 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-06-29 19:47
Dear Boarders:
As one completely in love with the Yamaha CSG it is only in the spirit of that admiration that I pass on my experience with the Luciene Deluxe pads that may save someone heartache down the line.
Those of you with these horns are aware of the fact that there are little resonator buttons at the center of EVERY pad on the horn. My reason for loving this design is that they make the pad as perfectly flat as any bladder pan can be which makes them seal better than any other bladder pad I have seen (or leather for that matter).
PROBLEM:
As they wear (mine are two years down the road with many hours of daily wear) it is possible for the bladder itself to begin failing from the center, under the button. In other words the felt will begin taking in moisture at the center of the pad, bulging them out of shape and the bladder will begin to tear from the center, out (rather than just at the crease where they actually seal around the hole).
The upshot is that this is much harder to see unless you take the keys off (or know of this possible failure upfront). It is also quickly catastrophic as I found out just before a gig.
I still love the pads BUT would say if you have any that are mostly brown in color from moisture (PARTICULARLY THE SIDE TRILLS) , change them out for new.
Of course cork is really the BEST option, but for those of you that prefer the "silence" of bladder, Luciene Deluxe are great if you keep them under a certain mileage!!!
...............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-06-29 20:24
Lucien Deluxe doesn't have resonators nor rivets.
(in fact, none of Pisoni's clarinet pads do, not even the biggest bass clarinet pads, and the sax pads are only made of leather)
--
Ben
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-06-30 02:11
Yamaha had determined that these little plastic "buttons" aid in the dispersion of sound both by their size and by the final choice of material.
Now, much like their claim about the Hamilton plating having an affect on the sound, I do not really stand ready to say that the butttons in and of themselves are key to ANY improvement in sound. HOWEVER, the design of their placement at the center of the pad makes the pad perfectly flat (unlike the natural ballooning of a standard pad. Since they are the ONLY bladder pads as flat as cork and since both they and cork seal beautifully, I am led to believe that flatness is the key to a good seal and reflectivity of sound.
For those of you who have not seen the CSGs and don't believe that they have buttons, feel free to contact Mr. Mike Lutely of Yamaha.
................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mnorswor
Date: 2008-06-30 03:02
Hi Paul,
I believe that these pads have buttons but they are, in fact, installed by Yamaha and not made by Pisoni, the maker of the Lucien Deluxe pads. Yamaha takes the Luciens and alters them with the aforementioned resonator.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-06-30 03:11
In my Music Center catalogue the only clarinet pad with rivets are the LP-GORE pads but I'm not sure if this catalogue really has everything they offer.
Are you sure the pads on Yamaha are made by Music Center? I hagven't seen many but one I remember didn't have Music Center pads, but it wasn't one of the top models.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-06-30 12:06
I would welcome a run with the UNALTERED Pisoni pads at some point but I think the next repadding for me will be cork.
..............Paul Aviles
PS For those of you familiar with the standard Lucien Deluxe, are they still very very flat through their useful life?
Post Edited (2008-06-30 12:08)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: gwie
Date: 2008-07-01 05:26
Had the Brannens repad both my CSG's with their cork (upper) and regular (lower). Haven't noticed much of a difference from the original pads, honestly (although they instruments do play much better now than they did fresh out of the box).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-07-01 12:51
I concur that a Brannenized horn should be the very best, and also that the Lucien Deluxe in good condition seal as well as cork.
My experience with the Yamaha "out of the box" was VERY positive, to include the spring tensions which is another thing that Brannen adjusts so well.
I think this is where my horns will go soon.
................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cigleris
Date: 2008-07-02 21:08
I was sent today a CSG Yamaha with the Eddie Ashton Superpads. Eddie sent me this because I wanted to try a clarinet with them as i'm thinking of having them on mine due to various recommendations.
I was wondering about the pads and the original ones that were replaced because I found the instrument rather stuffy and prone to 'squeaking' due to the instrument not sealing, this could be me as it's not my type of instrument. I think the clarinet is brand new as the key work is quite stiff but I wondered if anyone here who plays these instruments founds this in the beginning with the original pads? I play on Eaton Elites by the way.
Peter Cigleris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2008-07-02 22:35
Try putting some clingfilm temporarily over the pads to see if this changes the response. I'm not sure that terminating the toneholes with foam rubber is going to do a lot for the acoustic response. Regular skin pads have a much smoother surface and if properly fitted are also 100% airtigth.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-07-03 05:37
Peter, do you have leather pads on your Eaton or one of the other pads they offer? Mine has the "sponge" pads (not sure how else to call them) which I think are mostly similar to Superpads except they don't have the resonators. They are the quietest pads (I actually prefer the slight "pop" of bladder pads). They seal great with a light touch, but since they are soft so they can relatively easily press more than necessary. Now I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me but I think I prefer bladder pads more overall (though not important enough to change, and I can't see these pads lasting less than a ridiculously long time, until they disintegrate). BTW these pads are never sticky, while the one bladder pad and two leather pads I have on the same clarinet are sometimes a little sticky, but consider I never clean the clarinet in any way other than swabing the bore.
Post Edited (2008-07-03 07:10)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2008-07-03 05:50
I have it on good authority that Music Center (formerly Pisoni) make a huge variety of pads - far more models than listed in their catalogue. If you order enough, you can ask for any spec you wish.
I also have it on good authority that any words printed on the back do not mean a lot. Differently specified models can have the same printing on the back.
I guess Yamaha could well have ordered this resonator-ed spec from Music Center.
Thanks, Paul, for alerting us to this problem.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-07-03 07:17
>> have it on good authority that Music Center (formerly
>> Pisoni) make a huge variety of pads - far more models
>> than listed in their catalogue.
Me too. The good authority I have is... I have ordered things that are not the same as what's in their catalogue  I didn't order much so it just cost me much more than a a pad supplier. I gave up ordering from them only because it was actually more expensive than one of their suppliers and it took a very long time.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cigleris
Date: 2008-07-03 12:21
Carnibass
I do currently have leather pads on my Eatons. They have been there since I bought them in 2001.
Would you recommend the Superpads?
Peter Cigleris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D Dow
Date: 2008-07-03 15:26
The pads which come set up on the Yamaha are very nice indeed...I found my A and Bb clarinets played extremely well with excellent altissimo as well. That would certainly not be the case with any R13 with a normal factory set up from France.
I think the superpads are superb and have my Bb and A R13 clarinets set up with them to great results. I am now looking into having superpads put on the YSG Yamaha clarinets I also own. I will let you know the results when I am done.
David Dow
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cigleris
Date: 2008-07-04 00:18
David, i wonder, how do your R13s play with Eddie's pads and how do they compare? I must say that the Yamaha plays a lot nicer than when I got it. A student of mine played the Yamaha and loved it.
Peter Cigleris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-07-04 07:06
Peter, like I said, I can't recommend (or not recommend) the Superpads because I haven't tried them. I have what I think are pads that feel like Superpads except they don't have resonators. I could be wrong about this though. If they are, I can say they are quieter than all known types of pads (cork, leather, bladder). They also never stick or even make that sticky sound without actually sticking that (especially) leather and even some bladder pads can do. They are softer so feel a little different, might feel strange to you (at least at first). All these things could be advantages or disadvantages depending on what you prefer.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
