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Re: Fobes Barrel too tight

Author: Clark W Fobes
Date: 2008-06-11 02:14

Yikes!

I did not intend to set off an entire string on adjusting barrels. AND perhaps it was not good advice for me to suggest sanding the joint on your own, because not all of us have the same sensitivity or skill levels.

The adjustment is quite simple when one has a lathe and I do this almost every day as part of the final adjustment of the barrel joint.

I have made two testers that match my 2007 Buffet R-13. One we use in the shop to test the barrel joints as they come off the lathe. The other I keep in my studio and test the barrels for fit on that before I play test them on my new instrument. I can adjust them at this time if necessary.These are slightly large for my 1976 vintage R-13, but I assume that over time that tenon has a worn a bit. My barrel tenons have a very slight taper near the large end and can be opened slightly to accommodate slightly larger BUFFET tenons. The industry is fairly standard across the board with OD tenon dimensions, so my barrels fit the common popular models such as Leblanc, Yamaha and Selmer. The newer Selmer models (Signature and Recital) have slightly longer tenons and i am correcting for this in my next run of Selmer barrels. The older Selmers like the Series 9, Series 10 and Centered Tones all have very similar dimensions to Buffet.

Over many years of playing and making barrels, one of the minor repair issues that has bothered me the most is a loose barrel joint where it meets the clarinet. Not only is it irksome to have the barrel suddenly move when you are playing, but I am convinced that the clarinet and barrel respond better when the joints match up properly. I also like the mouthpiece to be absolutely snug in the barrel with now "wobble". I achieve this by applying a cork on the mouthpiece that extends the full length of the tenon. This works particularly well in the case of bass clarinet mouthpieces.

I doubt if most people realize that I play test every barrel and every pro mouthpiece. It is part of the art. Even though I have a "formula" for my barrels that I follow pretty closely I allow for small differences that give each barrel a slightly different character. It would be a rather uninteresting world if we all wanted exactly the same thing and all wanted to play with the same sound!

Clark

Clark W Fobes - Clarinet & Saxophone Products

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