Author: BartHx
Date: 2014-08-28 08:13
I would not say that a well maintained wooden clarinet will definitely not crack if used for marching. I would only say that it is far less likely to do so. I marched with a wooden clarinet because it was the only thing available to me, so I did everything available to me (as did everyone else around me) to minimize the chance for damage. As it turned out, it worked for all of us. There were metal clarinets available, but every one I knew of was in a beginners' rental fleet. If I were in the same situation today, I would march with a plastic instrument. My point was that you can greatly reduce the chances of having a problem if you follow an appropriate maintenance routine. I don't know very many people who have a pressure tank filled with bore oil, so the way I know when I have oiled my instrument enough is to keep oiling it until the oil no longer soaks in and then completely wipe off the surplus. I don't treat the outside of the instrument as often as I do the bore (only about once per year). For that, I strip it down completely and apply the oil after making sure the wood is completely clean. With the pads out of the way, you can completely oil the tone holes, too. When the absorption slows significantly, I will typically finish off the outside with something like the wax offered by The Doctor's Products. That will give a more durable finish but is probably not appropriate for the bore or tone holes. At the same time, that gives me a chance to closely inspect pads and springs and do any minor key polishing or adjustment I feel like doing. I do carry a back up instrument in my gig bag but, so far, the only time I have needed it has been as a loaner when someone else has had a problem. I have been known to do repairs for someone else during a concert intermission.
Since you just had your R13 overhauled, I would check with the shop and see if they included a complete re-oiling in the process.
Given that your instrument 1. has sentimental value and 2. is one you want to use for this particular performance, I would suggest that you take all the information that has been given in this thread and give some serious thought to just how much risk you are willing to take. Wood is not an inert material, so nothing comes with a guarantee. You could possibly leave the R13 at home and have it crack in the case while you are doing the performance on a different instrument (unlikely, but not impossible). After some sixty-two years, I have never had a wooden clarinet crack while in my care, but that doesn't guarantee that it won't happen tomorrow.
Whatever you decide, have a good time at your performance. In the long view, that's really what it's all about.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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