 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Noteworthy Clarinet
Date: 2007-07-27 00:51
Hi, I'm new here.
I just purchased a brand new Buffet R13 with nickel plated keys. I was wondering about several things:
-Is it truly necessary to play the instrument only 30 minutes continuously for the first month? I played it for about an hour and a half the first day (couldn't help it), about an hour the second day, and about twenty the third and fourth day. I live in southern California (not dry, but not wet, not horribly humid), so is this a big deal? If I can't play it continuously, can I break my playing into intervals of only a few minutes and play throughout the day?
-Unfortunately, I have found that the tenons of the instrument are exceptionally tight and I have immense trouble assembling and disassembling the instrument. I have tried a lot of cork grease, but I can't get the middle joint apart without putting pressure on the top of the upper joint (octave keys and longest trill key) and the bottom of the lower joint (long rod and pad cups). Is there a certain way of holding it while assembling and disassembling without touching the keys and still being able to take the clarinet apart? I have heard that I can get my local music store to shim the tenon a bit to make the assembly easier, but that that can end up with wobbly joints! Also, will pressure on the keys at the top of the upper joint and the bottom of the lower joint for a few seconds during assembly, every day, end up with warped keys?
-Is there a certain way to identify a crack in the wood? I have located a couple grooves in the wood that sort of look like cracks, but could be just the wood grain. Is there a telltale sign of wood cracking, like the instrument suddenly going out of tune? Will the tone change, or will there be no noticaeble difference?
Any help is greatly appreciated. I've been playing for six years now, and I'm one who cares for the instrument, particularly one so expensive.
NC
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Author: pewd
Date: 2007-07-27 01:15
i just play new instruments, i've never cracked one yet (40 years); i never go through a 'break in' period. others here will disagree. but i don't see the need for a formalizied break in ritual myself. just go play it.
question # 2 - take it to a tech, have the tenons sanded down - this shouldn't take very long. an unfortunate, common problem on new buffets lately. have it fixed so you don't put undue pressure on the keys when putting it together or taking it apart. if they do it right the joints will not be 'wobbly'.
#3 - depends on the crack - some give you an immediate tone/pitch issue. these are probalby surface cracks - hard to know without seeing it - have another clarinet player or pvt teacher look at it
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: marshall
Date: 2007-07-27 01:44
Sand the corks. The corks on clarinets are almost always tight when they're new and Buffet is one of the worst. Sand them little by little and only do a small amount every day. You don't want to over-do it.
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Author: Noteworthy Clarinet
Date: 2007-07-27 04:04
The cork seems to have compressed enough, but the little "sliver" of wood above the cork layer is too tight. The joint will fit into the socket easily until you get to this section of the tenon. At this point, it locks up and is extremely difficult to put together. Can this be sanded?
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-07-27 05:20
ditto on the sanding just get one of those nail filers you can pick up anywhere. they're very coarse and their size makes it easy to sand corks in seconds.
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: Mike Clarinet
Date: 2007-07-27 07:41
My RC (now 3 yrs old) had the same problem on the middle joint. I took it to the tech at the shop I bought it and they fixed the middle joint. If you are concerned about cracks, then show them the marks at the same ime and get their opinion.
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Author: claritoot26
Date: 2007-07-27 18:14
Hmmm.
My inclination is that the joints are swelling up because of the lack of a break-in period and the humid weather and moist air you blow into it. I would follow the break-in advice. If you still have your old clarinet, practice on that if you want to play more than 30 minutes in a day. For the new one, you can play 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening (12 hours later). Swab often and dry the pads after playing with pad paper.
If the middle joint is still tight after a few days of following this sort of routine, do take it to the repair tech.
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Author: bstutsman
Date: 2007-07-27 21:13
I call the problem you are having "binding". It is not uncommon in a new instrument. Remember, that from the factory to you, the horn has gone through different climates. I would give it a month in your home climate before taking any action. If it still binds, then get it to the BEST woodwind repair person you can find. (Call the clarinet professor at a nearby university and ask for a reference.)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-07-27 23:33
Don't sand or file ANYTHING yourself unless you know exactly what you're doing. I've seen too many DIY tenon refits where the tenons have been rounded off at the ends and wobble like the preverbial due to so much of the tenon rings being removed through filing or sanding.
Take it to a woodwind specialist to have them refit the tenons as they'll be able to tell where it's binding and just how much wood to shave off to achieve a good and wobble-free fit - and chances are it's very little wood that needs removing to get a good fit.
Remember that wood is constantly changing with humidity and wood doesn't expand or contract equally widthwise, so the tenons and sockets will become oval (though you won't be able to tell this just by looking) but this is normal.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Clariphant in Bb
Date: 2007-07-28 00:56
The binding could be a manufacturing flaw rather than simple wood swelling. My greenline had the same problem between the barrel and upper joint. Obviously, greenline material doesn't swell, but the black part above the cork was to large for the barrel socket nonetheless. I had to get it sanded, as no barrels by any maker would go on all the way without getting stuck.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-07-28 17:50
Greenline does expand and contract with temperature fluctuations, and metal socket rings will prevent any outward expansion o the composite so tenons and sockets can bind. It's probably best to have the barrel socket trued up to fit the tenon.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: chinaboy61
Date: 2007-08-02 04:25
HAHA! I bought a Buffet R-13 with nickel keys and the same thing happen to me! I returned it though and got a vintage So that was my quick fix.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2007-08-02 11:03
I agree with Chris, don't do a home repair, particularly on the wood which is clearly the culprit here.
Also, be advised that the adjustable thumbrest is pot metal at its weakest points, so don't exert ANY pressure on it to help disassemble - it WILL break.
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-08-02 11:10
... And getting a replacement thumbrest could take a while. Speaking to a repairer in Virginia (near Portsmouth), they said it took them several months to get a replacement thumbrest and nylon pins for a Buffet clarinet.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2007-08-02 22:54
"Sand the corks. The corks on clarinets are almost always tight when they're new and Buffet is one of the worst. Sand them little by little and only do a small amount every day. You don't want to over-do it."
DON'T sand the corks. The problem in this case, and almost every other, is that the TIMBER is jamming.
BTW, NEVER sand corks if you do not have a method of stopping the sandpaper from even beginning to sand the timber as well. The timber part of many tenons has been badly damaged by people sanding corks. Unfortunately some so-called technicians are also culpable.
The timber and the cork have entirely different functions. The timber aligns the clarinet sections, and secures the joint from excessive wobble. The seals the junction and ensures the junction stays together.
You don't solve a problem with the timber, by attending to the cork, nor vice versa.
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Author: Dano
Date: 2007-08-03 14:57
I had that problem on the middle joint of a Vintage for about the first 6-8 months after getting it. I thought it was a break in thing. One day, it just stopped. I don't know if it was because of something I did, or what but it just stopped. No more tightness on any of the joints. You may want to wait a while and just be as gentle as possible when disassembling. It may go away by itself. Sanding is irreversable. Especially on the wood.
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