 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: alto gether
Date: 2012-01-01 23:57
I was charmed when my Bundy contra alto came. The people in Wichita had set it up perfectly and it felt as solid as a truck. Heavy action, sure, but after all it started life as a school horn and it had to withstand a lot.
About the fifth time I put it together, I somehow managed to get the lever to the bell key over instead of under the piece on the bell, and just like that, my left-pinky low F/C key wouldn't completely close its pad.
Okay, my stupid, I'll learn. So here I am at music camp having just a swell time. It worries me when I put it in the stand because it ends up leaning on rods that completely surround the body, but they only give about half a millimeter. Then, just as the dance starts, the rod attached to my right-ring-finger G/D key breaks loose. I play two sets holding it in with the heel of my hand and get a lot of sounds-great comments.
Fixable, I'm sure. Does this kind of thing happen a lot with big Bundys, or was this just coincidence? Am I supposed to check a bunch of screws for tightness every week? Who has experience with these horns?
Zeke Hoskin
Bb: student Buffet
alto: Holton
contra alto: Bundy
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-02 06:08
While all screws should be tight, the keywork does need a significant amount of end play between pillars while the screws are tight so the keywork doesn't bind up when the instrument is cold.
Plastic instruments are affected by temperature and will expand and contract at a much larger rate in all directions compared to wooden instruments which are affected by humidity more than by temperature and expand/contract widthways.
Add to that long metal rods mounted betwen pillars set far apart and you have the reccipie for disaster, so the amount of end play is relative according to the length of the key rod or barrel - longer keys having more end play than shorter keys.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: alto gether
Date: 2012-01-03 17:58
Thanks, Chris!
I see the need for end play, because metal expands more than plastic. My tech found two screws missing and a third about to join them. Apparently Bundy screws aren't universal and he has to order some in. He suggests a drop of clear nail polish on the screw head after it is adjusted correctly. How do other big clarinet players deal with it?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-03 18:10
It's the plastic that expands/contracts more than metal which is why the keys need the end play between pillars. Metal is more dimentionally stable than both plastic and wood, so although they're not an ideal mix in that sense, both materials are equally important.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: alto gether
Date: 2012-01-04 00:27
My apologies. I "knew" that metal expands more than plastic, but of course Chris is right. Ebonite expands 77 millionths/degree Celsius, with metals ranging around 20 or 30. Makes it a bit less attractive as an instrument material. I assume that all of the plastics that match whatever metal they use for keywork in terms of thermal dimensional change are unsuitable for some other reason.
I'm not an engineer, but I can think offhand of a couple of approaches that sound better than sticking a rod between screws with some slop in the fit. No doubt there are good reasons not to have a bunch of sliding joints on something whose job is to produce vibrations.
Oh, well. I guess it had to be slack enough to survive sub-zero shipping and it's hard to make screws stay as they are when they're not tight. Another damn learning experience. But I would like to hear what other people do with contras.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-01-04 08:32
> I'm not an engineer, but I can think offhand of a couple of approaches that
> sound better than sticking a rod between screws with some slop in the fit.
I'd be seriously considering minibal bearings if I had a metal/plastic CAC. (mine is metal, so hopefully the temperature coefficients are roughly the same)
--
Ben
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Author: William Hughes ★2017
Date: 2012-01-04 14:45
I have had my Bundy Contra-Alto for ten years, during which I have had, to my recollection, one loose screw (in the horn, that is). It is anything but fragile. Most of the time I do not use the heavy hard case and carry it in a padded gig bag. I have not had it professionally worked on since it was originally set up for me by Dave Spiegelthal. All pads seat well and I have never had a bent rod. And I live in a cold weather climate.
Maybe I am just fortunate (or careful), but I would not be too concerned about these issues.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2012-01-05 12:57
I haven't had any problems with my Bundy contra-alto, either. I bought it used in 2004. It was in playing condition at the time and has remained in playing condition. The upper and lower sections stay assembled in a long "coffin case." I'm an amateur and I don't take this clarinet out of the house, so it doesn't get exposed to temperature extremes. I do play it quite a bit.
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: alto gether
Date: 2012-01-05 19:09
Thanks, all! Ed found the right screws and I played oompahs at a music circle last night. I love that horn.
Except for one teeny thing - the neck goes UP from the mouthpiece. Spit/condensation collects and runs back down. Sure no problem keeping the reed wet, and it makes for that much less to swab out of the rest of the horn, but, ewww!
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