Klarinet Archive - Posting 000130.txt from 2004/11

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Re:All of a sudden I have become the local ebay clarinet maven
Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 11:01:14 -0500

In a message dated 11/4/2004 9:15:20 AM Central Standard Time,
forestaten@-----.net writes:
I would assume clarinets this old would probably need to be re-sprung and
probably a lot of other work besides just replacing pads. $400 seems very
inexpensive....reasonable.

WG agrees with Forest.

With any clarinet over 25 to 30 years old, you really have to take a very
careful look at the key posts. In most cases, you have to re-position and
secure several of them them. There are any number of techniques, but it needs to
be done. It is not trivial work, either.

On most old Buffet clarinets, the post that springs the Ab/Eb is loose and
will never allow the spring to close the pad adequately without securing it. I
have a clarinet here right now where ALL the posts for the F/C-Ab/Eb
assembly were loose and turning.

Sure I could slap some pads on here and send it back, but the action will
never be secure, and the pads will never really seat. I spent an entire
afternoon re-centering these, and in this case, using super-glue to hold them in
position. (I use a gel type super glue for this). The B/F# trill is also
notorious for having this problem.

Also, older clarinets can have chips, splinters, and raised wood grain in
the tonehole pad seats. Each needs to be examined and repaired, or again, your
"re-pad" will be worthless.

To just clean, buff, cork, and re-pad just doesn't cut it with a very old
clarinet.

But, I will say, for really good results, it doesn't cut it for any good
professional model clarinet.

Walter Grabner
www.clarinetXpress.com
World-class clarinet mouthpieces

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org