 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: traceywooo
Date: 2012-08-25 23:00
This topic has been hashed infinitely with so many details.
I need your opinion, flat out, please. Silver or Nickel.
Go! (Thank you)
Post Edited (2012-08-25 23:53)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-08-25 23:05
There is good quality silver and nickel and bad quality of both.
The main issue is what you prefer the feel of.
Nickel tends towards slipery-ness and silver towards sticky-ness in my opinion.
I prefer raw high quality nickel silver (no plate) but no manufacturer offers this any more.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tobin
Date: 2012-08-25 23:34
I think Norman has it right.
I've played both. In both cases, the transition from one to the other is the only issue. After a day or two I can play either comfortably.
James
Gnothi Seauton
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: traceywooo
Date: 2012-08-25 23:56
So in your opinion, buying nickel plated keys wouldn't hinder anything? Because if so, I would love to save myself a few hundred dollars.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tobin
Date: 2012-08-26 01:19
I'll add what most of us here will add: avail yourself of every opportunity to try several options before buying.
I do not believe that buying a great instrument with nickel plated keys will make it somehow inherently lesser than a great silver plated instrument.
If the oils of your skin are a type that you'll find nickel "slippery", and your technical passages will suffer -- then you must buy a silver plated instrument. The opposite is true (although I've never met anyone who found silver plated TOO "sticky").
I have met professionals who firmly believed that the instrument sounds different based on key plating. I don't follow this line of thinking.
James
Gnothi Seauton
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-08-26 02:38
I prefer silver plate for the feel as it has more drag than nickel plate.
When nickel plate tarnishes it can go dull grey and can only be successfully polished back to a bright shine by machine polishing, so that is usually done when it's being fully overhauled as the pads and key corks will be removed.
Silver plate can be kept bright and shiny with a polishing cloth and is much easier to polish to a bright shine by hand.
Silver plate is applied much thicker than nickel plate - around 25 microns with silver as opposed to around 5 microns maximum with nickel, although the thickness of the plating will depend on what the maker specifies. Some silver plate is only 10-12 microns thick and some nickel can be as much as 10-20 microns thick which is very hard going on tools used to fit keywork.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: marcia
Date: 2012-08-26 04:59
I can't say I really noticed a huge difference in the feel of nickel or silver (my Bb R13 was nickel plated while the A R13 is silver plated) but the nickel plating on my new (12 years ago) Bb R13 wore down considerably (down to the copper on one key) in just a few months. I eventually took the plunge, and paid the dollers, to have it silver plated. It still looks pristine when I buff it with the polishing cloth, and my A, of 25 years, polishes up to similar pristine appearance. Affect the sound? I think not, but I don't regret spending the money on the silver plating.
My 2 cents worth.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: AlecThigpen
Date: 2012-09-05 15:50
I have nickel plated keys on my R13 and silver on my 1193 Bass. I like the silver feel better. As has been stated, the silver is less slippery, and I find that a good thing.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2012-09-05 16:12
Nickel is too slippery for me, plus I have a mild allergy to it, as do many people.
Several years back, there were complaints that the Buffet silver plating was not durable. I don't know what the situation is now.
Actually, for me the older, unplated keys made of German silver (copper, nickel and zinc, no silver) feel best.
Al Gallodoro had such acidic sweat that keys lasted only a year or so. He solved the problem only by having everything thickly plated with gold. With the price of gold so high, plating service prices are out of sight. IMHO, however, it's a bubble that will burst fairly soon.
I made a list of platers if you're interested.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-09-06 02:29
I've had a Nickel plated R13 greenline for over 5 years now, no cosmetic issues as of yet, and I've taken it near salt water and handled it pretty brutally. (I've worked on cruise ships for a while) I got it to save money, and don't remember the difference in feels.
Obviously the difference has nothing to do with the tone of the instrument.
Drew S.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2012-09-06 21:57
I prefer silver because when I tell my friends how expensive my clarinets are I really want to impress them. Just kidding, haha. I don't like the feel of silver as much as nickel, but my hands eat through it.
That being said actually... 2 of my 4 clarinets are nickel... so my preference is silver, but I don't go by my own word!
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: trice035
Date: 2012-09-14 04:33
For me? Silver. No contest. Feels better, works better, looks better, wears better. In other words... better.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed
Date: 2012-09-16 00:40
My current set is nickel, although I wore it through pretty quickly. Whether one sounds better than the other, who knows? Play a couple of horns and buy the one you like.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Neil
Date: 2012-09-16 02:46
I say go for the silver. You only go around once in life; grab for all the gusto you can!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-09-16 16:32
Sickle.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: trice035
Date: 2012-09-19 05:06
How about... Nickel-silver.
I have had a couple of horns with unplated nickel-silver that worked well. No plating wear and it tarnishes up to a nice vintage, somewhat greenish color. Are there any drawbacks to it?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-09-19 07:37
Yes silver lasts much longer. However I don't really care about this! I go by how the clarinets play. My 2 Bb's are nickel, the A is silver.
If it really bothers you, regardless if it's silver or nickel and the keys are showing wear, have them redone. The cost is most likely under $100.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: stevesklar
Date: 2012-09-19 14:16
I prefer silver plate as it polishes up easily and I think it feels better .. especially noticeable under hot lights and your fingers get sweaty as my fingers slip more on the nickel than silver from casual observation.
==========
Stephen Sklar
My YouTube Channel of Clarinet Information
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
