 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sdr
Date: 2008-09-19 00:50
I just got my new Galper register tube and key from David Blumberg today. It took about 30 seconds to install and performed as advertised. Two thumbs up.
I especially want to complement David on his customer service. We had a snafu when the key I ordered was paid for with PayPal and an old (VERY old) address was inadvertently supplied to David and he shipped the key there. Despite my best efforts to track down the key-gone-astray, it had disappeared somewhere in the belly of the U.S. Postal system (remember that scene at the end of Indiana Jones and Ark of the Covenant?). Anyway, David was more than understanding. He tried hard on his end to help locate the wayward shipment. In the end, he sent me another key! Hopefully the first one will find its way home to him, but he did not inflict the wait on me, the customer. Nice touch! Nice guy! Nice product!
Thanks, David!
-sdr
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-09-19 13:02
Thanks Doc!
Goofy thing was that it was sent Priority Mail with package tracking too. It tracked to the original shipping address and again back to the post office so confirmed that the Post Office has it (been a month now) somewhere.........
They aren't sure just where....
Maybe it will come back in time for Christmas 
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: William
Date: 2008-09-19 14:40
I would assume that this mechanizm works for both Bb & A Buffet soprano clarinets, but just to remove all doubt......does it???
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Author: William
Date: 2008-09-19 18:57
Too bad. My R13 Bb is already pretty good (at least, with venting), it is the R13 A Bb that is my problem note.
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2008-09-19 19:21
DavidBlumberg wrote:
>> They are for Bb only. >>
But surely, there's no reason why they shouldn't be made for the A clarinet as well?
Isn't it just a question of lengths? I have one that Abe sent me, and it seems to me that it would be a simple matter to extend it by soldering an extra bit of metal between the pivot and the cup and perhaps modifying the touchpiece.
The IDEA applies to both instruments.
Tony
Post Edited (2008-09-19 19:25)
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-09-19 19:26
A repairman can make you a regular Register Key (if they are good with that kind of thing). One of the things that the Galper Vent does (according to Abe) is to even out the upper register.
I once heard that it helped a player get more right notes, but that's only because he spent more time practicing to justify spending the $ on it 
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-09-19 19:32
The key would be easy enough, but the tube is another story as it's not the same (according to Vince M.)
I actually had to modify it to fit the post 300K as all Abe had left were the pre 300K. Was easy to do and works wonderfully (just had to have Vince shave down the screw hole which isn't threaded anyway and there was lots of room to do it. Also had to shave slightly the tube outside so that it would fit comfortably in the post 300k models.
If somebody wants to remove and measure both to compare - let me know what ya get.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: mrn
Date: 2008-09-19 21:21
Interesting...The Galper vent tube looks like it's sort of a cross between the Buffet vent tube and what my old Leblanc Dynamique (which I don't own anymore) had. The Leblanc didn't have much (if any--my memory is kind of fuzzy) tubing extending into the bore, but what it did have was a little metal "button" extending out of the instrument (sort of like the Galper vent, but without the tube).
I played on the Leblanc from age 9 to age 13 (it was my first instrument), so I didn't even know people had these long vent tubes in their instruments until my parents bought me an R-13 and shortly thereafter I got the swab stuck in the bore (at region band auditions, if I remember correctly). In a single instant, I became suddenly aware of why people paid money for those fancy silk swabs.
I've always been curious if "tubeless" vents like I had on my old instrument were common in those days (my Leblanc had a three digit serial number--673 (don't ask me how I can remember this)--so it must have been made around 1950, I guess), or if it was a weirdness associated with Leblancs, or if I possible had bought an instrument that had had its own register vent modification--something akin to the Galper vent--done to it.
Back on the subject of the Galper tube itself, I pulled the patent for it (#5,241,890) just for fun. It looks like Abe Galper himself at least gave some consideration to making different-sized models (perhaps for A & Bb instruments, or instruments of different make and models), because the patent claims are drafted in terms of rather large (but nonetheless specific) ranges of dimensions.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-09-20 11:20
Just happened to google and found a website similar to yours,David, which even mentions the price. And the key itself is reminiscent of Tom's near the T H.
Bob Draznik
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-09-20 12:49
Cindy Field was a big fan of Galper's key and made a tribute page - same instructions as are on my page.
I've always had the price of the key set on my page (it's the last thing actually - $165) so not sure what you meant Bob. Her page is 10 years old (1998) so yeah, the price went up from $150.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
Post Edited (2008-09-20 12:51)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-09-20 20:10
Thanks David, guess I didn't go to the bottom of your page. The price makes your customer service story even more impressive.
Bob Draznik
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-09-21 10:11
>> Too bad. My R13 Bb is already pretty good (at least, with
>> venting), it is the R13 A Bb that is my problem note.
William, I had a lot of excahnges about register tubes with several other players and repaireres. I received this information from Tim Clark, who AFAIK is not only a repairer but a good clarinetist, and worked for Buffet for a while in the past:
"As for the tube in the Buffet R-13 A, I have found that an RC Bb tube,
reamed to 2.8mm and then flared to 3.0mm at the outside opening seems
to be the best compromise to get rid of the "grunt" on A above the
staff. It's not perfect, but works better than a stock tube or R-13 Bb
tube in most cases."
I haven't try that specifically and you can see he doesn't mention the throat Bb but only the "grunt" of the clarion A, but maybe it's worth trying anyway.
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