The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-07-03 05:17
Just a random question i've been pondering. there has to be a test that measures the quality of wood even before it is bored and so forth, right? otherwise manufacturers might produce a bunch of wood bodies and find that they don't have the proper characteristics of their "brand" that they're esteemed.
are they sent to other manufacturers to be stenciled?
two part question i suppose
Go!
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-07-03 12:28
You can only really determine the quality of the wood once the joint has been turned down to it's correct external (and internal) dimensions, and before it has been polished - only then can you see the colour, grain pattern and any imperfections that can be dealt with by filling or having a tonehole or pillar hole drilled into it to hide it. Any wood that isn't of top quality will be used on student instruments from the same manufacturer.
Remember that NO clarinet has any joints made from wood from the same log - each joint is a seperate piece of wood that only come together when the joints are matched.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-07-03 22:33
really? never knew that they weren't from the same log. i thought that it might be separate areas of the log, rather then adjacent to the cut.
does the sound come from the undercutting or rather the choice of the seasoned wood? I read that regardless of the material, the sound remains relatively the same to a degree. wood, plastic, rubber, metal, etc.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: shmuelyosef
Date: 2007-07-05 06:51
Any clarinet over 10 years old without a crack was made from quality wood. There is a lot of controversy, but I believe a majority of folks agree that the material doesn't have a lot effect on the sound...it is primarily the mouthpiece, then the reed, then the barrel taper and it's match to the mouthpiece, then the design of the bore and any undercutting...maybe next would be the material.
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