 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kimber
Date: 2011-02-08 21:21
I have an older intermediate Buffet that really plays just fine and has been probably averagely maintained over the years - I am not the original owner. I recently got to briefly play on a much nicer Buffet whose keys moved like 'butter' under my fingers...like there were no keys there at all. Not really knowing much about what makes keys move better or worse...is it at all possible that a good overhaul would get my keys moving like that or would I be just tossing money at little improvement?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-02-08 22:57
Once all the pillars are secured, key barrels swaged for a good fit between pillars, all the point screws fitted properly, plus balancing the spring tension and the lot being properly repadded and a good choice of silencing materials used, then it should feel just as good under the fingers - if not better - than a new clarinet.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-02-09 00:47
Kimber -
How long since you put key oil on the moving joints? If they're dry, a tiny drop at each junction can make a dramatic improvement.
Ken Shaw
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2011-02-09 04:47
Whether a (good) overhaul will do this depends on the reason it feels the way it does.
If it's the fit of the keys, that's possible to fix. If it's the linkage materials, possible to change (and if the one you liked was a new Buffet with original materials, much better ones than those are possible to use). If it's lack of oil, it's usual to oil with a repad. If it's the pads not sitting as level as they can be, also fixed in a good repad. If it's linkage design usually possible to improve (but sometimes tricky). etc.
If it's something like the position of the keys, some are possible to improve and some are unrealistic to change. If it's the spring tension, that's possible to improve a lot sometimes, it depends on what the springs are like now, using better quality/thickness/material springs. But spring design also affects this, like length of needle springs which is sometimes possible to change but can add significantly (i.e. changing a cradle position). Flat springs also depend on length, shape, etc. The shape and weight of a key can also affect this. etc.
I've seen many clarinets where repairs would dramatically change the feel of the keys for the better. I've seen some clarinets that had some issues that weren't realistic to fix (e.g. a too short spring which was already as long as possible). So the first thing IMO is to identify why it doesn't feel as good, then see what is required to fix it, then decide if it's worth it to you.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-02-09 13:45
When I've bought used clarinets with sluggish-feeling keys, often I find that the key oil around the screws has become gummy and dirty over the years. Someone may have used the wrong type of oil, too. I once encountered some sludgy black stuff that couldn't have been key oil. It looked like axle grease. It doesn't help to re-oil the keys if they're already all clogged up with gunk.
To clean up whatever the mess might be, I take the keys off the clarinet and run a pipe-cleaner with key-oil on it back and forth through all of the screw holes, and also twirl it in the holes, to clean out the threads. (Use the all-soft kind of pipe cleaner, not the type with the wire bristles, which can do damage.) I clean the screws with a pipe-cleaner, too. I keep clipping the tip off the pipe cleaner as it gets dirty. The metal is clean when the pipe cleaner stays clean. Then re-oil. Often that's all I need to do to make the keys function smoothly again.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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