 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Erica
Date: 2001-04-08 02:55
Hey!
Almost 3 weeks ago I got two previously loved (used) instruments (Buffet R13 A, and a Bb). There's a key out of alignment though, and it's causing my D's (4th line) to come out as C's (3rd space) or not come out at all. This is a big problem!! This week is spring break for me so I need to get this fixed now. My question is, is how much should I expect to pay for a repair tech to re-align a key?
Thanks!
Erica
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Author: Sara
Date: 2001-04-08 03:27
I think it depends on who you go to, how much creidbility they have, not to mention how dependable they are. Then again the tech in my town is wayoverpriced and sucks. You can always take the horn in and get an estimate.
Sara
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-04-08 07:01
Hi, Erica -
When someone says their horn needs a key re-aligned, I immediately think it could be any number of things other than that. It could easily be a loose pad, a weak spring or the hinge needs a spot of oil. A key out of alignment is usually caused by dropping or banging into something and that's serious. Check your C/F key to see whether it springs back like it's supposed to.
My question too, same as Nate, which horn? Was it okay when you first played it?
How much you should expect to pay is nearly impossible to say without examining the problem. Reputable shop people will isolate and show you the problem, explain what needs to be done to correct it and give you a price for the work. Obviously a drop of key oil will probably cost you nothing. A bent hinge, on the other hand, will require some shop time to fix.
- ron b -
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2001-04-08 13:01
There is also the warranty issue. I do not warranty that any instrument will function properly unless I can go through the entire instrument. I learned the hard way on this one....there are some people who do take advantage of things in life. For example:
You bring in your clarinet and tell the tech that it isn't playing right because the key is bent. Okay, so the tech straightens out the key and sends you on your way. Two days later your back in stating that your clarinet doesn't play right and you just had if fixed two days ago (two weeks ago, etc). You want your money back or it fixed correctly because the store should stand behind the repair work. Never mind that three pads were leaking in the upper joint the first time you brought it in and all you wanted fixed was the key. Most people who do this are very vocal and usually come into the store when it is the busiest time of day so they can get all the attention they deserve. So to save face in front of all the other people the store owner, manager, or tech concedes and the customer get three free pads when all they wanted the first time was the key straightened out. I do not accept "just fix this" work. If they insist I tell my customers if I can't go through the entire instrument from top to bottom that I can not and will not warranty any repairs. I print it out as such on the invoice and have the customer sign it.
John
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Author: Mike Irish
Date: 2001-04-08 13:24
somting to keep in mine....
1. asked before, did they play right when you first got them?
2. if they didn't , was the seller going to pitch in or was it a " AS IS " sale?
3. jbutler is right.... I have been in the shop and seen the same thing, people come in and really dont want to pay anything any ways.... and do need work done, but dont want it all done or dont have it all done..... I see it in the Plumbing buisness also... they have a wore out faucet, but dont want to replace it, then keep calling back to re - re - re pair it..... or the drain lines are bad, but dont want to replace them, or to clean them every month..... the music buisntess is like that also..... I take our horns to the shop prior to the start of the school year, at Christmas break, and spring break, for well horn checkups.... they also go in during the rest of the year... if a pad is gone or loose, it gets replaced and the rest get looked at to ensure there is no others loose, and they play check, and then we play check prior to leaving the shop....
with two sons , we show up there at least once a month...
so I guess if it was me.... I would have not only the problem key looked at but the entire horn.....cause just playing it is very very unlikely that is what caused the bent key.... you may have several slightly bent keys...
cost? good question..... how well do you know the shop keeper.....
how often do you frequent the shop? for questions, purchases and such...
and what is their minimum..... I have gone into the shop we use, with a repair prob,
and even under a back log of repairs, been put up closer tothe front of the line due to using the shop..... a steady customer is likely to get preferential treatment, above those that they only see once a year..... this works with every buisness...
mike
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Author: Anji
Date: 2001-04-08 14:10
My local repair man is slow and willing to work over just what is needed.
