Klarinet Archive - Posting 000368.txt from 2005/01

From: orm1ondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: Re: [kl] reed goes up on top... touching the upper lip..... no
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 05:22:39 -0500

Rob wrote:

> after she told me she heard a wooden clarinet
> and it sounded different compared to her
> clarinet. (plastic)

Listening is a good thing, and your daughter ishould not to be
discouraged from doing so.

However it is unlikely that the difference she heard was due to wood vs.
plastic. Other details affect an instrument's sound much more. Since
you said that she "heard" a wood instrument (rather than that she
"played" one herself), it's possible (probable) that the difference she
heard was due to the player, not to the instrument.

It can be argued that wood instruments are generally more expensive than
plastic, and therefore generally built more carefully. Nevertheless a
good plastic instrument will sound better and play more easily than a
bad wood instrument.

> One clarinet had tight cork rings and pads
> and the other was so worn out that the
> mouthpiece would drop out if you let it.

You *definitely* should ask (or pay) someone who is technically
knowledgeable to look at more than just the corks and pads. A
quarter-turn on one screw or replacement of one weak spring or tweaking
of one key or rod can make all the difference in the world.

> So can anyone tell me how good or bad a
> deal these clarinets were? What's it cost to
> recork a clarinet?

$75 for *one* playable clarinet is OK !! And you may have purchased
two of them for this price.

A single cork or pad may cost $15-$20 (depending on the store and other
details). But once again, you may not recognize that other items need
adjustment and/or replacement. Sometimes an obliging technician will
give your instrument a 'quick look' for free, but this is not the same
as a complete disassembly and overhaul, which may cost $150 or more
depending on what needs fixing and the shop's pricing policy.

It pays to 'ask around' for the name of a competent technician or repair
shop. It is not unheard of that instruments are returned in worse
condition than before they were brought in. In my town, until old age
forced him to retire a year ago, the best woodwind technician in town
worked in his own living room and did not advertise in the telephone
book. I found out about him because, at most music club meetings, a
few people who played well would bring their instruments in to him for
repair or adjustment. He almost never went home without somebody's
instrument under his arm.

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