Klarinet Archive - Posting 000311.txt from 1996/07

From: Ian Dilley <imd@-----.UK>
Subj: Novel Dutch Pads
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 13:17:53 -0400

I've just got back from the North Sea Jazz festival in Holland. On a stand
at the festival a Dutch firm was demonstrating some new pads for clarinets
and saxophones. I thought some of you might find this interesting.

I've got a sample of one of these things so I'll try to describe it.

In the centre there is a thin metal disk which is about 1/16" smaller than
the total diameter of the pad. On one side of this disk there is a flat
piece of black rubbery plastic. This is the side that closes the tone
hole. On the other side is a red piece of rubbery plastic which is a
little bit stiffer than the black stuff. This piece is slightly thicker in
the middle than at the edges. Stuck in the middle of this is a little
metal disk about 1/4" diameter (the entire pad is about 3/4" diameter - too
big for a clarinet).

The pad is mounted in the cup only by the little button on the back. The
claim is that the pads can't go out of alignment because they adjust
themselves with very light finger pressure.

On saxophones they also stick a metal "resonator" disk onto the front of
the pad which is almost as big as the tone hole. On bass clarinets the use
a wooden disk.

Now for the wierd bit -- These guys had saxophones where they had removed
the cups that hold the pads and just stuck the pad to the end of the key!
They say that this reduces the key weight allowing the springs to be
adjusted lighter thus making the action lighter and faster. Anyone fancy
having bits cut off their clarinet keys?