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RE: Chipped Thumbrest

Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 1999-10-04 18:26

Sarah Ann wrote:
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Hey I just bought a brand new Buffet R-13 today and I am very excited about it. The horn plays like a dream! The only thing wrong is that as I was trying to get the barrel off today, with much frustration, I must say, I broke a chip off of the adjustable thumbrest. It still goes on alright, but it bugs me because I just bought it and I know that in the long run the thumbrest will worsen. How can I order a new piece for the thumrest? I can't nesesarily go back to the music store where I got it because it is 3 hrs from where I live. Do I ask a local music store or my band director about ordering a new one? Any advive would be greatly appreciated. I really do love the way it plays and it is well worth the money and the wait of finding just the right instrument.
Thanks!
Sarah

Sarah -

You have a much more urgent problem, which you need to take care of right away. The barrel is hard to get off because its lower socket has swollen inward and is binding against the wood at the top of the upper joint tenon. This is just about the quickest way to crack the upper joint, particularly if you have to wrench the barrel side-to-side to get it off.

You need to take it to a highly qualified repair shop ***immediately*** to have the lower socket of the barrel routed out. This is not easy to do without a special tool, since the swelling is all the way at the inner end of the socket.

Inexperienced repairers will try to do things the easy way, by filing down the top of the tenon. This should not be done, since it will make the tenon a non-standard size, and a proper sized barrel will be unstable.

If possible, you should get in touch with Francois Kloc, the official Buffet representative, who knows how to fix the problem correctly. He has posted his schedule of travels on the Klarinet board, and Mark can probably get it for you.

In the meantime, borrow a barrel from your teacher or a friend. It's just too dangerous to play with the new one binding that way.

Good luck.

Ken Shaw

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