 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2012-12-24 22:07
Recently I have come across clarinets that have the orange leather pads exactly like the ones on saxophones and they seem to last forever. Does anyone know who makes these pads and why they last so long.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-12-24 22:27
They're not orange, they're tan - the same colour as those people from Essex that use sunbeds all year round and whose skin is just as leathery.
Leather pads are made from kid leather (kid as in goat, not human!) which much harder wearing than skin pads as leather is a lot thicker than the sausage skin (bovine intestinal membrane) which skin pads are made from.
You can get leather pads from most suppliers. More recently kangaroo leather is being offered as it is much tighter in structure (as kangaroos have fur and not hair) and is also more harder wearing than kid leather.
MusicMedic sells kangaroo skin pads in white and black for clarinets and saxes. Kid leather pads are usually coloured either tan or white - the colour you choose is purely a matter of preferrence and has no effect on the tone.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2012-12-25 00:02
I've been using tan leather pads for all sizes of clarinets (unless otherwise directed), plus a few flutes and oboes, for more than a decade. They're not to everyone's taste, but they do last a long time. I've gotten saxophones from the 1920s and 30s that had their original pads, which were brittle and nasty looking but still sealed.
I get most of mine from Ferree's Tools, and sometimes from MusicMedic or from Prestini.
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Author: sdr
Date: 2012-12-27 13:55
How can you be so sure the color does not affect the tone?:)
-sdr
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2012-12-27 14:07
The pad color DOES affect the tone, good question! When I use tan leather pads I get a warm, cow-like sound, whereas cork pads give me a brittle sound like tree bark. Skin (bladder) pads make me sound like intestinal distress.
Aren't you sorry you asked?
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2012-12-29 13:41
Yes of course, Lelia, except here in DC where they turn the clarinet into a Republican.
Sorry folks, mustn't mix geopolitics with clarinets. Back to leather pads. Which are good, in my not-so-humble opinion.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2012-12-29 15:36
I have a vintage Pruefer that has wine-red leather pads which have aged extraordinarily well. I'm not certain of the variety. If you listen carefully while it is being played, you can detect notes of oak, citrus, smoke, chocolate, and spice. It would be an incredible faux pas, however, to play this clarinet while the audience is being served fish or poultry.
Post Edited (2012-12-29 15:50)
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2013-01-01 14:57
There is a lot of variation in pads, even from the same suppliers. The color can't really be used to determine the quality. The two biggest pad makers I'm familiar with are Pisoni (in Italy) and Prestini in this country. They make many different models using different leathers, different felts etc.
Steve Ocone
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