 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: CrystalClear7
Date: 2008-02-10 17:21
OK. Somebody recently told me about people turning alto clarinets into lamps. Does anybody know how to do it???![[huh]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie11.gif)
-Crystal
Post Edited (2008-02-10 17:26)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2008-02-10 18:37
Whenever I read a posting such as the one above, I get a bit annoyed.
If you have an instrument which you deem unplayable, a MUCH better plan (and highly gratifying) would be to offer/donate it to a school in need of musical instruments.
With music budgets being slashed for new equipment, (especially in inner city schools) in most instances the money deemed for repairs still remains intact. Thus a school can often refurbish an unwanted instrument.
I would feel better knowing that an instrument that I no longer wanted is being used by a youngster who never would have been able to afford his own... GBK
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Author: GBK
Date: 2008-02-10 19:00
Having worked for many years in a low income school district where students shared instruments, even ONE extra instrument would have been very helpful ...GBK
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Author: Darktide
Date: 2008-02-10 20:00
I've actually done this. I didn't quite deem the clarinet unplayable. But I kept it for sentimental value as it was my first horn ever. Though a few of the "repairs" I tried to do on it probably made it unplayable in the end. They are kind of neat. I'm glad that I've kept mine. I sympathize with GBK on the need for repairable horns. But some horns are hardly worth the money you'd put into them (a couple hundred dollers to fix a couple hundred dollar horn = a waste of money IMO).
Jay
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2008-02-10 21:04
i have one of those clarinets with the red thread cork ive been wanting to turn into a lamp. after so much discussion on junk clarinets i dont think donating it will help anyone.
i think it really depends. if you have an old bundy or something of the like, that you just dont play, that could be donated. but some stuff as said above, is just not worth it. nothin wrong with making something else out of it.
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Author: bahamutofskycon
Date: 2008-02-10 21:20
I had a friend in college once who had turned a clarinet into a lamp. I don't know about the exact construction of it, but he was told by the fire marshal that it was a fire hazard and was forced to send it home.
I don't know much about it but you may want to look into saftey issues.
Steve
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Author: Chelle
Date: 2008-02-10 22:13
When I first bought my metal clarinet, the clarinet professor at my college (I never took private lessons, but I was in the concert/marching bands) told me that the only thing a metal clarinet is good for is to make a lamp out of. I'm glad I didn't listen to him because I recently found out that it's a Conn 524 and somewhat valuable. Once the new pads get here, I'm going to get it playable again.
Personally, I find the clarinet lamps I've seen to be quite tacky, like somethig you'd find in the Addams Family house.
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Author: ken
Date: 2008-02-11 01:19
GBK wrote: "I would feel better knowing that an instrument that I no longer wanted is being used by a youngster who never would have been able to afford his own"
Glenn, you can take some comfort in the knowledge that I made explicit provision in my Will to donate ALL of my horns, sheet music, and accessories - down to the moldy reed - to my high school band program.
I owe my entire music career (private sector and military) to my old high school band director (a fine clarinetist himself); and, I am making absolutely certain that I give back 110% to the teacher and mentor, and institution that made it possible. v/r Ken
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Author: Lann
Date: 2008-02-12 03:16
You can hate me if you want to, but I've made a clarinet lamp. I didn't want to make a lamp, I bought the clarinet for $15 with all intentions of saving it and selling it back to the pawn shop or donating it, but when the paint washed off in the sink, and none of my pads fit it quite right, I came to the conclusion that this clarinet could only create a smile through lampness.
It's really quite simple, and I'd be willing to offer someone with a CSO some tips. However, I can't condone turning a viable instrument into a lamp. It's a waste, and I got mad at my mentor for it.
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Author: blazian
Date: 2008-02-12 03:20
Its horrible to do anything to a clarinet besides play it. Especially an alto clarinet. Maybe a nice rosewood contra would be nice for a lamp... j/k!
I'd like to add that it's hard to find a CSO that's not soprano or bass.
- Martin
Post Edited (2008-02-12 03:21)
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2008-02-12 03:24
I just can't get my brain and emotions around making lamps out of instruments, no matter how decrepit they are.
