Klarinet Archive - Posting 000246.txt from 2003/11

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Bass Clarinet mouthpieces
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 22:07:45 -0500

At 06:00 PM 11/17/2003 -0600, Christy Erickson wrote:
>Bill, I happened to be at the local shop today and mentioned the problem
>with the clarinet. The person at the counter had no clue-he wondered if it
>was a clarinet they've had for over a year but perhaps haven't used yet. He
>said the school bought several last year and to his knowledge, they had not
>purchased any new ones this year. Interestingly, he said they rely on the
>company to make certain the instruments are in working order when they sell
>them. Isn't it standard procedure (or ought to be) for a store to have a
>technician go over a new instrument to make certain everything is in working
>order when they sell it? The shop we have here is NOT good. I caught them
>last year when I borrowed an A clarinet from the local high school that they
>had supposedly "overhauled." The clarinet was in exactly the same shape and
>had the exact same pads it had when I had had problems with it in a previous
>use. The owner was very defensive and rather red-faced to learn that the
>clarinet was being borrowed by a professional player in the community and
>that I knew he hadn't touched it. I can't figure out why the school keeps
>doing business with him but he's the only guy in town. A friend of mine
>(professional oboe player) checked out the school's oboes, which are also
>maintained by the same shop. She informed the band director that the
>problems the students were having were with the instruments-not the players.
>The school sent all of those to another town for repairs and regulation.

There are small stores in nearby towns that do shoddy work, too, but most
of the band directors tell their students NOT to take instruments there and
use us instead. It is convenient for them to do so, since School Services
Reps like myself pick up and deliver the repairs with a one week
turnaround. We should send these other guys all the "First Act"
instruments! (I think they call them that because in a pit orchestra, they
would only LAST through the first act!)

An overhaul, by definition, consists of replacing ALL pads, among other
things. But it sounds like this guy did not even do a "playing condition"
repair! As for the counter person, don't expect them to know anything. If
they do, it is a bonus, but sometimes they do not even play an instrument
themselves! (It's so hard to get good help nowadays!)

> If the clarinet did sit unused for over a year and they gave it to Em
>without checking it out first, I fault the band directors. In either case,
>it's not a good way to encourage their students to play that bass. My
>daughter is VERY careful with her instruments-I'm sure that's one reason
>they entrusted a new instrument to her but I still wouldn't be surprised if
>something got knocked out of whack. The clarinet is bigger than she is and
>a bit hard for her to handle.

And thus accidents do happen, even with the most careful. And the "case
gremlins" will occasionally take perfectly good instruments and wreck them
overnight in the case!

Bill Hausmann
If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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