 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2016-07-07 22:23
How worried should I be that my clarinet will crack? What are the odds of a clarinet cracking? How does one avoid having a cracked clarinet?
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-07-07 23:10
It will crack.......or it won't. There is not too much you can do about it. I do pretty well to take care of my horns and yet I am getting some cracks at the two top side key tone holes. If the cracks extend to the bore, and or to the tone holes then you need to have that fixed. Early stages can be taken care of simply by sealing with super glue (MUCH better to let a seasoned tech do this though, there are lots of different drying times for super glue).
For extensive cracks that affect the seal of the horn, you would then need to have it pinned or carbon banded (my preference). Whatever the case, it is not an issue that should cause any undo concern.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-07-07 23:15
Always buy a new wooden clarinet (or oboe) in late spring/early summer when humidity levels are getting higher and it'll be nicely played in by winter.
Never buy a clarinet in late autumn or throughout winter as humidity levels are low and the risk of them cracking is considerably increased.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-07-07 23:42
You will minimise the risk of cracking by -
Buying an older instrumentn with good quality properly matured wood.
Failing this option -
1. "playing the new instrument in" by limiting the duration of playing in the early stages to gently aclimatise the wood to the new humidity levels.
2. Never play, or blow warm air into a cold instrument until it has been warmed up to room temperature (especially important in cold weather).
3. swabbing out bore and remove excess water from sockets and toneholes after the playing session.
There are probably many threads covering this already on the board.
By following above rules I have not had an instrument crack in over 60 years.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2016-07-08 00:28
Picking out a horn is also kind of a science. Look closely at the grain. Mainly towards the tone holes and try to make sure that the grain is straight and very close together. Sometimes you can't tell as much when looking at the outside of the horn because its all shinny and polished, so look inside of the bore. It's often a lot easier to see the grain. The tighter the grain fibers are and straighter the less chance of cracking. When the grain isn't right it can cause Stress Fractures, regardless if you are playing on the horn or not. You could open up your case one day and see a crack! And of course it can crack as you play on the horn.
Something that Hans Moennig taught me to look for when he'd fix cracked horns. It's also important for a repairman to study the grain when pinning the the cracks, because you can cause other stress cracks near the area that was just repaired. Now days pinning cracks isn't used as much, because of the newer techniques and excellent glues.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2016-07-08 01:17
Just did my first carbon fiber pins this week on a Buffet E12F with a crack. Hopefully I'll get to see the clarinet for the next few years to see how the repair holds up. It definitely creates less stress than inserting metal pins.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-07-08 02:31
I use carbon fibre banding where I can cut a slot around the joint without any pillars, toneholes or other fittings in the way. Otherwise it's carbon fibre pinning in the more crowded areas.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2016-07-08 17:48
While many have told me that the instruments will generally crack when they are newish, I have a clarinet that cracked after about 15 years. It was fixed and plays great.
While people stress about having instruments crack, sometimes it happens. I would not worry about it. Care for it the best you can without being crazy over it. If it ends up cracking, have a good tech repair and move on.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-07-08 18:31
Cracks are an inconvenience and can mostly be repaired by whatever means.
They're not the end of the world, but something that is to be expected (but not to lose sleep over) at any point in any wooden bodied instrument's life.
New clarinets can crack as well as old ones - it's the luck of the draw.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2016-07-09 04:25
Chris P wrote:
> Cracks are an inconvenience and can mostly be repaired by
> whatever means.
>
> They're not the end of the world, but something that is to be
> expected (but not to lose sleep over) at any point in any
> wooden bodied instrument's life.
>
> New clarinets can crack as well as old ones - it's the luck of
> the draw.
>
Boom! Nailed it!
Unfortunately, cracks tend to lower the resale value. I once had a Selmer 10G Z series (I think I remember it being a Z series) that I bought used for around $800. Had cracked 3 times prior to me purchasing it, was pinned, and played extremely well. But like all other dumb decisions I make, I sold it. :(
Still got two great horns right now.
US Army Japan Band
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