 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SVClarinet09
Date: 2009-02-25 22:13
I've owned my current clarinet going on to three years now. It came from the factory with leather pads. I have a feeling the pads might need to be changed soon because two years is a long time. The clarinet would hit the shop every few months or so for a check up but I feel an overhaul might be needed, especially since I just got accepted in to school for music. Should I send the clarinet away to someone? Should I buy Valentino Greenbacks and install them myself? Or, should I take it to the shop I have been taking my instruments for 6 years now?
Another quick question..
I have a screw in the LH Pinky keys that is too short and I can't seem to get it out. I searched on here but got somethings that weren't right on and I wasn't sure if I should mix and match my search answers. How would I best be able to get it out?
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2009-02-25 22:24
To a large extent pad life depends on amount and conditions of use. For many people good leather pads can last for many years, however for a pro playing 6 hours a day they may want them changed every one or two years, though I've seen many pro instruments last for very much longer than that.
Another point is that all pads do not necessarily wear at the same rate and often only a few need replacement.
Take your instrument to a trusted tech for an honest opinion.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-02-25 22:38
Is this a soprano clarinet? Don't often see leather pads on the higher instruments.
I wouldn't recommend installing the pads yourself unless you're really experienced, or you don't mind the horn being out of commission for a while. There's a lot that goes into padding that you're likely to miss on your first try.
Unless some of them are problematic, I don't think you'd gain much by replacing them.
I'd take it to a reputable tech to get it looked at and possibly overhauled. Not knowing how good the shop you've been taking them to is (there can be a HUGE difference in quality between shops), I don't know where I'd recommend taking it, other than shipping it somewhere. If you're not experiencing any problems, I might even recommend waiting until you start music school and asking your teacher who the good techs are in your area.
You say you have it in every few months, which seems a bit often to me. What kind of work do you get done?
About the screw, what are you doing with a screw that is too short?
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: SVClarinet09
Date: 2009-02-25 22:51
When I mean every few months, it hits the tech every 6months, or 2x a year. Last time I took it for a real look was June of 08 before I went to Governor's School. I took it once more in early November for a missing screw but that was a 2 second repair, but it usually goes 2x a year for a "playing condition". It does have two leaks that I just noticed and a two or three pads are ripped.
As for the screw, whenever I oiled my clarinet about a year and a half ago, I took off all the keys etc to wash the body and then oil it. I ended up putting a wrong screw in and now I can't get it out. I forgot the technical name for it but it's the post on the left side right under the C# F#/ E B Keys.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-02-25 23:08
Cool that you felt comfortable taking it apart... future tech perhaps...
That said, get it overhauled. Multiple leaks, ripped pads, at least two mismatched screws, and you've dis/re-assembled it yourself, which is likely to change the effects of a bunch of fine adjustments. There's bound to be a lot that an experienced tech can do to bring it to probably better playing condition than it's ever seen (new from the factory, they tend to be at about 80-90%).
Do ask around, though. If you're in NC as your IP address suggests, I don't know who's reputable around there (I know Los Angeles). Some techs will do an outstanding job on an overhaul. Others have a reputation of "You took it to ____? Yeah, now it will REALLY need an overhaul!"
If the tech can't get the screw out with a screwdriver, they may drill it out and replace it with a new one (or perhaps replace it with the proper screw when they find which key it's in now).
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2009-02-26 01:35
If you hadn't personally taken parts of the instrument apart, I would suggest that the instrument is probably far from needing an "overhaul".
I agree with those above that you should consult the best (and most honest) technician you can find to determine this. I really don't think there is anything wrong with your pads in three years if you have been taking care of the instrument and don't have acid for saliva.
It should be pointed out, however, that WHAT an "overhaul" entails is not universally agreed upon. When I think "overhaul" I expect a complete dismantling and rebuilding of the instrument from the bottom up, with the wood treated as well.
You might find this thread useful:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=224189&t=224189
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-02-26 02:31
I think Alex had the best idea when he suggested you wait until you get to school for any major work and ask your new teacher to recommend a tech. If there are pads that are actually torn, get them replaced by the best technician you have access to. I wouldn't recommend putting anything in yourself - seating a pad isn't rocket science, but unless you know what you're doing you can cause a bigger leak than you're trying to fix. If you change pad types (as from leather to Valentino) you may need to adjust clearances as well, something else that takes some experience to get right.
Unless the too short screw is binding or causing some other problem, I personally don't see a reason to do anything about it until you decide on a shop to check the whole instrument out. Absent any other problem, it will only matter when someone has to take the key off.
Karl
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2009-02-26 13:42
<< Is this a soprano clarinet? Don't often see leather pads on the higher instruments. >>
Leather pads are standard on some sop clarinets, eg Peter Eaton.
Regarding the screw...
A KEY has a pad on it. A LEVER (eg those left hand low ones) is linked to, and operates a key.
Which lever or key hinges on this screw?
What do you mean by too short? ...
Is the slotted end buried seemingly too far into the "pillar" that supports it?
Or does it not go far enough into the key, such that the key wobbles sideways?
Re the repad. Leather pads last a long time. If you try to change pads yourself, you are very likely to finish up with a clarinet that does not play. Pads need to be aligned with tone holes, by the installer, to an accuracy of around 0.001 or better". It is not an automatic process. Where keys are linked together, the adjustment of that linkage needs a similar accuracy, and it will be messed up when you change the pads. And Greenback pads can be more difficult to install reliably than regular pads.
May I suggest that there is probably far more to overhauling an instrument than you are aware of. The pads are only icing on the cake, and actually the relatively easy part. If you take it apart without a lot of awareness, then you are likely to be steadily making the instrument worse, eg by de-tensioning the spring on the G#/D# key (and others), damaging linkage corks, swapping point pivots, swapping pivot rods (which may be your screw problem, incidentally) etc.
Probably your clarinet just needs some adjustment attention by an expert, and to be left alone by your good self.
<< The clarinet would hit the shop every few months or so for a check >>
This seems mighty dodgy to me. It should go for a year, easily, if good work is being done.
<<I can't seem to get it [the screw] out. >>
Technicians use specialised screw drivers with more torque than jewellers ones. Many screws, if they are screwed in securely, as tehy should, may be difficult to free with a low torque screw driver.
Post Edited (2009-02-28 16:07)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-02-27 03:01
There's something wrong if you have to bring your clarinet into the shop every few months. Either your tech is not doing a good work or you're abusing your instrument. I play Bb, A and a bass clarinet constantly and usually bring them in once a year for a "check" up, you know, the five thousand mile check up like on your car. Usually all any of them may need is a pad or two replaced, though many times I go several years without having that done on any of them. Perhaps a spring adjusted or some other minor adjustment, a piece of cork or something. A good overhaul should last you at least five years and perhaps a lot longer if you have minor repairs or adjustments like that every year. I play my clarinets all the time and I go ten years between overhauls because I have all of them checked every year. This will vary with the amount of calcium you have in your saliva or acid in your fingers and of course how you care for your clarinet on an everyday basis. Oiling the keys twice a year reduces wear and tear; keeping the dust out of the keys helps reduce friction. Swabbing the bore and drying the pads as well as keeping the corks greased constantly keeps your instrument in top shape. Keeping the humidity controlled in your case and room is very important too. Of course being careful how you put it together and take it apart has a great deal to do with it as well, you don't want to bend any of the keys or knock them out of alignment. Take care of your tools and they will take care of you. ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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