 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-12-11 03:16
Hey everyone. So, lately I have felt that my Eb clarinet has been getting pretty resistant than it used to be. I've been using the same setup for well over a couple years now. But, as I go and try my other colleagues' Eb's, it seems like mine is just way to resistant for my liking. I've tried other mouthpieces but all seem inferior to my Greg Smith Eb mpc. New barrels don't cut it either. Now, a new instrument, or even used for that matter, is not an option for me financially. I have heard of repair techs offering re-boring and re-voicing such as Backun. However, I do not know of any others in the states, and his wait period is about a month and a half which is pretty long off. Are there other repairmen that can offer that type of service? How much does it usually cost give or take? Would you recommend that type of service. I understand completely that the instrument can be changed drastically from how it plays now if that is done. But, that's kinda the whole point in my view. Let me know what you think, and if you have any other info on repair technicians that can do this. Thanks.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2011-12-11 03:24
Well a lot of pros replace their horns after a few years, often for tuning stuffy notes, whatever the problem may be. Wood horns change a lot, more in different climate changes, such as the northern states. You can also have te mouthpiece checked out.
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-12-11 03:28
Bob, I forgot to mention that the clarinet is almost 30 years old. It was manufactured in 1983. It's an R13. And, it has played very well up to this point and still does, but it's pretty stuffy.
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Author: denkii
Date: 2011-12-11 05:05
That article is quite interesting... so in Backun's videos when he re-bored the tone holes was he essentially removing the plaque?
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-12-11 05:14
denkii wrote:
> That article is quite interesting... so in Backun's videos when
> he re-bored the tone holes was he essentially removing the
> plaque?
Assuming that you are talking about his video with Morales the answer is no. In that case he was re-reaming a tonehole that was out of round. To remove "plaque" you would need a tool that could clean out the undercut portion of the tonehole without altering the diameter of the cylindrical portion. A reamer would not be able to do this.
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Author: denkii
Date: 2011-12-11 05:18
Ah yes I was talking about that video haha. Thanks for clearing that up, then removing plaque doesn't seem like something so scary to do.
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-12-11 06:55
Where does one get this tool? Considering that last article mentioned was written over 11 years ago. Or, is it better just to take it into a tech like at RDG (my normal clarinet repair area)?
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Author: A Brady
Date: 2011-12-11 17:33
Guy Chadash did a wonderful job reboring and restoring my 1960s/1970s R13 B flat and A, but I doubt that he has an E-flat sized reamer available, as he doesn't make E-flats, but you can contact him directly to inquire. If you are near NYC, Guy can do this procedure in a few hours while you wait.
Reboring can be an excellent process to restore an instrument to its original, optimal bore configuration, but only an expert craftsman/clarinet luthier should be engaged for the task. Morrie Backun, even with the delay, is probably your best bet for this.
AB
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2011-12-11 18:15
You might also contact Tom Ridenour at clarinetproducts.com and see what he can do for you.
Jerry
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Author: donald
Date: 2011-12-11 18:47
The first thing you should do is find a tech who has one of those vaccum machines and make 100% sure that there are no small micro air leaks. Small leaks (that may make the difference between 90% sealed or 88%) are very difficult to detect using traditional means but will have an effect on performance (particularly making an instrument feel "stuffy").
That said- i have a clarinet that seals very well (scored in the high 90%) but still has a very stuffy feel- the instrument RESPONDS but it feels like the very core of the sound doesn't ring/resonate. This is not discernable to a listener but very apparent when you play the instrument. When you play this clarinet with a different lower joint the "effect" (or, defect) seems not to be present- suggesting that the bore or toneholes of the lower joint are causing the problem.
I've looked into this at some length- WHO can you trust to work on the bore of an instrument?- and it would seem that your options are Chadash or Backun. Two months is not that long to wait really.
dn
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-12-11 19:00
I just spoke with Guy Chadash. I'm going to send him my Eb this week to his shop in NY. He is going diagnose it to see what the problem may be. Thanks for your help and advice!
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-12-13 04:06
Clarimeister.
Please do me a favor and check (or ask Guy to do it for us).
I'd like to know if the grain directions on the upper and lower joints are parallel.
The reason I ask is the possibility that a difference in the cross-grain vs along-grain length change due to aging of the wood has caused the joints to become ovalized --and that the principle axes of the two pieces do not align.
That problem has been hypothesized as the underlying cause of "blow out," and I know that an oval barrel can badly affect a clarinet.
If you have not yet shipped the horn, perhaps, you can rotate the center joint and still be able to determine if that affects the instrument's stuffiness.
Thanks
Bob Phillips
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-12-13 05:09
Well I sent it off earlier today. But, I may mention it to him. Thanks for the advice everyone! I'll let you know what happens as soon as it gets there. Probably not til next week most likely.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-12-13 14:55
Well it's too late for me to tell you my thoughts. I hope you get the satisfaction you're looking for. Good luck with it. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-12-13 19:30
Eddie, I would still like to hear your insight even though the instrument has been sent out already. 
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-12-14 19:45
OK, I was going t suggest that you have the clarinet overhauled first, the very least checked for leaks as was suggested above and making sure you had proper clearance on the padded keys and that the tone holes where cleaned. It's possible that there's build up on the top of a tone hole causing a very slight leak that's causing more resistance. I personally shutter at the idea of a bore job on any clarinet unless it is an absolute last resort because I've seen things go wrong with the best of them. Don't forget, changing the bore could change the good things about the instrument as well, or instead, of the bad like intonation. I know you said trying different barrels didn't cut it but my experience with barrels is that finding the right one can make a hugh difference in resistance. It has to be matched to the MP as well as the clarinet. That could mean trying out over a dozen from different manufactures. Sometimes even a different bell and or Eb bell extension can change the resistance of a clarinet somewhat. So that's what I would have suggested so I can only hope that you achieve you're desired goal at a reasonable price. Like I said, I was to late with my advise. Take care and good luck. ESP
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Author: Clarimeister
Date: 2011-12-15 03:44
Thanks for the suggestions, Eddie. However, I have recently had it worked on and cleaned. This is why I was asking for suggestions on the next step. I forgot to mention that in the original post. I have tried the Fobes extensions, other mouthpieces, barrels (I currently use a Robert Scott Eb barrel for smoothness between registers and tuning, but it didn't change much in resistance) and nothing so far has help with the resistance or it's made it worse. This is why I sent it to Mr. Chadash so he can tell me what may be the issue. Thanks again for the suggestions though!
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2011-12-15 04:00
Someone in the thread gave a link explaining what I call tone hole bird nests, sort of rings at the bottom of tone holes caused by whatever is coming from the mouth, plus fibers from a swab, etc. I've seen this problem a few times and maybe surprisingly also on clarinets that were cleaned several times. They just don't clean with normal cleaning e.g. ear bud in the tone hole, etc.
Not necessarily the problem, but could be and if it is, it is relatively simple and inexpensive to do.
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