 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: macawlover
Date: 2008-10-28 17:30
Is anyone familiar with the brand "Easy Play"? I'm assuming that it's just a cheap brand , but I'm not sure. It's silver plated, and around 75 years old. I'm a french horn player, so I know nothing about clarinets. :P Thanks!
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-10-28 17:44
When you say "silver plated", do you mean:
1. The keys are silver plated, or
2. The body is metal, and is silver plated?
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Author: macawlover
Date: 2008-10-29 00:07
Sorry, I should've been more specific. The body is metal, and it's silver plated as well. The keys are silver plated too, I believe. When I bought it last week, the entire thing was brown spotted everywhere, so I spent 2 hours with some tarnish remover, and it looks amazing now! I bought it for $35, and apparently the it's really hard to get a note out of it (a clarinet player in our high school band tried it out for me). This is probably because the pads are really worn down, and the cork on the mouthpiece is gone.
When I brought it into the music store, the guy said that since it's so old, the pads would have to be custom fit, which would be really expensive! So I think it'll have to be a wall mount.
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Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2008-10-29 01:08
Wouldn't no cork on the mouthpiece cause serious leaks? I tried to play a clarinet with a mouthpiece without cork and very few notes would play.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-10-29 01:23
"When I brought it into the music store, the guy said that since it's so old, the pads would have to be custom fit, which would be really expensive!"
Take it to a dofferent store; they don't know what they are talking about.
With the aspect of the pads- there should be no difference in repair price due to the age of the clarinet.
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Author: Geirskogul
Date: 2008-10-29 02:44
maybe the store was simply not set up for a metal clarinet and the guy freaked out. If I had never, ever seen one before I would be, too, at first sight. You can measure the cups/pads yourself and order them piece-by-piece from places like musicmedic and others. It's not too expensive to do, too.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-10-29 02:51
As far as changing pads and mechanical regulation go, there is no difference in repair techniques between metal or wood.
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Author: Geirskogul
Date: 2008-10-29 04:07
Anywhoo, I still recommend ordering them one-by-one with measurements. Whenever I get a set of pads, or take a clarinet to get repadded, the tech/set always has an odd pad or two and I have/he has to get another single one. Better to get them right the first time by doing it yourself.
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Author: macawlover
Date: 2008-10-29 13:29
Thank you for the replies! I'll start searching online for places like musicmedic for pads.
Yeah, I'm sure that part of the reason why it's hard to play is due to the fact that there's no cork left, but I was told that even with new cork, it may not play very well. I guess there's just one way to find out, isn't there?
Thanks again, everyone!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-10-29 13:39
Have it repadded with leather pads. If you're ordering the pads, measure the INSIDE of the pad cups in mm.
The only reason why it will be difficult to play is if the pads are shot, the tenon corks are shot and if any solder joints are broken.
Having it overhauled is the only way to get it in top working order, and only when that's done can you assess how good an instrument it really is. I reckon if there aren't any hidden surprises that aren't easy to rectify (although most structural and mechanical problems can be dealt with by a competent tech), then it should be fine.
If the mouthpiece is a good one and in good condition (no chipped rails or warped table), then it's worth having recorked. If it's damaged, then you can always buy a new one (of which there are plenty to choose from).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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