 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Simon
Date: 2000-03-28 18:18
Hi,
My daughter plays clarinet (Yamaha) and seems to have a very personal problem with it, ie it smells.
I am unsure as to the best cleaning method as it is second hand , obviously an ex band instrument and well played.
It came with a metal weighted cleaning cloth but what can that do other than absorb excess saliva?
Please help us
Thankyou
Simon
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-03-28 18:21
Is it the clarinet that smells or the case or both?
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Author: Simon
Date: 2000-03-28 18:29
Hi'
Clarinet is smelly but the case is fine, What is the remedy in your opinion??
Please help
Thanks
Simon
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-03-28 19:01
Most likely new pads and new corks. It may need washed out while disassembled (i.e. there could be crud in the tone holes or on interior walls). The mouthpiece may also need cleaned. However, I bet a repad and recork will be sufficient to take care of the problem. The pads in particular are likely to "hold on" to odors.
Needless to say, you should have a clarinet technician do this work.
Swabbing out the instrument helps to keep crud from building up internally and also helps keep the pads clean.
The swab should be cleaned regularly so that it does its job.
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Author: Simon
Date: 2000-03-28 19:36
Hi'
Thanks for the advice , can we use a proprietary disinfectant or is that bad for a clarinet.
How much does a technician cleaning cost??
thankyou again
Simon
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-03-28 20:34
Dee's advice re: a comprehensive cleaning and repadding is likely what you should do. Trying to clean it yourself, if it is wood, you should use only bore oil for cleaning and I clean out my mouthpieces in vinegar. Since its now spring, with sunlight, expose the pieces so that they heat up gradually, may help a lot. Luck, Don
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Author: Simon
Date: 2000-03-28 21:06
Dear All ,
Thankyou for your expert advice, it is much appreciated.
It's the first time on a service like this for us.
Thanks again
Simon
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-03-28 21:29
One of the first things you need to do to prevent this problem is to brush your teeth before each practice or performance. You know the phrase about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.
As an example, I heard about a world class pro clarinetist's clarinet that had a very interesting odor. No one, absolutely no one touched his horn, or even came close to it. You see, he loved garlic...
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Author: Simon
Date: 2000-03-28 22:00
Hi Paul'
Thanks for the garlic trick to stop anyone using my daughters clarinet but she is only 11 and copious amounts of garlic are not yet part of her "English" diet" thanks for the help anyway.
Good tunes to you
cya
Simon
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-03-28 22:04
I've had much experience with this problem because I buy neglected instruments at garage sales and flea markets. I agree with the other people's advice, and would add only that usually the clarinet and the case both smell, and that if you get the clarinet cleaned and then put it back into the stinky case, the pads and corks will soak up that delightful aroma all over again. There's no need to take the case to a professional. I pick a warm, sunny day and just scrub the case out with some soapy water (I use dish detergent) on a sponge. Then I rinse with the sponge, then leave the case open to the sunlight until it dries. After it dries, I brush up the velvet with a garment brush to make it look nice again.
If it still smells, I spray it with Febreze, a fabric deoderizer. This stuff works. I leave the case in the sun again to dry completely. At first, I didn't like the synthetic floral smell of this product, but after a few weeks, it disappears.
Also, an INternet scare about dangers to pets turns out to be probably a false rumor. The product now has a label saying that the ASPCA rates Febreze as safe for use around cats and dogs. I still won't spray it with Shadow Cat in the room. I spray it outdoors.
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Author: ron b.
Date: 2000-03-29 05:35
Hi, Simon.
It might help if we could back up just a little and ask the obvious question: what does it smell like that makes it offensive? We're presuming it's an 'offensive' odor.
You'll need to isolate the problem to deal with it.
Dunking or spraying may solve the problem but, if you haven't done that to a clarinet before, as Lelia has, you're better off getting a repair tech's (free) advice beforehand, after s/he has sniffed the thing.
ron b.
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Author: James
Date: 2000-03-29 16:23
You might try spraying Lysol in the case and putting the case outside in the sunlight to dry completely. Another thing that seems to help is putting a dryer sheet in the case.
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Author: steve
Date: 2000-03-29 17:54
there was a mention of a garlic flavored clarinet earlier...wasn't this story about Gino cioffi, solo of the boston symphony....sherman friedland may be able to shed some light
as a guitarist, one of the ways you can tell the history of an instrument is to sniff it.....cigarette smoke suggests either the player was a smoker or played in bars...fine perfume residues may suggest something else....but there is a characteristic old instrument in an old case smell that I love.....
s.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-03-29 18:42
steve wrote:
-------------------------------
fine perfume residues may suggest something else...
----
And cheap perfume residues suggest ????
8^)
(PG-13 minded today)
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-03-29 20:00
I don't recall the name of the clarinetist, but you might be very close.
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