 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: CPW
Date: 2003-01-10 02:05
I was told by a knowledgeable person that a good M'pingo wood professional quality clarinet is only in its prime for about 15 or so years, (well, at least it lasts longer than a rock star or supermodel) and then the wood changes enough that it no longer has the same sonorities of a new horn.
BUT......a former teacher told me that a well-cared for clarinet can be used forever and even be good enough for solo work.
SO......I did a search of the topics on the BB and found something about instruments getting "blown out". This seemed to generate a lot of controversy.
I am NOT asking about abject deterioration..nor about things that can be correct by a great repair/technician...I am asking about subltle changes in timbre....like fullnes of tone, brightness/darkness/resonance, body/dryness, projection.....stuff like that...(gee, sounds like a shampoo commercial)
What sayeth y'all?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-01-10 04:08
Clarinets getting blown out?
Here we go again....Anyone want to start? ...GBK
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-01-10 04:58
I have serviced many clarinets a lot older than 15 years, and the well designed ones play superbly.
However, to overcome decades of damage, neglect and substandard servicing, a lot of work is needed to restore such instruments to their state of glory. I think this is possibly beyond the capability of the average technician.
So I believe statements such as that in the previous post probably emanate from people who are evaluating clarinets which still need a lot of work done on them.
However I do concede that there will be SOME instruments which have had their bore distorted with age, or have had mutilations done to them by misguided people during their long lives. These are possibly not restorable.
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Author: Synonymous Botch...
Date: 2003-01-10 12:16
Deteriorating performance, hmmm?
That must be why the early R13s are being snapped up at auction.
What HAS improved is the fit, finish and precision milling of the various holes bored into the wood.
This is a classic unprovable arguement; and only a fool takes up a fool's arguement.
There must be hundreds of less tedious ways to waste practice time.
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Author: William
Date: 2003-01-10 15:05
The set of R13s that I bought in the early sixties as a college clarinet major are still playing just fine. It is me--hearing, eyesight, physical coordination, cognitive factors, etc--that is in a state of change. Unfortunately, God did not build me "like a Buffet."
BTW, I do not adhere to the "blown out" theory--in clarinets, that is.......
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Author: Francis Rizner
Date: 2003-01-10 15:43
I bought 2 R-13's (A & Bb) at the factory while stationed overseas in 1969 and 1970. I've given them reasonable care through the years and they play superbly. I think such a theory is Horse Hockey!
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2003-01-10 15:48
CPW,
"Blown out" is nothing else but dimensional changes in the wood. The first signs are loose rings. I fully agree with your teacher that a well-cared for clarinet can be used forever. "Well-cared" means cleaning your clarinet after each use and proper & complete (not just a bore) oiling at least once a year. Oiling prevents your clarinet from drying out and loosing its natural oils.
I do have several examples of well cared for clarinets that are more than 70 years old and all of them play and sound better than new.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-01-10 16:58
If this adds anything or not, I can't possibly know - but, for whatever it's worth, here goes...
I have several Albert system horns. One was new when I bought it around 1960 and the rest are much older. All the old ones came into my possession with no recollection of their pasts. My guess is that most are around 70 to 90 or so years old. Some have had major surgery, others have had nothing much more serious than routine re-pads. Intonation is pretty good with all of them and every last one of 'em sounds just like a clarinet. They're all way past their fifteen year retirement ages, of course. Regardless of that fact the only thing that seems to make any really noticeable difference to them, and to some listeners' keen ears, is the mouthpiece.
I love William's statement; "I do not adhere to the "blown out" theory--in clarinets, that is......."
I agree wholeheartedly
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Author: Jean
Date: 2003-01-10 17:14
I recently had my dad's late 1940's Noblet overhauled. It was stripped bare, oiled, repadded, cleaned up. (Wish I could have this done to me.) This is an instrument which sat in a case negelected for years at a stretch. Keep in mind this is not a professional line instrument, I would consider it an advanced student horn. It plays beautifully. And I bought it a new case...
If I thought for a second my clarinets were only going to last 15 years I'd consider a different hobby. That is a lot of dollars to spend on a very short period of playing usage.
Treat them nicely and I would plan on a lot more years than that.
Jean
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Author: RS
Date: 2003-01-10 17:16
Grenadilla is extremely hard and dense wood. The idea that there are physical changes taking place in the wood over a such a short time as fifteen years is preposterous. Fifty to a hundred years maybe. Anyone who thinks his clarinet is "blown out" after fifteen years is suffering from some sort of neurosis.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2003-01-10 18:07
I'll put my reconditioned 70-year-old Prueffer clarinet up against any new instrument --- for tone, response and intonation, that is. Certainly the physical wear of many years of playing causes mechanical problems such as slop in the mechanisms, which can be very time-consuming to repair and may or may not be worth the effort, depending on the instrument. But as far as the body/barrel/bell are concerned, there is absolutely nothing wrong with older instruments in terms of acoustics. A well-cared for clarinet should, with occasional overhauls, be good for a century or more (as noted above, should outlive the player!). The old wives' tales about 'clarinet blow-out' are utter nonsense.
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Author: javier garcia
Date: 2003-01-10 18:52
My Buffet BC20 was built in 1969. I bought it on 1986 used, it is still a very good horn, good intonation, evenness, pitch, etc.
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Author: Mark P. Jasuta
Date: 2003-01-11 02:34
Tires blow out, not horns.
Mark
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