Klarinet Archive - Posting 000156.txt from 2007/09

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevin.fay.home@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Blown out clarinets
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:55:16 -0400

On Sep 23, 2007, at 3:24 PM, Nitai asked:

<<<Just curious how come "blow out" is a common believe in some places and
not in others. For example, I've never heard anyone around here even mention
it. Anyone has an idea?>>>

You need to be in the city to hear an urban legend, perhaps?

I'm afraid that I side with Dan Leeson on this one. Old clarinets can play
like they're old - loose keywork, leaky pads, all of that. No question too
that there can be deposits of calcium (and other, more unpleasant stuff) in
the tone holes, making the horn go sharp. All of these can be fixed,
however.

A good repair tech can do the repadding and swedging that you can't do
yourself. For the tone hole schmutz, I use Q-tips dipped in vinegar to
clean them out a couple of times a year, too.

I have no doubt that Stanley Drucker et. al. buys a lot of new horns. I
like new horns too! It's great to pick one up that is all fresh and pretty.
Buying a new one is less hassle than getting an old one redone, esp. when
you have a gig that night.

A good analogy, I think - old horns are like old cars. You can get a '64
Corvette all pimped up with a rebuilt tranny, a new crate engine and hi-tech
disc brakes to run better than when it was new, and arguably as good or
better than a new one. It will take some money to do that, though, and much
more time than trundling to the nearest Chevy dealer and buying a spiffy new
one with only three miles on the odometer.

I have no doubt that there are horns that are so thrashed that they can't be
brought up to playable condition. If the wood has cracked and it has been
badly repaired with banding, for example, the bore could be killed so that
it won't play in tune. The cost to fix an old soldier could be more than
what it's worth, or even less than a new horn. This doesn't mean that it
*can't* be fixed up, however, only that it is not economic to do so.

kjf

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