 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2013-07-01 19:01
I'm lucky to have a fantastic 1961 vintage Buffet R-13 which I have owned since about 1983. I had it overhauled about 3 years ago when I started playing again and it has played very well. (Note: my teacher also likes the horn and thinks that I get a great sound from it; and the tech that did the overhaul back then remarked what great shape the horn was in).
I've been improving and playing more lately, and there have been a couple places across the horn where the response has been less than perfect --specifically, long B/C on the staff, which is pretty typical for a horn needing an adjustment. So, I took it to a very well-known and respected local tech who took a quick look at it and said (I paraphrase) "I'll spend 15 minutes making it work better for now, but I won't overhaul it.....it's an old horn and you should just get a new one." The tech explained that he felt the toneholes were ovalling and that they would never seal perfectly again.
So, I have to admit, I was a little crushed (which speaks to my emotional attachment to the horn) and sought a second opinion from a tech who specializes in vintage horns whose work I respect (he has done a great job on a few vintage horns for me recently). He thought that the "ovalling" comment was odd (and saw no signs of it on my horn), and that he was sure that he could make pads seal properly on the horn and that it would play wonderfully.
So, now I have a tech that is basically beyond reproach telling me to get a new horn, and a friendly specialist telling me it's fine and he can fix it. Because I'm pretty attached to the horn, I'm not sure I'm making clear decisions here. I want the second tech to just do the overhaul.....but maybe I really should be looking for a new horn.
Can anyone help me and provide an opinion, or suggest how I break the tie (and perhaps overcome my own silly sentimental attachments?)
Thanks in advance.
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Author: JamesOrlandoGarcia
Date: 2013-07-01 19:09
That is absolutely ridiculous! Contact Scott Winkler, he is one of the most gifted clarinet techs in the world. He is whom most of us in Chicago are going to now. It's worth the three hour drive up there. Many of the country's leading clarinetists are now going to him and he is incredibly easy to work with. It doesn't get any better!
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2013-07-01 19:17
Sounds to me like your local tech just doesn't want to deal with it. I find the "ovalling" comment odd as well. Every clarinet will have toneholes that are out of round to some degree but you very rarely encounter a case where a tonehole is so warped that it cannot be made to seal. Usually when people talk about this issue they are referring to clarinets that are a lot closer to 100 years old than 50 years old.
Most of my clarinet are older than yours (significantly older in some cases) and I've never had a tech refuse to work on any of them and I have never had a tech tell me that they had a hard time getting it to seal. From time to time I have heard that some techs refuse to work on older clarinets so I suspect that may be the issue here.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2013-07-01 20:35
The ovalizing comment suggests to me that the tone hole no longer presents a flat surface for the pad to seal against. I've read here that when this happens there is a way to resurface the hole. As far as the hole not being round on the horizontal plane, I suppose theoretically this can happen but it doesn't seem logical that a hole can become so out of round in the horizontal plane that the instrument would become horribly or incorrectably out of tune. When I hear comments like this I think of how mechanics try to fool and confuse customers with lots of jargon and plenty of fast talk. If the tone and intonation is good but a couple of tone holes don't seal causing response problems I think the correct approach is to get them to seal and stop with the voodoo tech talk.
Somewhere along the way, I became an ASE licensed mechanic as part of my job as a transportation officer. I don't do any hands on work as part of my job but occasionally I do work on my own cars. It amazes me the amount of crap that car salesmen and auto mechanics toss around shamelessly. I hope someone on this board with credentials will call out this tech that you ran into, so we can all recognize the ovalizing comment for the crap I believe it to be.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-07-01 21:35
Oval bore warping happens with boxwood not grenadilla.
Grenadilla from 1961 should have imperceptible warping, if any. Go to someone who wants to work on the horn, rather than not work on it. Leveling a rim, filling in the grain and fitting a pad are routine work in any good shop.
Ken Shaw
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2013-07-01 21:56
I have a Leblanc LL from 1964. It was played in a marching band for about 15 years, then rested somewhere for the next 20+ years. I started to play on it 2 years ago. Seals perfectly after a good overhaul, tunes perfectly, didn't cracked, didn't warped. One of the best horn I have ever tried. I wouldn't sell it for thousands of bucks. If you like your R13 just find a good tech and continue playing.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-07-01 22:14
What about having it overhauled by the repairman from 3 years ago? I take it he had no compunction about working on it then, and you liked the result. It doesn't seem likely that anything dramatic has happened to the wood to cause distorted tone holes in the three years since.
I agree with the others that the tech who didn't want to work on it probably has all the work he can handle with newer instruments. I suppose older instruments hold more potential for the unexpected, which can create awkward situations if dealing with the surprises increases the required shop time significantly. It can throw a good-faith estimate out of whack with the clarinet already disassembled on the work bench. Also, there are repair techs, though I've heard of it more among string repair people, who will only service instruments they have sold. Maybe that's the case with this repair person if he also sells clarinets from his shop.
Karl
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2013-07-01 23:12
Allright....thank you all for your input. It sounds like there's agreement that the highly respected local tech is just busy and doesn't need the business. That's okay by me.
So, I'm calling the vintage tech and one other who comes highly recommended (not the one who didn't want to work on it before) and will get it into one of their shops in the next couple of weeks.
Based on your advice, I plan to play this horn until either it (or I) can't play anymore!!
BTW -- The tech who overhauled it three years ago retired last year.
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Author: GaryH
Date: 2013-07-02 01:50
I've made my living repairing band instruments since the early 80s. I'd take it back to the second tech and let him do whatever adjustments needed and play the clarinet before you leave his shop. If you are satisfied then just enjoy your clarinet.
If you made your living playing clarinet you might invest in newer equipment, but you have an instrument you have formed an attachment to. If it works for you what do you care what someone else says?
Post Edited (2013-07-02 01:54)
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