Klarinet Archive - Posting 000693.txt from 2002/01

From: "Alan Woodcock" <alan.woodcock@-----.fr>
Subj: Re: [kl] Gap in tenon socket between upper and lower joint
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 11:29:24 -0500

Do you all really believe that each clarinet is individually machined by
human beings ? I was lucky enough to visit Buffet's factory last spring.
Human intervention is limited to putting wooden blanks into the automatic
lathe. 5 seconds and another clarinet is born.

The real labour-intensive part is the production of the keys. I thought
they were die-cast or drop-forged as a unit. No ! They are assembled from
lots of little components - the pad-holder, the lever, the touch-piece, the
axle-bearing - individually soldered together by specialists. Crazy !

A fascinating example of mass-production. Are you disappointed ? But how
else to assuage the world's hunger for R-13s ?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gene Nibbelin" <gnibbelin@-----.com>
Subject: RE: [kl] Gap in tenon socket between upper and lower joint

> Ed -
>
> That horn must have been machined on a Monday. (Weekend hangover
syndrome.)
> My horns must have been done on a Wednesday. Going to dig out and measure
> my old Selmer A and Dubois Bb horns. The Selmer is circa 1930 and is
> pitched at 444 and is a really out of tune horn. The Dubois is reportedly
a
> Buffet second retailed under the Dubois label. Will be interesting.
>
> Regards,
>
> Gene Nibbelin
>
>

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

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org