Klarinet Archive - Posting 000792.txt from 2003/09

From: "Keith" <100012.1302@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinet Overhaul Hell: Thomas Ohme - The Woodwind Shop
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 19:16:21 -0400

Michael,

What a tale out of hell, but at least you got there.

I played Uebel basset horns in 1994, when my university rented a pair =
for
several weeks (and when I fell in love with the instrument). They are =
very
nice instruments, even though they are medium bore. However I don't =
think
the quality control was all that good, since the two (new) instruments =
were
very different in behaviour, and I don't think it was more than key
adjustment. I wasn't a basset horn player at the time either but it did =
not
take long to become one. The mouthpieces were OK.

So they still made basset horns at the time of your purchase. A few =
years
later they stopped making Boehm system basset horns, but continued =
making
German system ones (and still do - http://www.f-arthur-uebel.de/).

I now prefer my Fox bassethorn, but if you ever want to sell your Uebel
bass, let me know! They have a beautiful sound, especially in the upper
register (and yes, very different from Selmer), and I am thinking of =
getting
a German bass for the sound quality.

Best wishes

Keith

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

Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 20:13:41 +0100
From: "Michael Bryant" <michael@-----.uk>
Subject: Re: [kl] Clarinet Overhaul Hell: Thomas Ohme - The Woodwind =
Shop
Message-ID: <33c901c386bd$fc1ce980$bbb0dec2@oemcomputer>

>This is a caveat emptor story of a basset horn
'crook', when I was naive and foolish enough
to trust one of the big stores.

>In 1991, I bought a new Boehm system Uebel
basset horn with a wooden bell from a general
wind instrument dealer in the UK. It was a fateful day.

>I had tried to find a used basset horn without success over a period of
about a year. Many of the instruments offered were seriously defective,
which did not seem to be reflected in the asking price. It was reported =
(I
do not know to this day how accurately) that Uebel had stopped making =
basset
horns. A Leblanc was offered, but I did not want a wide bore instrument.
Buffet was not recommended at that time. Selmer commanded a higher =
price.

>I had not done this scale of business with this dealer
before. There was no quality control, but I did
not know it. The instrument was in fact unusable.
They told me that basically I was not a basset horn
expert and if I could not play it, it was my problem.
The unique Uebel mouthpiece was poorly finished and not
really playable. The crook delivered the mouthpiece
to the player like a saxophone and when I asked
about altering its angle to make it more like a clarinet, making the =
high
notes more controllable, I was told that it was possible, as they had =
done
it before. I paid for it, as requested, in advance. It turned out not to =
be
possible, and the crook was destroyed in the process. The bore of the
replacement crook (made from brass instrument tubing) supplied by the
subcontractor, some time much later, did not have the correct bore
dimensions. When they called me to collect the finished instrument I was
unaware of this. So were they. It connected the mouthpiece to the
instrument, but that was all!

>I checked the tuning and found that it played about 1/4 tone flat at =
the
top and 1/4 sharp at the bottom. I remembered that I was not an =
experience
basset horn player, etc, etc. Perhaps I would master it, one day. The
instrument was already paid for in full, and it was not suitable for the
purpose. They did not have another instrument like it, refused to repair =
it,
but offered to buy it back; result, no basset horn, and no compensation.

>It was to be a steep learning curve, but if I was to succeed
I would have to research and fund it myself, finding elsewhere the =
necessary
advice, experience, expertise, and a suppliers of suitable tubing (in
France) of the correct type and bore. I found that there were only two =
such
experts in the country.

>By appointment I took the instrument to the workshop and stayed on site =
for
half a day to do interim tests. The first replacement crook played in =
tune
but looked like a piece of plumbing. It proved that the correct bore and
other dimensions had been found. The second attempt looked beautiful but
played out of tune and the third attempt had the desired combination of =
good
tuning and looks. It was then plated. Later the instrument's keys were
checked and adjusted and some pads replaced. Blu-tac was placed in some =
of
the open holes to raise or lower the pitch of obstinate notes. It was
recommended that I should have the mouthpiece measured and a new one =
made.
The measurements taken by the maker were wrong. The new mouthpiece (50 =
UKP)
made the instrument play out of tune with itself, especially around the
throat notes. The old mouthpiece was eventually examined and found to be
relayable. This second operation was a success. These steps took not =
months,
but years. I have independent confirmation from another player, with =
Uebel
basset experience, that this instrument is now about as good as it is =
ever
likely to get.

>I would like to pay tribute to the skill and patience of all the =
experts
and who helped in this extended recovery task, despite their reluctance =
to
became involved in such a scandalous case. It taught me a major lesson, =
to
stay away from organisations, where the company ethos encourages the =
staff
to take an interested only in the receipt of the customer's money. =
After
playing for 40 years or so, it remains my worst clarinet=20
disaster.

>Subsequently I bought two bass clarinets privately (a Selmer and an =
Uebel,
which are remarkably different in character), with some success.

>MB

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