 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinet60
Date: 2010-03-22 15:42
Question for the expert techs: what is the optimal height for the register key pad on a Buffet R-13 (if there is one)? Thanks.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-03-22 15:45
Give it 2.5mm venting to be on the safe side - any less than 2mm venting and your throat Bb will suffer.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarinet60
Date: 2010-03-22 16:23
Would being open more than 2.5mm cause sharpness in any particular notes?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-03-22 17:01
No - the diameter and shape of the speaker tube will have more effect on pitch stability than the venting. The amount of venting will affect the tone quality, so it's best having more (sufficient) venting than hardly any.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-03-22 17:10
Go for a minimum of 2mm and maximum of 2.5mm (on all soprano clarinets) - anywhere in between that should be alright.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2010-03-22 17:21
A good standard to use is a US nickel which measures 1.95 mm in thickness.
It should easily fit in the opening between the pad and the register key hole.
...GBK
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-03-22 17:28
What a shame it'll be when coins become obsolete and we'll only have credit/debit cards.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-03-22 19:12
If you have no coins, the thickness of three (preferably four) credit/debit cards will work.
I am SURE you have three or four credit/debit cards! ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-03-23 02:27
I've been advised to allow the register key to open just far enough to work. watch/listen for the long B to get stuffy.
I've also been told that the register key pad (cork) should have its edges chamfered so that it becomes cone-shaped with the end that seals the register vent just large enough to cover the hole.
These adjustments make the clarinet more responsive and reduce stuffiness.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-03-23 14:58
I always bevel speaker key pads instead of leaving them completely flat - once the pad has been seated I trim around it with a razor blade to get the basic shape, then finish it off with either a pumice block or emery paper to smooth it all down.
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/galleryclar/Keywork/CP2/24.jpg
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Philcoman
Date: 2010-03-23 15:12
And if you have more than three credit/debit cards, you might want to cut a few of them, too! :-)
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2010-03-23 15:38
Why use credit cards???
I take the measurement using 18 layers of hundred dollar bills- unfolded, of course.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-03-23 15:42
$100 bills are exactly the same size as $1 bills, so for $18 you'll still get the same venting as you'd get with $1800.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2010-03-24 01:07
"$100 bills are exactly the same size as $1 bills, so for $18 you'll still get the same venting as you'd get with $1800."
No, no- it will sound much richer if you use hundred dollar bills.
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Author: jparrette
Date: 2010-03-24 01:43
Just use your Social Security Card, driver's license and your government health care card. That should be about 2.5mm.
I measured a nickel at 1.78mm. Not thick enough. My register key opens 3mm, and works great. I think 2.5mm is a good minimum.
John Parrette
CLARION MUSICAL SERVICES
john@clarionmusical.com
914-805-3388
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2010-03-24 07:52
Can't you just take the butt of a reed? It has just the right thickness. Else you can still sand it down a notch. ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
--
Ben
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Author: mrn
Date: 2010-03-24 17:27
I had to lower the register key height on my R-13 A because my upper clarion notes (especially A) were a bit unstable and tended to grunt easily. I just added a little extra cork to the key and that cleared it up nicely.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-03-24 19:09
You can always bend the speaker key to adjust the venting - but with all keywork bending, bend it carefully.
Yamaha suggest in their repair manual to increase the venting you hold the speaker key open (with your thumb on the tip of the touchpiece) and give the touchpiece a sharp (and well directed) tap with a rawhide mallet in between your thumb and the key barrel (similarly with the throat G# key) to bend it.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2010-03-25 09:36
On some instruments, less robust than Yamaha, that knock with the mallet may be enough to put a slight banana shape in the hinge rod and tube.
I prefer to lever the key up, just back from the key cup, while at the same time applying about half that force down on the hinge tube with my other thumb. That greatly reduces any likelihood of making that hinge tube bend and jam.
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Author: Chris J
Date: 2010-03-25 10:28
"Can't you just take the butt of a reed? It has just the right thickness. Else you can still sand it down a notch.
--
Ben"
Great idea, Ben!
Saved from the "glue spreader" pile....
Chris
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2010-03-25 18:52
clarinet60 wrote:
>"Would being open more than 2.5 mm cause sharpness in any particular notes"?<
Yes, on the older R-13s you do not want the register key pad higher than 2 mm as it cause sharpness in the upper clarion (A2–C3). By using cone-shaped register vent pad it can be set as close as 1.5 mm without making the throat Bb terribly noisy and it's a good solution to lowering the upper clarion notes a few cents.
Vytas Krass
Clarinet Repair
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
Post Edited (2010-03-25 23:09)
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-03-25 21:32
I just tried Vytas Krass's register key adjustment on a '60's Buffet A, and was able to get the thumb C down about 6-cents before making the long B stuffy, and the pinch Bb was still OK.
Bob Phillips
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2010-03-25 23:36
Chris J wrote:
> Saved from the "glue spreader" pile....
Kewl. I like it!
There are so many second uses for worn equipment!
--
Ben
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