhoo, my mom said that maybe we'll go clarinet shopping on Saturday
> (silver lining, anyone?), and my little sister can have my old one once
> it's fixed (it may be a very costly repair, though, so who knows...).
>
> So--my point is: What's a good clarinet to buy? I'm a very serious HS
> freshman. Please don't say Buffet R-13: tried several, hated them all.
> Are there any that are lighter in weight? I've had problems with my
> right wrist, so it is a concern. I played a Yamaha and I really liked it,
> but I'm not sure where they're available around here. (central
> Wisconsin) BTW, where is a good music store to buy from in Wisconsin?
> Well, gotta go. Thanks and buh-bye!
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Abby Kreisa
> bkreisa@-----.edu
>