 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: janeuk
Date: 2005-02-01 14:02
I have a four year old Buffett E13. I have noticed the keys have become less responive over time and certain notes have a fuzzy tone to them. I took it to my local music shop who recommend stripping the instument completely oiling the wood, repadding(fishskin or leather, which?) and reassembling.I had noticed that the wood looks VERY dry and the pads are discoloured and dry looking. Does this sound reasonable, I have payed the instrument probably at least an hour a day over the last four years plus band practice/gigs etc. Total cost by the way £195 (I'm in the UK). Thanks for your anticipated help
Jane
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-02-01 14:52
All of that sounds a bit MUCH to me for a 4 year old, no doubt keywork oiling is needed, possibly a few of the "upper" pads need replacing, and what does the maker's instrucrions say about wood oiling ? Hopefully some of our fine repairers here will "chime in " with suggestions. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2005-02-02 10:58
You should be oiling the instrument every year unless you live in a really humid climate (then you can get away without a little longer...)
I usually oil in the late fall right before the nasty dry winter sets in.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2005-02-02 12:23
Some supposedly top manufacturers are currently using pads which have thin, brittle membranes compared with what they did decades ago, almost as if the pads are a cheap extra just to keep the instrument playing until it is sold. It is common for such pads to be failing in the time mentioned.
Discolouring of pads is usually caused by a die in the timber leaking into the pad. The die seems to be part of a grain-filling, blackening surface finish to make the piece of timber look better than it really is. Some manufacturers, including Selmer, offer an unfilled option for at least some models. It seems that the die is relatively harmless, but I sometimes wonder if it contributes to the pad membrane losing resilience and becoming more brittle.
There is already heaps of information in this forum, both science-based and opinion, on the pros and cons of oiling the bore, and what bore oils to use. A search will easily find it.
Notes being fuzzy-sounding is often from inadequate venting, which is common on new instruments. It is a quick job for a technician to increase the venting for the notes concerned. The harder the reeds are, the more accentuated is the fuzziness, which could account for why it seems to have got worse. Certain mouthpiece configurations could also accentuate the fuzziness. Fuzziness can also be caused by a loose, hardened pad membrane above the first open tone hole for the note concerned. A 'buzz' can be produced if a membrane is split, and vibrating.
"keys are less responsive" can be an illusion given by just a few specific keys needing firmer finger pressure, notably right hand stack keys (from poor adjustment of bridge key linkage), or any of the normally-open keys, usually from the pads not aligned correctly with the tone holes, such that they (typically) close at the 'back' but not so readily at the 'front'. This is usually most apparent for left hand fingering of clarion B. The problem tends, in my experience, to get worse over time as the instrument is played, as the front of the pad gets crushed more than the back, through extra travel of this part of the pad. Adjustment may be all that is required. I find such adjustment necessary (for long term reliability) on almost every new clarinet I encounter.
"keys are less responsive" can also mean leaks for other reasons, such as split pads (which is usually visually obvious), irregular surface on the tone hole edges, porous pad membrane, rusting pivots, various problems with the throat A spring, etc.
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