 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kev182
Date: 2006-03-19 14:55
Hey guys,
I was wondering what kind of pads you think i should get for my clarinet, my teacher here at Interlochen Arts Academy thinks i should get cork pads in the upper joint, And Mory Backun says Valentino is far superior, lasts as long as is quieter. What do you guys think?
And for the lower joint. Gore-Tex or valentino? i have heard goretex sticks a lot more than valentino
Thanx in advance!
BTW i have a Buffet RC (non prestige)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-03-19 15:25
> i have heard goretex sticks a lot more than valentino
On which side? ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
--
Ben
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-03-19 15:29
kev182 wrote:
> Hey guys,
>
> I was wondering what kind of pads you think i should get for my
> clarinet, my teacher here at Interlochen Arts Academy thinks i
> should get cork pads in the upper joint, And Mory Backun says
> Valentino is far superior, lasts as long as is quieter.
I think that you see your teacher almost every day and Morrie once in a blue moon.
Think about it.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2006-03-19 15:34
I like Cork pads "up top" and leather pads on the lowest four.
This set up gives a quiet seal and LASTS.
The Valentino pads are pretty quiet, but I just don't like them.
What MC said makes alot of sense...
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Author: kev182
Date: 2006-03-19 15:36
"which side"
the seal...lol
Post Edited (2006-03-19 15:38)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-03-19 17:36
My experience with Valentino is that they make for a mushy sounding trill, particularly around the side keys. They also seem to deaden the sound of the horn.
The opposite is true of the Gortex in that a horn in all Gortex pads will sound brighter. Gortex can rip (it's not much different than teflon tape) and then the pad is instantly worthless and needs to be replaced.
The best set ups I've played have been cork and fish-skin or cork and leather (with an extra coating across the leather surface for better seal).
Is Morrie sellling his $20,000 pair of clarinets with Valentino pads ??????
What manufacture of barrel does Morrie suggest we use ???????
:-)
............Paul Aviles
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Author: MD1032
Date: 2006-03-19 22:24
My R13 was a buzzy monster for the longest time in the throat tones C, E, and G, and I couldn't figure out why. When this guy in New York overhauled my clarinet and put cork pads on voila! They are amazing. No vibrating skins, perfect seal, and they will obviously last a long time. For the lowest four keys he used skin pads since I'm guessing cork would be impractical there and skin pads are good enough down there. Oddly enough, didn't take long for the skin pads to watermark and now a mere three months after the overhaul, many of them are sticking. I think maybe when I go back soon, I'll have him do that leather thing you guys recommended, because all I can say is that the Buffet professional skin pads absolutely suck.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-03-20 03:08
"because all I can say is that the Buffet professional skin pads absolutely suck"
I had no problem with the pads on Buffet clarinets.
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2006-03-20 03:25
Morrie's comments appear to reflect a trend. It seems that gradually some pretty well-respected repair techs are beginning to recommend Valentinos. I find that encouraging because I've been quite satisfied with how they have performed on my clarinets and clarinets I have reconditioned for others. I haven't had any complaints yet -- and I've never personally observed a "mushy" sound or feel on trills or a "deadening of sound" with Valentinos. Nor can I think of a single acoustical reason why Valentino pads should have that effect, particularly vis a vis "fish skin" or leather pads, both of which appear to present a more absorbant surface for sound waves. (I have no experience with Gortex so I can't comment on those.) Still, if they are properly fitted and installed, I think you will find either cork or Valentinos quite satisfactory on your upper joint.
I also wonder what your teacher had to say when you reported Morrie's comments to him/her. Is your teacher opposed to Valentinos? Or does s/he simply have no experience and hence no opinion on them? If the latter, your teacher might learn something. Valentinos do last a long time (so does cork) and probably are a bit quieter than cork (but I wonder if the difference is significant to an audience) and they are easier to install. They are also less expensive than Gortex. (The last time I checked, a set of Gortex pads was around $80, a set of Valentinos around $20.) You might find it instructive to ask Morrie Backun why else he thinks Valentinos are better than cork -- and to ask your teacher why s/he prefers cork to the other options. Perhaps, once you hear their reasoning, you will be in a better position to decide for yourself. (At least in the long run. In the short run, as Mark has pointed out, your teacher has more influence on your future than does Morrie Backun.)
In the meantime, the pros and cons of various pad materials have been discussed here before. A search might prove instructive.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-03-20 13:35
Hey Jack,
Sound deadening treatment for a room is both shaped a certain way and also made of soft, absorbent material. If you poke around the edges of Valentinos with a screwdriver you will find the edges VERY soft (almost non existent). This absorbs the sound of your horn......no, really.
Also, for a pad that has spongy qualities, you would think it ideal for the top pad on the bottom joint and the pad between 1st and 2nd fingers of the left hand for a good one-and-one Bb. HOWEVER, they are not pliable in this scenario at all. In fact the adjustment is at a hair trigger, not at all what I would want for anyone but the most anal retentive amongst us who does his own repairs.
So other than cost, I see no benefit to these pads at all, except perhaps for the repairman who gets $700 for an overhaul that takes less time and has a lower overhead. Morrie???????
............Paul Aviles
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-03-20 17:14
I usually cork pad down to the RH Ab/Eb key, and use leather pads in the bottom three pad cups.
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Author: taylorledak
Date: 2006-07-23 05:07
I am in the beginnings of a masters degree in clarinet performance and have been repairing clarinets for years. I recently repadded my R13 with Valentino Greenbacks after installing them in countless student horns. I have been very satisfied. My clarinet sounds great. If anything they enhance the resonance of the instrument. They are low maintenance, easily replaced (an amateur could install them without much difficulty), and hold a seat indefinitely. I highly recommend them.
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