 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2007-03-04 16:09
Might not be practical for a clarinet, but bassoons may offer a way out of the problem of water clogging of tone holes in a clarinet.
Yesterday, I attended a basson maintenance class at BASSOONarama at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, WA.
I learned that, on a bassoon, a single pad is called on to close THREE tone holes --talk about pad adjustments challenges.
I also found that bassoons have or are retrofitted with tone hole liners. The body of the instrument is reamed out, and a tub inserted. The new tube can have a larger or smaller opening; the opening shifted up or down.
AND
the liner hole can be poked into the bore of the instrument to avoid having water run down the bore and into the hole. Clarinets only use this trick for the left thumb hole. The register key vent evidently needs to be long with a small bore, and it makes sense to put it inside the instrument to both avoid water and streamline the covering mechanism.
Why not do the same for the few troublesome holes on a clarinet? The throat G#, throat A, right side trill keys -especially the two lower ones, and the left hand G#/C#? Then I wouldn't have to apply my swab during rests when performing.
Bob Phillips
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-03-04 20:25
B&H 1010 clarinets have (or had) a plastic bush in the C#/G# tonehole - though more often than not, it's not all that well glued in and air can leak around it.
Kinda like Buffet speaker tubes - are they actually glued in or what?
I don't know how many Buffet clarinets I've worked on that have loose speaker tubes that just pop out with only a slight touch from the inside.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-03-04 20:44
And are Delrin speaker tubes ever used? The only clarinet I know of that has a plastic thumb bush is an Artley, but would a Delrin speaker tube be more effective at preventing the gurgles?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: skygardener
Date: 2007-03-05 08:16
I know that Guy Chadash's clarinets have a plastic thumb tube. I don't remember if he also had a plastic register tube.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2007-03-05 11:16
Dear Chris P.,
My circa 1980 Boosey 1010s don't have this bushing of which you speak. I need to have a word with Boosey about this.
...............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-03-05 12:17
Strange that.
All the '70s and '80s 1010s I've seen have the C#/G# bush - it's in dark grey plastic and intrudes into the bore by around 1-2mm.
Did you buy your 1010s new or used? And can you see any signs of the C#/G# tonehole having been filled and recut? The bush in question is step-sided, and consequently the C#/G# tonehole is step sided and oversized to accomodate this bush.
How's the tuning on your C#/G#? Is it sharp or in tune? And what's the serial numbers on your 1010s?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-03-05 13:49
"I learned that, on a bassoon, a single pad is called on to close THREE tone holes --talk about pad adjustments challenges."
Bassoons usually have squishy leather pads for this reason (as in German clarinet pads - like marshmallow), and the surrounding area of the toneholes is ideally completely flat, or has been cut away to leave the area where the three toneholes proud (or have a metal plate with three raised metal chimneys fitted) to maximise contact and seal with the pad - one thing that can't be done is to have a single bedplace with all the toneholes within it and slightly lower as this will effectively be a leak between the ascending bore and the descending bore in the butt joint which will cause stability problems on the low notes.
"the liner hole can be poked into the bore of the instrument to avoid having water run down the bore and into the hole. Clarinets only use this trick for the left thumb hole. The register key vent evidently needs to be long with a small bore, and it makes sense to put it inside the instrument to both avoid water and streamline the covering mechanism."
Provided these tonehole linings are well sealed they will cause no problems. If they're not well sealed on the inside where they meet the bore, water can get in between the tonehole liner, the bore liner and the wood which in serious cases will cause the wood to rot in the immediate area and also spread between the bore lining and along the length of the joint. I've seen a CT scan of a bassoon which shows up the decay in the maple pretty vividly on both the tenor and butt joints, and repairing this sort of damage is pretty extensive as it means removing the original bore liner and tonehole linings, fitting a new bore lining, tonehole linings and treating the wood to stabilise it while all the linings have been removed.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2007-03-05 14:34
thanks, Chris P.
Maybe a de-spitter technology for greenliners.
I'd hate the thought of my great Buffet rotting out before I do.
Bob Phillips
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
