Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-10-21 14:56
Violins use much less dense wood in their construction than clarinets - the bodies are maple, the soundboard and soundpost are spruce for tone and the fittings (pegs, fingerboard, bridge, saddle and tailpiece) are usually ebony for strength and wear resistance. The bridge is usually beech for strength and usually has an ebony inlay for the E string to prevent it cutting into the bridge.
Clarinets are made from very dense grenadilla due to the properties it offers, mainly for precision of machining and also dimensional stability of the finished product. But like all wood it is hygroscopic, so it will be affected far more by humidity changes than by temperature changes.
Plastics such as ABS, PVC and others aren't as dimensionally stable as grenadilla under temperature changes but are used in the manufacture of instruments, but there has to be a certain amount of end play designed into the keywork so the keys won't bind up when it's cold. Unlike wooden clarinets, humidity changes won't affect plastic clarinets.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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