 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: dtiegs
Date: 2011-03-31 03:35
Ok... so lately i've been asking questions about professional level clarinets. I've been reading some of the comments that i've been getting from this board, and it's got me thinking. Some people have said that the first pro-clarinet that (soon) i will buy won't be that last. My question is: How long is the average life span of a pro-clarinet? (considering that i will take care of it like a baby) Or do they simply mean that I will find better clarinets down the road of LIFE?
Thank You,
Dalton
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Author: Franklin Liao
Date: 2011-03-31 04:29
Some people feel that horns blow out, while others object by saying that it is the user that wishes to get something else. I don't think there is a right answer per se about this...
A professional clarinet is mechanically only restricted to the conditions of the pads and the keyworks, aside from cracking in operation. Some professional horns get overhauled once per year and they're good as new having come out of shop. Others I think are at worst, in need of occasional pad replacement, a few per year at most, depending on usage. Some horn may not see any need to replace pads for more than 3-4 years.
I do think that there will be better horns that will entice people into buying them. The market for Clarinets will increasingly move to non-entry level prosumer market in the western world and perhaps soon in the Orient. Within this market, there exists the urge to push for innovative products.
Let me be frank with my bias. I hold that the recent 'new horns' such as the Bliss and Cadenza to be superior to the Noblet of the past mechanically and in design. CNC manufacturing has gone to the point where the instruments are made a level of tolerance never seen hitherto.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-03-31 06:18
> Some people have said that the first pro-clarinet that (soon) i will buy won't
> be that last.
That probably wasn't directed at the lifespan of the instrument but rather at one's urge to hunt, gather and buy new toys.
> I hold that the recent 'new horns' such as the Bliss and Cadenza to be
> superior to the Noblet of the past mechanically and in design. CNC
> manufacturing has gone to the point where the instruments are made a
> level of tolerance never seen hitherto.
Yes, at the time of manufacturing. Wood is a natural product and subject to an afterlife, so to speak, and thus I think you will - despite CNC manufacturing - still see or hear variations between instruments of the same batch.
--
Ben
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2011-03-31 13:48
Since I was one of those on the other thread who suggested this instrument wouldn't be the last you'd buy, I will clarify at least for myself.
I meant to say that as you develop as a player your concepts of tone and expectations of response will probably change. What is a very serviceable instrument today will still be serviceable in 30 or 40 years (if well taken care of), but your goals and your needs may have changed many times, particularly if you actually succeed in making a career playing professionally. Also, clarinets are in a constant state of refinement. The best instruments of 25 years ago are still good instruments, but no longer state of the art. Besides, people who spend a lot of time using a specific tool sometimes just get a wanderlust and want to try something different even if they have no real complaint about the one they're using (this goes for mouthpieces, reeds and accessories of all kinds as well as instruments).
If you "take care of it like a baby" it will give you as many years of use as you ask of it. If you find something as you mature as a player that you like better, you can always sell it or keep it as a spare in case of emergency.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-03-31 18:48
A good clarinet can last you a life time if you take care of it. It's usually pros that "blow" out their clarinets after 20-40 years depending on the player. My A Buffet is 50 years old and better than new. I've changed the bell and barrel and it plays better than any new clarinet I've tried. It's probably because I don't play my A as much as my Bb which I didn't replace for about 40 years. Yes, I'm a pro. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: William
Date: 2011-03-31 19:11
Neither do I subscribe to the "blown out" clarinet theory asserting it is more often a case of the clarinetist changing rather than the instrument. Like EP, both of my performance clarinets are 1960's vintage Buffet R13s. They have been used extensively over the years and are now playing better than ever. My "newbi" is my Buffet Prestige low C bass clarinet which is only 10 yrs old and plays "just like new". I do take care of my clarinets--swabbing after each use, care to regulate temp changes, maintainance as needed (hardly ever a complete overhaul), etc. A good pro clarinet should last a lifetime--or two.........
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-03-31 21:01
I have worked on at least 2 Heckel bassoons that were 100+ years old and still being used professionally. I understand that most pro bassoonists would jump at a 1930's bassoon that has been extensively used in preference to a newer one.
It seems that bassoons don't blow out and yet the wood used in them is far less stable than blackwood!! (OK I know that so the upper bore is usually lined).
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-04-01 03:26
It is true that the bore of a clarinet can change over the years. Some may shrink, some may expand and worse, some may do one if one place or joint and the other in another place. If you take care of it and don't let it sit in extreme temperatures it should stay fairly stable, especially if played regularly. I have a Buffet Eb clarinet that is now over 50 years old and is as good a new, and I don't even play it often but I keep it in a reasonably stable environment. The large clarinets are less likely to have a problem. My bass clarinet is 45 years old and it's better than new. ESP
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-04-01 13:46
I think "How long do they last?" is an impossible question to answer in a general way, because there are so many variables. At the flea markets, I've seen extremely new clarinets in such bad condition that I'm not interested no matter how low the price. But I own clarinets more than a hundred years old that play beautifully. They've had good care in favorable (not too extreme) environments -- and good luck, too.
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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