Klarinet Archive - Posting 001231.txt from 1998/05

From: "Mark A. Bradley" <markb@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re:Selmer Signet
Date: Sun, 24 May 1998 20:55:19 -0400

Hello to all.

This Memorial Day weekend I went marching in the parade and used my old
resonite clarinet instead of the wooden, as not to damage it. The
resonite is a Selmer Signet and the wooden one is a Buffet E-11. With
my Vandoren M13, the Selmer sounded very good, and sound was produced
clearer and easier than on the E-11 (I guess "brighter" would be a good
word). The only thing I did not like was the key mechanics, which
seemed of lower quality than the E-11.

Can someone try to compare the Signet model and the E-11, if they have
tried both? I am letting my teacher borrow the Selmer because our
school hasn't any other good clarinets, but if I needed to sell it, what
do you all think I could get for it? It is in excellent condition, all
pads are in good working order, and most of the springs and mechanics
are fine. It is probably nearing 10 years old (I bought it used 6 years
ago--my first clarinet). Does anyone have the specifics of this model,
like key material and bore size?

One last thing...I have noticed on my E-11 that the corks have become
loose, and that some of the joints, most noticably the barrel/upper
joint and the middle joint, are able to move *ever* so slightly. Could
this be the cause of some of the "interference" that seems to be
lowering tonal quality? I believe my mouthpiece (Vand. M13) is .001 off
of the bore of the E-11, so would that be a cause? What other effects
could the cork and slight bore difference have, in the short and long
run? It might be the reed, but it sounded pretty good on the Signet.

My instructor decided not to repair such a new and expensive model ($500
is a lot for someone like me). The clarinet is a little more than a
year old. Should I have my instructor repair the loose corks, or should
I take it to a shop? The disadvantage is that my instructor will do it
for free, while a shop would charge, although the chance for error would
be small. This is only cork replacement we're talking about, though.
Also, how can I avoid wearing down the corks so much? I have followed
the rule of using only enough cork grease to make it moist, nothing
more, nothing less. I think I may not have used enough on the barrel
joint, though.

Sorry for such a lengthy message, but I appreciate any help you all
might be able to give me.
Mark A. Bradley
markb@-----.com
http://www.slic.com/bradley/index.html
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"If at first you don't succeed, parachuting is not your sport."
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