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Re: Bass Clarinet Overhaul — Pad advice

Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-11-09 12:45

Whenever I've changed pads on my bass (a Buffet) I've used either Glotin or Chanu white leather pads which are made with leather with a plastic coating. While this kind of pad can get very sticky on saxes, I've had no problem with them on clarinets (or oboes).

Some of the large pads can benefit with a rivet through the centre to prevent them sagging into the tonehole or even a washer or resonator (a flat one) for the same reason. Or you could have a cross stitch in the centre (and then sealed with wax) as some bassoons have done to them to stop the centre of the pad sagging.

Selmer basses often have sax pads in the large pad cups as they have a thick set (around 4mm thick), but clarinet pads elsewhere. Buffet, Leblanc and Yamaha basses use the same thickness leather pads as bassoons everywhere (around 3mm thick).

You're best having a cork pad fitted in the LH1 fingerplate, but Buffet use a 16mm pad there so one will have to be made - a flute headjoint cork can be sliced up and sanded down to size to fit, but if that's not possible, then a 16mm leather pad with the centre punched out will do, but seal the inside edge where it's been punched out to prevent water soaking into the felt.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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