 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sabster
Date: 2011-02-17 03:36
Hi everybody.
I've only recently started playing my clarinet after discontinuing it 3 years ago.
I used to play it in my early years of high school for about a year and a half and enjoyed it alot.
I was wondering if any of you experts can tell me if my 'investment' would be wise or not.
I currently own a Boosey & Hawks Regent clarinet with a somewhat unknown serial number (#423250).
The mouthpiece it came with was horrible, so I've replaced it with my Vandoren B45 and it plays considerably smoother.
My clarinet is made of a plastic material, and I was wondering what would happen if I replaced my Boosey & Hawks lower/upper joint with a wooden piece (specifically, an Buffet R13 upper/lower joint).
Will customizing my clarinet in this way actually fit/work? and if so, will the clarinet play any better?
I'm specifically trying to replace my lower joint because there's a very very tiny leak that I've spotted. I cant decide if I should just hand it in to somebody for a quick fix + clean, or spend around the same amount of money on a complete different (pro) lower piece joint.
Thanks guys.
P.S, I have actually found a seller whom is selling his refurbished Buffet R13 lower joint piece for about $200-$250 USD.
Post Edited (2011-02-17 03:39)
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2011-02-17 04:21
IMO, it's not advisable to do this. I'd get the leak fixed unless it's leaking from the plastic being chipped. In that case, I'd get a used Yamaha YCL20 or the like for the $200-$250.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2011-02-17 04:31
I've never tried it, but most likely a B&H upper joitn and a Buffet R13 lower joint wouldn't work at all together.
The lower joint you found is very low price but you say fixing the leak would cost about the same?! What sort of leak is it that would cost more than $200 to fix?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-02-17 04:35
You can't really mix-n-match different make joints without encountering some tuning problems due to tonehole positions, joint and tenon lengths and bore sizes. If you want a part plastic/part wood clarinet and you've got a Regent, then you can mix the joints with an Edgware, Emperor or Imperial 926 as they have the same bore, tenon lengths and tonehole layout as a Regent.
You could take plastic top joint oboes as an example and use a plastic top joint and barrel with a wooden lower joint and bell for outdoor use - but in all honesty you're better off sticking to what you've already got and get it repaired as Regents of this era are made from very hard and dense plastic which will take readily to tonehole chips being repaired with epoxy or any other plastic filler.
As for your serial number being 'somewhat unknown', it was made in 1974.
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clsnBH.htm
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-02-17 10:46
And get some prices on the quick fix. If it IS a tiny leak and that's about it, you can probably find something cheaper than 200 dollars. Do some comparison shopping on the service for your instrument.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-02-17 11:44
If you do decide to replace a joint on your clarinet (but I agree with other people who advise against doing this), then it would be a good idea to keep the original joint. Make sure it's stored in a way that will keep it in good condition. If want to sell the instrument later, you'd have trouble selling a "marriage" of mixed parts from different brands.
Most married clarinets can't be made to play in tune with themselves. The ratio of barrel length to the upper stack and bell length to the lower stack varies from one manufacturer to another. The exact placement of the center joint in relationship to the keys varies. The placement of the keys varies so much that, for instance, the bridge between upper and lower stacks may need an expensive alteration to function at all in a marriage. Bore dimensions vary and the diameter of the bore does affect the intonation.
There are so many of these variables that more often than not, those marriages desperately need a divorce. I'm an amateur and not pretending to be an expert, but I can tell you from many years of buying and re-selling or giving away used instruments that when I see a clarinet for sale that's a marriage, I move right along without even bothering to look at the price tag.
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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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-02-17 17:53
If you mean your clarinet has leaks in that the majority of the pads are shot, then it will be worth having it fully overhauled so it plays like new (and that's a complete stripdown and rebuild). And with plastic clarinets being plastic clarinets, they can always end up playing as good as - if not better - than new.
Worth having repadded with cork pads almost throughout (with leather pads in the four large pad cups) as they will seal against plastic toneholes very well (plastic toneholes rarely have imperfections that need filling in unless they've been damaged), cork pads will last far longer than skin or some leather pads, they'll withstand water damage and won't rip or tear causing leaks. That's all provided all the preparation has been done (with the clarinet and the cork pads themselves) and they're all seated properly.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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