 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: eddiec ★2017
Date: 2004-02-23 04:30
I have a clarinet whose tonhole rings- all of them - are about 1 or 2 mm above the toneholes (some slightly higher than others). I've put up with it for a long time but I'm thinking now its time to do something. I'm envious of the people with leveled rings and toneholes.
I've been told that any competant repairmen can easily fix this, and my competant repairmen has told me it was very difficult and not worth the trouble.
Any advice on how difficult this is to fix? Getting a new clarinet wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for me...
Thanks!
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Author: eddiec ★2017
Date: 2004-02-23 12:35
I'm sorry for the loaded language ("competant"), but its more or less a direct quote. The funny thing was, the repairman this person recommended was the one that said it was too hard.
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Author: hans
Date: 2004-02-23 13:45
I should have asked before.... who is the manufacturer of your clarinet? I understand that some of the less expensive clarinets have cast keywork that can not be bent for adjustment. If that is your case, perhaps the repair tech is correct.
Hans
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-02-23 13:45
It is very easy to do, and very quick.
The condition is either because the pad is too thick and needs replacing, or else it can be corrected by a 10-20 second 'tweak' of the geometry of the key. This may need to be followed by another quick tweak where a linkage to another key is involved.
Definitely find another technician. This is elementary work.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-02-23 14:13
To follow Hans line of reasoning...
The cost of repair time may outweigh the value of your instrument.
It is also possible that your tech has a "Will not service" list; as some instruments are notorious for needing constant service.
More likely, this tech doesn't want your business...
lots of fish in the sea at $30/hour!
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-02-23 14:34
It depends on the the instrument. If it has pot metal keys, I can understand the guy's reluctance to bend them, since they break easily and can't be welded back together. Even then, a thinner pad would be easy to do.
The other possibility is that it's a Bundy. The keys on those suckers are designed to withstand massive abuse and are almost impossible to bend.
Best ergards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: cujo
Date: 2004-02-23 14:39
Too hard? That repair should only take seconds.
Unless your instrument is very cheap, a slight adjustment like that could break the keys. And of course cheap instruments with breakable keys are unsolderable and have no replacements. So actually it would be cheaper to buy a new instrument.
I have a feeling you may have one of these instruments if you were turned down for a repair like that.
If you do have a good instrument I suggest a new repair person.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2004-02-23 15:57
One other comment that hasn't been touched on:
Are you sure you want the rings and tone holes level with each other? It's all personal preference, but I definitely want my rings higher than the tone holes. Perhaps not by much, but I want a light finger pressure to seal a pad activated by the ring, and that doesn't happen for me when they are level.
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Author: cujo
Date: 2004-02-23 16:46
Fred, the rings should be very slightly above the tone hole. If you can play with very little pressure and flat fingers your instrument is set up right.
If rings are a little too high you will need more pressure to seal pad and sometimes air will leak form the tone holes.
It sounds like eddie has the rings too high with 1-2 mm. Will make you play with curled fingers so air doesnt leak ,will be uncomfortable and also lead to bad habits.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-02-23 21:44
Ken is quite right. If the keys are pot metal then they should not be bent. However any reasonable tech can install thinner pads to achieve the same result. This is easy-fix work!
I find that most players are most comfortable with the upper surface of the ring keys about 1/2 mm (between 1/64" and 1/32") above the tone holes. It depends a bit on the diameter of the tone holes and the thickness of the tone hole wall, and the clearance between the timber and the tone hole. If the ring is more than usually bigger than the tone hole, then a slightly higher ring is more appropriate, such that, allowing for the curved shape of a finger, reasonable pressure can be exerted on the ring at the same time as the tone hole is sealed.
Other factors are the hardness of the player's skin, and how pronounced the fingerprint grooves are. For hard skin the air can leak past the finger print grooves unless quite firm pressure is exerted. (Try putting a cork in the end of one section, and doing a blow test with wettened fingers; listen to the bubbles going past the fingerprint grooves!)
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Author: eddiec ★2017
Date: 2004-02-24 00:03
Thanks very much for your comments. The clarinet is a Patricola I've had since '95 - I don't think it uses pot metal, but it might very well be on the no-service lists for some repairmen. I've had one turn it down once before (he said he didn't work on Italian clarinets, go figure).
I can't remember if it came like this from the factory or not. Its possible that the rings were raised when it was repadded some years ago, and I didn't notice right away.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-02-24 06:12
Patricolas certainly wouldn't use pot metal. I believe it's mostly silver or nickel (although I think they use all silver plating. I don't know what they use now or what they used back in 95, but I am sure it wouldn't be pot metal).
However the rings should be set to how YOU like them. It's a bit of preference, but no reason to live in discomfort from something as small as that.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-02-24 15:40
I can understand some repairmen being reluctant to tackle a fine instrument like a Patricola. The comments about thinner pads seem appropriate to me.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-02-24 19:22
Fine instruments need a lot less skill to work on than do poorly made ones, where most of the work is correcting design and manufacturing inadequacies.
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