 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: MARK_RAGNVALDSSON
Date: 2015-05-25 19:15
i have come into a Selmer USA Omega clarinet, the barrel and bell are of one wood, and the body is of another, my question is weather or not any value is lost for the mixed parts?
on a side note, did Selmer USA use one wood, and Selmer Paris use the other by chance?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-05-25 19:42
Grenadilla being wood is a largely variable thing, so no two joints on the same clarinet are going to be alike in both colour or grain pattern unless they happen purely by chance to have been cut from the same billet which is highly unlikely as billets get mixed up at the saw mill back in the country of origin (eg. Tanzania).
Some companies such as Buffet and Schreiber stain or lacquer the joints to make everything look uniform, but by nature you should expect some variation of colour and grain pattern from one section to another. Most makers of pro level clarinets won't stain the wood but will select joints that have similar properties and appearance so there's some uniformity, but only a close match as opposed to being an exact match.
All clarinet makers use grenadilla for their wooden clarinets (among other tropical hardwoods like kingwood, cocobolo and rosewood), but Selmer Paris also use rosewood for their basses (as an option), contra-altos and contrabasses. Even though they both use grenadilla for their soprano clarinets, how it was seasoned and how well it was done differed with both Selmer Paris and Selmer USA.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-05-25 20:27
I would say, even if they are not the original barrel and bell, there are a LOT of players who switch those out anyway. As long as it plays well (in tune with itself.....note to note that is) then you should be fine.
............Paul Aviles
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