Seems disrespectful somehow to take what was once nearly a living thing, probably at least somewhat close to someone's heart, and something that was designed to make music, and turn it into a lamp, of all things!
Nope. Can't warm up to the idea. A cane, maybe. But a lamp?
Kinda like making bookends from two family pets that have been stuffed, post mortem.
(Sorry. Couldn't think of a "nicer" simile, and several more distasteful ones came to mind.)
B.
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Author: Lann
Date: 2008-02-12 03:39
"Kinda like making bookends from two family pets that have been stuffed, post mortem."
I liked that...probably too much.
And my whole theory behind it is the CSO is lighting up a room the way a real clarinet would.
And I love tacky stuff. And this is the epitome of tack.
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2008-02-12 11:21
now wait a minute - a cane is like someones leg. so wouldnt a cane be considered an almost living breathing thing too? of course there was they leg lamp in that christmas movie. lol
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Author: Imperial Zeppelin
Date: 2008-02-12 13:45
Let me put this idea forth. What would you do with an inexpensive metal clarinet that belonged to a departed family member? Options are:
1. Leave it in the case where it has been for the last 40 or so years
2. Spend far much more than it's worth to rehabilitate it, play it a little and then put it back in its case because of its inherent limitations
3. Make a lamp out of it for the studio
We're opting for option 3. I don't think it's as sacreligious as others here, but it is an interesting topic.
BTW, everyone we have showed it to has said, "Not worth fixing" including a Middle School Band Director that we had asked if they could use. Additionally, my lamp construction plans would be non-destructive, and in the future we could dismantle the lamp and use the clarinet.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2008-02-12 14:32
"....Additionally, my lamp construction plans would be non-destructive, and in the future we could dismantle the lamp and use the clarinet."
Love it!
"In case of a musical emergency, break glass!"
B.
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Author: Chris22311
Date: 2008-02-12 14:43
Didn't the girl who started this thread mention ALTO clarinet? Not much of a donation there!
Chris
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-02-12 21:37
Yes, I often think about the former players of old clarinets and wonder about the stories they could tell. But making lamps out of clarinets always makes me recall the serial killer in Wisconsin years ago who made lamp shades out of his victims' skin. I guess an Alto would have to become a floor lamp but I can't shed any light on how to make one.
Bob Draznik
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Author: sbrodt54
Date: 2008-02-12 22:39
I've transformed three bassoons into lamps in the past few years and it worked pretty well but I have a complete shop at my fingertips. I know there are folks that get dizzy thinking about turning musical instruments into lamps but the instruments I used were no longer usable in any way as musical instruments so they continue a nice life as a light to someone's teaching studio.
Getting the alto clarinet to stand up and be steady will require more than a screw into a wooden base but using epoxy to keep the joints together works pretty well. Most of the parts you need to create the lamp part can be found almost anywhere (craft store, Lowe's..) but making a lamp like this that's safe to use is a much bigger concern. Please do not attempt it unless you have some experience working with electrical appliances or a working knowledge of how other "approved" electrical appliances function properly and safely. There are places that will take your clarinet and make a lamp out of it for you and they do a pretty good job. I think there's one in South Carolina and they also ONLY use instruments that are totally unusable as musical instruments.
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2008-02-13 14:11
Clarinets are easy to convert to a lamp by putting a length of threaded lamp rod from the base through the clarinet to the mouthpiece end where a standard lamp fixture is attached. Mine is an old Henry Gunckel (Paris) metal clarinet that was under $50 (my limit) from a local newspaper ad. If you take the lamp apart the clarinet will be in the same sad shape it was when purchased.
You could do the same thing with an alto clarinet without the bell, but it would be a tall table lamp.
I also made a lamp from a 1950's Olds cornet where the third valve stem operates the on/off switch. Needless to say, making electrical connections inside a metal horn was a concern, so the inside of the valve was insulated and I used a grounded (3 wire) cord.