It's $50 everytime I show up.
A full repad is $120, but can take two weeks to turn around (even with an appointment).
If the horns were well loved, it would be a cheap investment in your time to have them overhauled NOW.
Nice horns like this deserve to be properly set up from the start so stop diddling around and spend the bucks.
So there.
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Author: Erica
Date: 2001-04-08 18:25
To answer some of the questions asked... The Bb is the one with the problem. When I played them before purchasing them, they played fine. But when I got home and played them for a while I noticed that about 50% of the time the C key came back up, the other half it didn't. I showed my band director, and he thought it was the pad & my instrument reacting to a new invironment. Next day I started hearing a squeaking noise when I used the key, so I thought it was a spring. I showed my director again, and he said I was probably right. Next day I couldn't stand it anymore and was going crazy with my lack of being able to play a D, so he looked at it again and saw what it was. The C key has the bar that comes down for the keys below it, and the bar is rubbing up against the key below it, causing 1) it to not come back up and 2) to make a squeaking noise.
I see what you guys are saying about the price & how it will differ depending on a lot of things. I guess it'll probably cost me more than any of you because I have yet to find a reputable repair tech that I can trust with my instrument (the in-town repair is the kind that charges and arm & a leg, and does a crappy job. I've seen instruments come back with new scratches and dents in them too. I wouldn't even take my old student model in to them!).
Thanks for the feedback!
Erica
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-04-09 13:59
If it is the F/C key you are talking about it sounds very likely that the skinny arm that goes from this key down to the "crows-foot'" is rubbing against the E/B or F#/C# spatula. If so, you may get away with pushing it (or the spatula it touches)slightly sideways to stop rubbing. This could affect linkage adjustment but if this key is rubbing this adjustment is probably less than satisfactory anyway. You could improve it.
On the other hand it could be one of a dozen other things, including the F/C spatula's arm rubbing against the key post that is just under it.
Jbutler I'm delighted to find another technician other than myself with sufficient job integrity and desire to preserve servicing reputation to turn down "just fix this" jobs. I do too. The request iinvariably comes from players who don't know how much they don't know about our job, and think they are experts at what needs to be done. Usually there are far more important things that need to be done than the item they have asked for. I was apalled when I first met the term "play condition" which seems to be common in America. I can only see this type of work as inexorably destroying reputation as in the example you gave. To me the term is a euphemism for a slack, incompetent, or incomplete job that is bound to let the customer down sooner rather than later.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-04-09 19:15
Erica -
If you got the instrument from a music store, any adjustment should be free for a problem that shows up so quickly.
The problem may be only that the spring that raises the low F key has come unhooked. If that's what's happened, the key will move up and down easily but doesn't stay up. A repair shop can fix that in a few seconds, at no charge.
The same symptom -- moves easily, doesn't stay up -- happens if the spring has snapped. This will take maybe 20 minutes to repair and will cost at the shop's hourly or per-item set rate -- say $25.
If the problem is the "crow foot" rod rubbing against the low E or low F# key, as Gordon describes, the repair can be done in one or two minutes, and most repair shops will do it free, or at minimum charge.
The pad may be sticky. If all it needs is cleaning, try putting a damp paper towel under the key, pressing gently and sliding the towel out. A dollar bill also works well. If that doesn't work, and the pad has to be replaced, it's a 10 minute job that shouldn't be expensive.
Another possibility is that the linkage from the left little finger lever for the low F key may be out of adjustment. The cork could have come off or it turns up too far and wedges in place. If that's the problem, all it needs is a tiny bit of cork on top of the left hand lever where it presses against the nib that sticks out of the right hand key and perhaps another cork bumper underneath to keep it from moving too far. This is a 5 minute job that should be free or be at minimum cost.
Good luck.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Bob Curtis
Date: 2001-04-10 01:27
Erica:
Something no one has mentioned, but I saw this happen one time similar to your problem. It was a loose post which cause the problem. Have your repair man check this out also.
Bob Curtis
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