Klarinet Archive - Posting 000514.txt from 2003/10

From: Kenneth Wolman <kenneth.wolman@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] My Saturday education ( was Re: [kl] "Grade" frustrations, et
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 12:48:02 -0400

At 03:17 AM 10/19/2003, you wrote:
>Ken,
>
>Aren't you still in New Jersey?

Just look around you:-).

>Why would you mail your clarinet to Weiner Music when they are
>in Mineola, NY (Long Island)? Just go there. There are also at
>least 5 other places in the area I would have sent you to
>besides Weiner music if you wanted a clarinet barrel, but that's
>another story.

Well any kind of trip requires excessive planning since I also work in
Jersey. But: there IS a solution, see below.

>As far as the Noblet, I think you could get an overhaul by
>Tomoji (from the old Woodwind and Brasswind store in NYC) who

I gather they gave up the storefront. Or had when I was by there last winter.

>attention, considering it isn't a pro instrument. Your Noblet 40
>after a good overhaul will play head and shoulders past a new
>Noblet 40 without the human touch, AND you saved $.

Here is the weird part. I met an honest man. I feel like Demonsthenes.

Via Sue Raycraft, I was put in touch with a man in Matawan, about a
half-hour from where I live, named Michael Ginesi, who has an internet/ebay
presence as musica-ginesius. I brought the instrument to him. He works
out of his basement--private clients plus a lot of school work. Degrees in
both music performance and business. My original interest was in the
Selmer Series 9 he hadn't been able to get rid of on ebay even though his
price started (I don't know where he wanted it to go) at $389. The guy's
got a treasure chest of stuff in overhauled shape: the Selmer, an old
Albert, some odd French marques like Malerne; and a ton of barrels and
mouthpieces.

When I got there I had Car Repair Syndrome: the Noblet barrel went right
on, the Accubore barrel went right on, there was nothing wrong. ??? He
looked. There IS nothing wrong. Except there was so much gunked-on cork
grease--courtesy of the advice from Ardsley Music--that it had turned to
cement. That plus the natural expansion of the wood and no wonder it was
impossible. He got it off with rubbing alcohol. The therapy worked: both
barrels went on and off with no trouble. He has the equipment to sand down
the tenon but there was no need.

He checked over the Noblet and said it's in really good shape, one of the
better "intermediate" horns he's seen, pads and cork okay, springs and
action okay, a good dense grain to the wood, no cracks, no overhaul
needed. The Accubore, however, may be going back to Weiner for refund
anyway. The tech at Weiner was right: it's the wrong barrel for the
instrument. Even though it SAID for Leblanc, Ginesi told me Noblet is NOT
Leblanc and sometimes even Leblanc is not Leblanc: that I have to ask WHICH
Leblanc? Noblet, Concerto, LL, Esprit, Pete Fountain, Opus, etc.,
etc. Nobody has the same dimensions. This, he said, holds for any maker
with more than one model, i.e., all of them. He let me stare down his
magnifier at the meshing of the Accubore to the joint: a mismatch, instant
air resistance. It played better with its own barrel and with a
narrowly-faced mouthpiece. He guessed the bore of the Noblet is about
.581--it did not match up with the barrel. He also said a Buffet-styled
barrel would be better, check ebay for users that aren't losers.

He let me play the Series 9. It's lovely but it did not sound all that
much better than the Noblet. Oh I know it's a better instrument but I
can't hear enough of a difference to justify committing money to it. He
also made suggestions about reeds as an aid to technique--as in try a #3
instead of sticking with #2's. He also personally likes Luries, but the
Vandoren and Rico Royals might work. And there too, something I knew
already: a 3 is not a 3 is not a 3. It becomes experimentation.

He agreed with something you said some time ago--a Selmer HS* does not work
at its best without a Selmer clarinet, I'm not sure I understood his
explanation but it is just not optimized for non-Selmer instruments.

What this education cost me? Nothing. Will I deal with this guy again
when money IS on the line? In a heartbeat.

http://www.clarkwfobes.com/Barrels.html
http://www.chadashclarinet.com/barrel.htm
http://www.clarinetxpress.com/#Barrels
http://www.backunmusical.com/clarinet_barrels.htm

In fact I was going to contact Walter and Clark. I don't know what Backun
charges--the barrels are gorgeous but they scream MONEY
(Morrie??). Chadash?--it never occurred to me to put a Buffet logo on a
Noblet, but I'm not being photographed with it. I DID look on ebay to see
what's used, and there is nothing. It seems nobody hawks used
barrels. Maybe that's just as well.

I'd like to hear from any of the aforementioned gentlemen. Translation: HELP!

>If you need more info, drop me a line...I'm just in the next
>state. (I'm the short guy who you had lunch with in Manhattan 4
>or 5 years ago after we chatted on this list.) Would be glad to
>help.

I know who you are Kelly, believe me! WENDY's by Rockefeller Center. I'm
also the guy who gets into Manhattan anymore only for doctor's appts and to
go to the occasional concert or opera. Everything requires the planning
Patton used to invade Sicily. Aside from that I'm the prisoner of the
Shore-to-Princeton commute:-). See, I avoided saying "Prisoner of New
Jersey" for fear of it being interpreted as what it is, another Jersey joke.

Ken

-------------------------
Kenneth
Wolman http://www.kenwolman.com
http://kenwolman.blogspot.com
"Sometimes the veil between human intelligence and animal intelligence
wears very thin--then one experiences the supreme thrill of keeping a cat,
or perhaps allowing oneself to be owned by a cat."--Catherine Manley

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