 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Gabeh99
Date: 2016-06-30 09:13
I've been taking lessons for a few weeks on an e11 rental and am looking to buy good quality wood clarinet. i've found a thirty year or so old Yamaha YCL32 and will have a look at it in a day. I can tell the sound/tone I like but have no idea about potential problems and whether I can tell if there is a problem if I try to play it or if the owner plays it. The price is right and if I have to spend $200 to $300 to have it fixed I won't mind. I've been told by the seller that there are no cracks as far as he knows. It sounds like the clarinet has not been played for years.
Is it safe to buy it after hearing it and liking the sound or do I need to try to take someone along who plays the clarinet well? Should I expect to be able to have the clarinet checked by a shop prior to buying it? I'm just not sure what is normal in this regard.
All suggestions are welcomed.
Thanks
Gabe
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Author: knotty
Date: 2016-06-30 17:21
On the one point, "Should I expect to be able to have the clarinet checked by a shop prior to buying it?"
I guess it depends on the good price but if I were the seller, I just wait for a easier buyer to come along.
~ Musical Progress: None ~
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Author: pewd
Date: 2016-06-30 17:58
Instruments that haven't been played for years will have issues once they are put back into regular use. In many cases, you'll need to have all of the corks and pads replaced after a few months. The pads dry out in storage, then once you start playing again, they adsorb moisture through small tears and cracks in the pad skin, and they swell up, and fail. Ditto for key corks.
Folks bring me older horns for repair all the time ( 'it only needs 1 or 2 pads...'), then upon disassembly, many of the key corks and pads fall off. That doesn't mean you haven't found a great instrument - just plan on some maintenance if it has been sitting in storage for a number of years.
You have a teacher - what does your teacher recommend?
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Gabeh99
Date: 2016-06-30 18:02
My teacher is off to music camp but I'll try and take an experienced player with me. I'm prepared to spend a couple of hundred for an overhaul. Is that reasonable?
My main concern is that there might be cracks I don't notice. Just wondering, If it sounds good can it still have invisible cracks and if it does what can it take to fix that?
Thanks!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-06-30 18:11
It's an old model (over 30 years old), so unless it has been well maintained over the course of its existence, then it should be fine.
Any cracks will make their presence known when you start playing it, but they can be repaired either by carbon fibre banding or pinning to stabilise them. Cracks that run through toneholes will need the toneholes bushed to ensure they don't leak.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Gabeh99
Date: 2016-07-01 18:53
Thanks everyone. efsf, how is the 62 different?efsf081 wrote:
> i have one of it. Play quiet different to a 34 or 450.
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Author: Gabeh99
Date: 2016-07-02 05:20
Well, I bought the clarinet for $250 (Canadian) and I'm happy with the sound and the general condtioin condition of the clarinet. I'll be taking to a shop to have it checked out tomorrow.
I found a Yamaha manual on line for the YCL-62 covering the Eb, Bb, Alto and Base clarinet versions and found mention of an adjustable thumb rests. It's not clear if that applies to the Bb version. Mine has no thumb rest so I was just wondering if something is amiss. The picture of the bridge key(s) and everything else matches the clarinet.
On the upper joint there is a Yamaha Japan 62II imprint.
Just curious about the difference between this horn and the one described in the User's Manual. The Manual is for a YCL-62 and not a YCL-62II. Could that be it?
Thanks,
Gabe
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Author: efsf081
Date: 2016-07-02 18:12
http://www.clarinetpages.net/wooden-clarinets/yamaha/yamaha-34
http://www.clarinetpages.net/wooden-clarinets/yamaha/yamaha-ycl-32
These websites may help you. And I agree that ycl 32 doesn’t play like a poly-cylindrical instrument.
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Author: Gabeh99
Date: 2016-07-14 03:45
I took the clarinet in for service. The technician thought it was a very nice piece in good shape with no cracks. Even came with a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece in good shape. He changed some pads and adjusted things for a total cost of $300. I'm happy with what I ended up with.
Thanks again for your advice!
Gabe
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Author: donald
Date: 2016-07-14 11:44
I can't speak for the model 62, but in NZ a number of pro players played the 82 Custom (next model up from the 62), and I went through undergrad and my first pro gigs playing a Yamaha 82-11 Custom. This played quite differently from the 82- less resistant, and with slightly better intonation (compared to the 82). In the USA I was told by Yamaha that the 82-11 was the same as the instrument sold in USA (not available elsewhere) as the YCL-72, but I played several of those instruments and while I liked them, didn't feel they were very similar to my 82-11.
Glad that you ended up with a good clarinet, while I'm a Buffet player now I played Yamaha for many years (including several concerto performances) and found them to be very reliable and well designed instruments.
dn
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