Klarinet Archive - Posting 000666.txt from 2002/01

From: "James and Diane Snell" <janddsnell@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Gaps in Clarinets
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 11:56:00 -0500

The discussion sent me to my 1951 R-13 to check the gaps. They seem good.
The top section top tenon joint even showed a very slight sliver of light
when held up to a lamp. So, I assume that at that time, at least, Buffet
was milling the joints more precisely... or that I just happened to get one
of the tight joints from the same sort of variance as prevailed later.

But an even more interesting thing was discovered in my fooling around. I
gave my old barrel my little pinky test, absent-mindedly, and was amazed to
notice that there was clearly a reverse cone in it. This is not a later
barrel! It was my well-remembered barrel with the shrunken wood pulling
away from the ring in the top tenon joint. There is no possibility of my
having exchanged it for another clarinet's barrel at some later time. Could
Moennig have already, in 1951, convinced Buffet to make their barrels with a
reverse cone? Could they have done it on an experimental basis during these
early Caree years and then later decided to stop? This was a stock clarinet
ordered through a cow-town music store. It had to be a regular-run clarinet
untouched by a repairman. I doubt that any later repairman would have done
this without consulting me (or charging me).

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