 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: martinwwhiting
Date: 2010-03-05 02:23
Attachment: DSC_2969.JPG (750k)
My beautiful Buffet R-13 Vintage just developed a 2-3 inch long crack along the top of the upper joint. How can I prevent it from widening/ going to the bore? i.e how should I store it, should I humidify it, should I oil it etc.
Thanks
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2010-03-05 02:36
Take it to a tech ASAP. You don't need to do anything special in the meantime, but don't play it until a good repair person fixes it.
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Author: William
Date: 2010-03-05 14:23
Your "isp" says Madison, WI. If this is where you live, I highly recommend you take your clarinet to my favorite repairperson, Mary Jones, in the repair department of Ward Brodt Music Mall, right next to American on the Beltline. She will fix your crack and your clarinet will be just as good as when new.
I also recommend that you do not play your instrument until it has been repaired to prevent further spreading of the crack into the bore.
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Author: crnichols
Date: 2010-03-05 14:46
This instrument looks fairly new. Have you contacted Buffet or the dealer? You may be able to have this addressed by them at little or no cost.
Christopher Nichols, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor of Clarinet
University of Delaware
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-03-05 14:47
I've also heard that many techs say the crack will begin to close up on its own once you stop playing it. This makes the edges of crack harder to see, so you should mark the edges of the crack with a pencil now and then take it to the tech. DO NOT play it at all. You don't want the ctrack extending into a tonehole or into the bore.
Jeff
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2010-03-05 15:19
Looks like the crack already reaches the top trill tonehole.
Would recommend carbon band technique as best repair method and may also need a new tonehole insert in that trill position.
A good tech asap is the obvious advice
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Author: martinwwhiting
Date: 2010-03-05 15:47
Thanks all. Can I send it directly to Buffet USA and have them repair it? If so, how do I do this?
@William- yes I'm in Madison but I'd rather not take it to Ward-Brodt because they usually have a super long waiting time and I've had some unfavorable results in the past with their repair service (otherwise great store though)
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Author: Paul Miller
Date: 2010-03-05 17:00
All very good advice so far. As long as the crack doesn't get into the bore you're all good - and it's often better for weaknesses in the wood to be exposed sooner than later.
I had an R13 Prestige that developed a crack on the upper joint on both sides of the instrument and went almost halfway down the body of the horn... The instrument was about a year old when it happened, so it was broken in, but it was repaired under warranty. The horn now has 17 pins in it - over a foot of wire holding the stupid thing together. Fortunately the crack didn't go into the bore, and the instrument actually played better after the tech fixed it...
Has anyone had a change to experiment with that nano-scale glass spray as yet? I'd really like to know if it can protect instruments from rapid humidity changes.
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Author: William
Date: 2010-03-05 18:44
"I've had some unfavorable results in the past with their repair service"
I've been taking all of my pro clarinets to Mary Jones for more than 25 yrs--overhaul, minor key & cork adjustments, gold plating for one R13, barrel shortenings, just about anything repair related--and have NEVER had an unfavorable result that could not be quickly addressed during a followup visit. And most repairs, other than the gold plating & complete overhauls, took only a few days to accomplish. Often, minor adjustments were done to my satisfaction "on the spot"--and I don't think I receive special treatment that other customers do not. Sorry to hear about your past experiance--however, based on my past experiance, I must disagree with you accessment of Ward Brodt's service. I've always been well served and satisfied.
William
Beloit/Janesville Symphony Orchestra, Madison Municipal Band, Capitol City Band, Madison Wind Ensemble, Retro Swing Band, active sub list for Madison Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and Green Bay Symphony Orchestra.
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Author: GLHopkins
Date: 2010-03-05 19:26
William, I'm going to have to go along with someone not wanting to take this kind of repair to a shop where he wasn't pleased with previous results.
Martin, you might give these folks a call..
http://www.sarlettesmusic.com/
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Author: William
Date: 2010-03-05 20:37
GL--Sarlette Music in West Central Minnisota?? You've got to be kidding. It would be closer to travel to Chicago and visit the Brannens, who are considered by many to be the premier repair and reconditioning experts in the MidWest--although quite expensive & usually backed up with orders for work. However, to repair a simple crack, even one such as this that clearly extends into the first trill key tone hole, most trained technicians can perform the appropriate repair.
Martin--other stores I know of: White House of Music in Waukesha has an excellant repair facility as does Cascio Music in Berlington, near Milwaukee. There is also the smaller Melk Music near the fairgrounds in Milwaukee that specializes in Buffet clarinets and does repairs. But, for me and most of the woodwind players I know in the Madison area, Ward Brodt Music Mall cannot be outdone for quality of service and customer satisfaction. Mary Jones, at WB, is a graduate of Red Wing and specializes in clarinet repair. She has the training, the experiance and is my "go to" person when my Buffets--A, Bb, C or bass--need to be fixed.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-03-05 22:04
>>Thanks all. Can I send it directly to Buffet USA and have them repair it? If so, how do I do this?
Generally speaking, no. You take it to an authorized Buffet dealer (preferably where youi bought it) and they will handle the warranty issues, if the instrument is still in warranty.
If it isn't in warranty, it doesn't really matter where you take it, so long as you take it to someone competent.
As to the crack, the monitor I was using to view the photo was a little dim, and I didn;t notice that the crack had extended that far. Get it fixed pronto.
Jeff
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Author: GLHopkins
Date: 2010-03-05 22:10
Martin, if you aren't wanting to ship it off I'd talk with with some of the other clarinet players in your area and see who they might suggest. There are a few different methods of repair for this problem. Carbon fiber bands was mentioned. The cracks can also be pinned, filled, pinned and filled and the worst in my opinion is flush bands. There is talk that pinning can degrade the sound of the instrument. I haven't found that to be the case, but I'd find how the repair shop will repair the crack and get some feedback from others on here as to which way they might suggest. All of the above methods can work well. Francois Kloc of Buffet did a clinic on this for my shop a few years ago. He, at that time, said that Buffet recommended placing carbon fiber "hairs" down in the bottom of a crack and filling in on top of that with an epoxy. I've done a couple that way with no problems having the crack open back up again, but I'm not comfortable with it.
With regards to the shop you weren't happy with, it may not be a bad idea to go in and talk with them and voice your concerns. There may be have been a miscommunication or something else that kept you from getting the results your expected. They may be willing to bend over backwards to make you feel better about them. If they are close by it can't hurt to go by and see them. Who knows, you and they might be glad you went back.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2010-03-06 11:02
Do a search in this forum on the word "crack", or "split".
Some techs, myself included, believe from their growing anecdotal experience, that proper preparation, then filling a crack with low-viscosity cyanoacrylate glue, has pretty much made other repair processes obsolete for small cracks.
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