I did take that cornet to an instrument repairman before the project to make sure it was not a hidden gem. He said I would be doing music a favor by making a lamp out of it.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-02-16 20:15
If you insist on making lamps out of instruments, could you at least use an energy-saving bulb?
(In my book, "lamp" is a lame synonym for "inability to either repair or play" an instrument. "Instrument", not "Instrument Shaped Object", nota bene)
--
Ben
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Author: CrystalClear7
Date: 2008-02-23 00:40
I'm sorry to anyone who took offense to me making a lamp out of an alto clarinet, but this thing is WORTHLESS. Seriously unrepairable and perfect to light up my room. : )
-Crystal
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Author: lrooff
Date: 2008-02-25 19:46
What needs to be kept in mind is that no matter how much the need for instruments for schools and other programs, there are some instruments which are either beyond repair or are such horrible instruments that they should never have been sold in the first place. (Look at the multi-colored plastic Chinese Bb clarinets and Indian Albert-system clarinets sold on ebay for examples of the latter.) It doesn't do a school any favor to give them an instrument which will cost more for repair than it's worth in the first place or one which is just plain worn out.
<short rant begins here...> And think about the effect of a hard-to-play instrument on a new musician. It can be very discouraging. When I resumed playing in our community band last year after a 40-year hiatus, I was getting very discouraged with the difficulties I had maintaining good tone quality, preventing squeaks and breaks in the upper register. No problem with fingerings, but I was getting a crappy sound despite lots of practice. Last week, a sales rep from a music company visited our rehearsal and brought with him a display of instruments, accessories and reeds. I tried out a new Buffet R-13, and was shocked to discover that my problem wasn't me... it really was the instrument that was making me sound bad. I was getting a beautiful sound from the R-13. The guy who sits next to me was listening and commented, "Wow! I didn't realize you were so good!" It's got to be just as important for a student to be able to get a good sound from the horn, especially if he's never played a nice instrument and doesn't know his potential ability. I wonder how many cheap clarinets have discouraged people with real potential from continuing? <end of rant...>
If you have a particular attachment to a worn-out instrument -- I'm in that situation, currently replacing my 60-year-old Selmer N-series clarinet -- then there are also alternatives such as polishing, cleaning and shining it up and putting it in a glass-fronted shadow box for display.
Making a lamp of a straight-bore instrument isn't a destructive process, though, as it only involves slipping the lamp rod through the center of the bore and securing it so it doesn't slip around. Taking the lamp apart would leave you with the instrument in the same condition as when you put it together.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-02-25 23:00
blazian wrote:
> Wouldn't it be interesting to have a florescent light straight
> through a clarinet? Do they make bulbs that thin?
FS: CLARINET WITH BUILT-IN LEAK LIGHT. GREAT PLAYER. $999 OBO
![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
--
Ben
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-02-27 14:48
My brother-in-law's father made one for me (but unbeknowst to me).
Student's love it. Additionally, it sheds light.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: jaydee2167
Date: 2008-02-27 16:11
Mariner High School, here in Everett, WA., is in dire need of instruments-- the school levy failed!!!!
Any of you who plan to make clarinet lamps-- pleeez, don't-- send the instruments to me, I'll pay the shipping!!!
We have an ex-repairman in the Band Boosters who will try to make them playable...and he did not laugh at my flea-market b-flat!!
jd
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Author: brodie8660
Date: 2008-02-27 17:49
hello, I sure did not realize what a controvery there is regarding clarinet lamps. I am hoping that you might help me make my worthless clairnet into a lamp. I would Like to give this to my nephew for his birthday 3/7. I saw it shown briefly on one of these do it yourself shows. I just thought it was a fun idea. They stated you need a light kit. I'm sure there is more to it than that. I appreciate any help you might give me. Thanks Tina
208 631-4946
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Author: brodie8660
Date: 2008-02-27 23:01
Can you offer me some help in converting an oldie but not a goodie? Tina
208 631-4946
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Author: Lee
Date: 2008-02-28 13:34
Simple solution -- use only HP instruments. They would be useless in a school or ensemble situation.
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The Clarinet Pages
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