 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-02-27 08:41
Do you use an established make and model of your choice to start with - but one in which you've personalised by altering tonehole sizes/positions and bore, barrel and bell taper and use this design for your own instruments?
Or do you start with a clean sheet (as it were), and find the optimum bore size and shape, tonehole positions and sizes, barrel taper, etc. to create an original instrument of your own?
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-02-27 09:31
I doubt any of the makers will give a way trade secrets for free...
If I were the lead developer of CSO, Inc. I'd probably start with a well-established design (not necessarily a specific maker) and continue optimising from there. If I were a new manufacturer, I'd strive for ergonomics at least as much as for tonal qualities.
I'd guess it's (relatively) easy to achieve an acceptable or good quality of sound by pure craftsmanship (I do not mean to belittle the manufacturers' efforts in this area, don't get me wrong). Of course, there's still room for fine tuning.
Where I personally would try to be ahead of the competition is "ease of operation". Let's face it, the standard clarinet is as far from being ergonomic as a standard typewriter. Subtle re-arrangements of eg pinky keys could make a world of a difference. And who says that finger toneholes must be lined up in a row? (not that I'd want Colani to create a knurly horn that looks as if it had been stored on a car's rear parcel shelf during summer)
--
Ben
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2006-02-28 00:27
(Disclaimer- I am maker of the Forte' clarinet)
Just a few experiences of a new kid on the block who wants to make a clarinet ---
First you solicit a list of features that you wish to include on the new clarinet. Set time lines, do market research, project a launch date. Next you go to the bank with a wheel barrow and load it up with cash. You next try to hire the best mechanical and acoustic engineers that are not already under contract or commitment to a major instrument company that have knowledge and/or a proven track record in woodwind instrument design. Next you are told that some of your wish list is not mechanically or acoustically possible. You then agonize about what features you can incorporate without destroying the perceived image of the buying public about a new instrument. You next produce outlandishly expensive one-of-a-kind prototypes. You test the prototypes with a panel of experts. You modify design and make more prototypes. You test the modified prototypes. You reach a tentative instrument design. You approach an instrument manufacturer with exact specifications of materials, design, tolerances (calculated by your expensive engineers), production numbers, delivery dates. Your are told that retooling costs for certain modifications are absurdly costly. You then reduce your expectations for those features which will make the production instrument too expensive for your marketing research (which you have previously conducted and paid for) niche of the instrument that you wish to manufacture. You return to the engineers for a retrofit and find that a musical instrument is an interactive beast and changing some features affects the performance of others. Reset your time lines.
Go back to the bank to refill your empty wheel barrow with cash. You make more expensive prototypes, you have experts test these prototypes, you modify the prototypes, and you have experts test the revised prototypes. You again approach the manufacturer with exact specifications etc. and find that they cannot meet your deadline to introduce your new instrument for the advantageous season for launch and sales. You then approach other manufacturers and find that they have their own tooling and production idiosyncrasies and you must change or delete more features - back to making and testing prototypes. Reset your time lines.
You reach an agreement with a manufacturer (dependent on the currency exchange rate) for a production run.
You go to the bank and refill your empty wheel barrow with cash for the down payment on the production run.
The instruments are produced and arrive in port. You are next handed an additional huge handling and transfer fee from the long shore man’s union.
Go to the bank and refill your wheel barrow and pay off the manufacturer and the transfer and handling fees.
Contract with a case manufacturer with your specifications. Contract with a mouthpiece manufacturer for mouthpieces with your logo imprinted (oops - takes three months for this feature which you had not planned on !!!). Go to the bank and refill your wheel barrow with cash to pay for these extras.
Go to the bank and fill up your wheel barrow with cash for the advertising campaign - print, mail, graphic design, trade show space, etc. for the launch which has changed with every modification or deletion on the instrument. Reset your time lines. Go to the bank four or five more times to fill up the wheel barrow with cash.
And this is just the beginning of a wild and roller coaster experience in selling and gaining exposure for your new instrument !!!
This is a cartoon depiction of the trials and tribulations of producing a new instrument which is not accurate or as detailed, expensive, or frustrating as the real thing!!!
L. Omar Henderson
Post Edited (2006-02-28 03:11)
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2006-02-28 14:22
Not all clarinets have the finger holes in a perfect line. One maker offsets the third finger left hand to account for the lack of a chimney on this hole on non-'full Boehm' horns. Don't remember which one though; Orsi or B-H perhaps.
One of the things that I like about the full Boehm way of doing things is that all fingers are set at a uniform height. You don't need to slightly anticipate the drop on the third finger left hand as you do on a normal Boehm horn.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2006-02-28 17:15
First you convince your spouse that the mess in the basement is
essential. Next you buy a shop-vac.
And that is just for barrels.
disclaimer...I make them little suckahs and one helluva pile of woodchips.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2006-02-28 20:09
Stephen Fox also recommended saying goodbye to your family for the duration... you'll lose hours just whittling away at one stick.
You'll be better served to start working with Hard Rod Rubber; hardwoods like Grenadilla are hard on tooling, and most of us can't afford the required lathe setup to get a good finish.
I still remember watching a PBS special on M'Pingo, the musical tree -
some instrument maker was shown boring billets for clarinet sections and seeing a full third of them explode (no exaggeration) on the lathe.
The raw materials alone are pricey, not to mention your time.
****
Omar mentioned R&D costs.. your first clarinet will cost nearly $50,000 to make in your basement, and it will likely be unplayable. I suppose that's why so many start with barrels and bells?
If you really must make sawdust, why not start with something to sit apon?
At least you could use that, right away!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-02-28 21:02
HAHAHA! Nice one Omar!
Hands up how many on here feel the world needs a modern day Centered Tone.
Me. In fact, I put both my hands up.
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