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Re: Bass Clarinet Overhaul — Pad advice

Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2015-11-09 18:31

I repair a lot of bass clarinets. And I respect Clarnibass's opinions as he is both an experienced technician and performer. I have been using synthetic pads on the smaller holes tone holes of the bass clarinet. I've tried Greenbacks, Masters and Omni. Where I seldom use greenbacks on a professional soprano clarinet, I will use them on a bass clarinet and I'm interested in Clarnibass's opinion of them.

Each synthetic pad has its plusses and minuses. They are all more heat sensitive than leather pads. The larger the pad the bigger a problem this is as the pad can easily become warped. The green back pad works best with a flat bottomed pad cup. The pad is then fit without glue to see if the thickness will work and how much glue is needed. Then the appropriate amount of glue can be added so that a minimum amount of heat can be used to level the pad.

One advantage of the Greenback is that it is very tolerant of key play.. This is especially helpful in the long trill keys. It is also more tolerant of small tone hole defects

The other synthetic pads are installed in a similar manner. The Masters and Omni are more rigid and will not warp as easily. The Masters is not as tolerant of tone hole defects. There are tricks to both. The Omnipad comes in a confusing array of sizes - some better suited to bass clarinets than others.

It may be best for your tech to use good quality sax and/or bass clarinet pads that he is familiar with. The quality of the installation is the most important factor.

Steve Ocone

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