 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2013-07-25 23:12
Any info on this, apparently newly released, instrument? Has in-line trill keys and adjustable thumb rest. Sells for around $100. thanks.
richard smith
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-07-25 23:52
Without wishing to be too dismissive, I'd regard any clarinet that sold for $100 new with grave suspicion. Your not going to get a lot for that sort of money, you'll probably find that repair techs won't touch it and it may or may not play in tune, Save your money.
Tony F.
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2013-08-05 15:51
Recently discovered that the ads read and equate ABS with ebonite. I assume this clarinet is ABS, not what I consider to be ebonite. take heed.
richard smith
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-08-05 18:58
It may also be helpful to note here that the material of which a clarinet is made is not necessarily an indicator of quality. We've pointed out countless times on this board the various well made clarinets using various base materials.
The REAL issue is one of engineering. The bore is not just a tube. There are many minute variations of bore dimension relative to point on along the "tube" in order to counter the vagaries of intonation. Also, the tone holes are not just holes. They are of various diameters, each having to be in sync with the variations of the bore dimensions at that point to achieve a "good enough" representation of even intonation.
Just meeting these criteria requires time and thought which equates to expense. So any way you slice it, you need SOME amount of expense put into the engineering of a horn to make it worthy enough to give you a decent representation of a clarinet............. and that's not cheap.
Oh, and just a note of explanation about why techs won't touch a Walmart horn. As an example, you have springs with little tensile strength. Go to adjust them (basic repair) and they will snap, requiring replacement with a better, more expensive spring.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2013-08-05 19:10
Formula for cheap Chinese clarinet (a.k.a. "Mendini", "Wal-Mart", "First Act", etc.):
Cheapest available material (ABS or styrene plastic)
Straight-bore design (copy the traditional Boosey & Hawkes bore dimension, probably as good as you can get using non-undercut toneholes)....
Non-undercut (straight-sided) toneholes -- once again, copy B&H, or Vito or Bundy
Tonehole sizing and keywork design --- copy current Japanese clarinets (Yamaha, say)
Keywork material -- cheapest cast pot-metal available, just make sure the plating is really shiny (ooh, shiny!)
No engineering required -- just copy others. That's what the Chinese have been doing and are doing. And people keep buying them. The only engineering involved is manufacturing engineering, for minimum cost.
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