Klarinet Archive - Posting 000698.txt from 2003/04

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Necks and barrels
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:40:34 -0400

In a message dated 4/18/2003 9:22:39 AM Eastern Standard Time, gkidder@-----.org writes:

> We have had a lot of discussion recently about the influence of minute variations in the diameter and shape of barrels on the sound quality and intonation, all related to the soprano clarinet. Walter Grabner says 0.01 mm can be important in a soprano clarinet barrel, although I don't know how he could measure this without a microscope.>>

I use a Vernier caliper, which is accurate to .01 mm. In this line of work, if you can't be accurate to .01 mm. forget it!

> a barrel with a different twist, so to speak - the neck on a bass clarinet which roughly occupies the position of the barrel on a soprano clarinet.>>

As far as I know, there has been VERY little research on necks. Charles Bay makes replacement necks, some of them VERY EXCELLENT, so maybe he has. I doubt he'll share his measurements here, however.

There are necks, and necks, Mike Lowenstern has been quoted as saying one should try as many necks as possible, some are very good, some are quite bad. How to do this, unless you visit the factory, is quite a question in my mind.

Walter

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