Klarinet Archive - Posting 000939.txt from 1998/07

From: "Brent Eresman" <Beresman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: Undercutting/ tape in tone holes
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 10:25:57 -0400

Stan Elias wrote:
>
> I was in the market for an A clarinet a few years ago and I was offered an R-13,
> ostensibly played professionally, and when I looked down the bore there appeared
> to be small strips of tape coming out of the tone holes and running lengthwise up
> or down the bore for a fraction of an inch. The seller told me that the tape was
> part of an adjustment scheme by which each note is tuned for tone and intonation.
> The system, he said, involves not only undercutting the tone holes, but using the
> tape to effectively move them up or down the bore as needed. Can anyone further
> enlighten me or was this guy selling smoke? (I didn't buy the horn.) TIA
> Stan Elias
>
I own an R13 from the '60s which was "gone over" by (Hans?) Moennig.
Many of the tone holes have tape in them forming a half-circle either
at the top or bottom, which presumably raises or lowers the position
of the tone hole and changes the pitch slightly (my guess, not an
authoritative statement). None of these pieces of tape, however, go
into the bore of the instrument.

Brent Eresman
beresman@-----.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------