Klarinet Archive - Posting 000069.txt from 2003/12

From: "CLARK FOBES {USER_LASTNAME}" <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Register tubes
Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2003 11:58:47 -0500

I have always felt that the register tubes for Buffet R-13 A clarinets are a
little too long. They are very different in design from Bb tubes.

When I was selling Buffet clarinets I would reduce the length of the A tubes
by .020" (.5mm). This had the positive effect of freeing up the restricted
"A" in the upper register of the top joint and significantly raising the
pitch of the throat Bb which tends to be low on most R-13 A clarinets. The
negative effects are an increased twelfth in the top joint and slightly less
focus in the lower joint clarion tones.

I did a lot of experimenting with register tube shape for about a year and
came to the conclusion that with the exception of the A tube length ,
Buffet has done a good job with their set of compromises.

That being said, I believe that Buffet R-13 A clarinets in general have
acoustic problems that should be resolved. I have mentioned this to both
Francois Kloc and Eric Barre and their response was - Try the Festival!

My assumption is that the Festival is an R-13 with some modifications. (The
position of the register vent is higher by about 2mm, for one) At one point
I did purchase a Festival A clarinet. It was a spectacular horn with one
glaring exception - the low E was EXTREMELY flat which rendered the
instrument completely unuseable in a professional context. This was about 10
years ago and perhaps they have corrected this.

Clark W Fobes (retired "techie")

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