 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-05-14 16:07
I just received my Click barrel (international version) to use in upcoming outdoor concerts with my municipal band. I plan to use it with my Signet 100 since the park we play in is right on the bayfront with hot, muggy, salty air all around (not a good place for an R-13).
It's awfully tight on my upper joint and it takes considerable effort to remove it. It's the same story on my other clarinets.
Anybody know if the fit will get any better with use, or should I send it back for another while I still can?
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-05-14 16:50
Ralph -
Return it immediately. There's no surer way to crack your upper joint. Or, at the very least, have the lower socket reamed out.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-05-14 18:16
Good advice from KS. I would certainly worry about cracking or even ripping off the cork if its tight. I was dissapointed with the click barrells I tried......however, it may be fine for others.....
David Dow
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-05-14 18:28
I called the retailer and they don't have any more in stock. Which means another wait for backorder. I wanted this thing good to go by June 1 (first concert), so I ordered early.
Do they make these things in varying socket sizes? It's a plastic-type material, so there's not any flexibility like wood. I'd hate to try others and have them not fit either. Maybe the humidity down here in S. Texas just swells the wood.v
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: ken
Date: 2003-05-14 19:48
Ralph, (what I'd do to make it work) if you can twist the barrel all the way down to the base of the upper joint it's not necessarily a poor and unsafe fit. If this is the "only barrel" you plan on using with this instrument, and before you give up and ship it back you could sand down the upper joint tenon cork to custom fit. Get some M-600 sandpaper and cut a single vertical strip the same width of the tenon cork and length of a sheet. Have someone hold the joint firmly/steadily with both hands straight out before you asnd at a comfortable work level. Systematically and evenly sand down the cork in the motion of shining/buffing the tip of a shoe. Count each stroke as you sand rotating the joint in 1/4s (X4) making sure to complete a full 360 degrees. After one rotation apply cork grease liberally and test fit ... repeat as necessary. And from what I know of those click barrels it's one size fits all, at least for B-flats. v/r Ken
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-05-14 21:27
Surely ken's suggestion will work but if your regular barrel fits that cork OK why mess with it. Recently I purchased a wood barrel that was not cheap but it presented a very tight fit just as you are experiencing. I took a strip of 600 grit wet/dry paper just as ken suggests.....but....I carefully opened up the lower barrel socket until it fit properly. This is not an operation for the faint of heart or for someone who doesn't have proper skill and the amount of material to be removed is almost unmeasureable. Surely a local tech that you trust could handle the job. However, caveat, I am not familiar with the Click barrel construction and it might not be amenable to this treatment.
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Author: CCclarinetgirl
Date: 2003-05-15 20:58
I have a question on those click barrels... are they any good?! do they actually work? I was thinking that it would be a very good use but if I remember correctly they're pretty expensive. Is it worth the time and money (and the silly look-even though I know looks don't really matter when playing an instrument) to buy one?
--Kelsey
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-05-15 21:04
They don't look that silly once you put it on.
And it does work pretty well. My Signet is perpetually sharp, and extending the barrel out to 67mm keeps it at or close to 440. Sound quality isn't bad, either, and it made my throat tones a little more solid. As for cost, mine was about $43 from a big mail-order house -- not too pricey.
Still, I'm lucky it didn't break my horn when I tried to remove it. So back to the seller with you, clicky.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: jenna
Date: 2003-05-16 00:29
I've seen them going for around $30 through one of my local stores. Just look around. I know several people they have worked wonders for. Some may think it looks silly... but others may think pulling your bell out 1/4 inch looks silly, too.
jenna
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Author: allencole
Date: 2003-05-16 05:44
I have been using the Clickbarrel for years, and so has a close colleague. Neither of us would trade them for the world. While watching a film on the making of Ken Burns' PBS "Jazz" series, I noticed that the clarinet player in Wynton Marsalis' traditional jazz band was using the basic clickbarrel on their recordings for the Buddy Bolden segment.
That said, there are some intonation issues to deal with. I use a fairly flexible setup of a #4 reed and a .045" mpc, so lipping pitch is not a problem. If you have a high-stability setup such as a #5 reed on a .041" mpc, it might be more difficult to correct your pitch.
Even so, I have worked with the locking clickbarrel (same design as the international, I believe) and the regular clickbarrel. I currently favor the basic clickbarrel. It is a very open sound which helps tremendously in jazz situations (as does the Portnoy mpc), but still works well in higher-end community bands.
As for mechanical issues -- There is not much room to mill the socket of any Clickbarrel. If the fit is just too tight, I recommend investigating other options.
There is a metal adjustable barrel out there (I can't remember the brand)which seems to have a larger socket, more variation in length, and lots of room for milling if that is necessary. One possible downside is that its bore diameter might be more appropriate for a Selmer than a Buffet. Also, it is threaded and moves continuously--as opposed to clicking off the millimeters. I have had at least one complaint about the clicking when doing pit work.
I used to be insistent on having the locking clickbarrel, but the locking mechanism involves bending the plastic and I have never kept one for more than a year without it breaking. I bought my standard one in an emergency, and then decided that I liked its open sound and free blowing characteristics anyway.
Hope this helps.
Allen Cole
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