 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: crysania
Date: 2017-02-28 18:04
I just recently purchased an Eb Clarinet off eBay. It's an old stencil horn, Guy Humphrey. The guy who overhauled it for me said he thinks it's from the 1930s.
I was contemplating getting a new barrel for it (I use a Robert Scott on my Bb and love it) but when I measured it I'm pretty sure it's UNDER 40mm. Am I just measuring it wrong or has anyone ever seen a barrel this tiny before? The shortest I can find online is 40mm.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2017-02-28 18:16
Does the instrument play in tune?
If so, then I see no reason to doubt that the barrel is original. Barrel size has only just recently started to become standardized, especially for Eb clarinets. You may have to have Robert Scott make you a custom barrel.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: crysania
Date: 2017-02-28 18:20
It does. I played it for the first time in an ensemble last night and it was pretty in tune (as in tune as any Eb Clarinet is!). It seems to measure about 38mm, which is disappointing. I may have to see how much a custom made smaller one is.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-02-28 19:48
Just to stir the pot a little - if it plays in tune, why replace the barrel at all? What problem is a new barrel meant to solve?
Karl
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Author: crysania
Date: 2017-02-28 22:15
It MOSTLY plays in tune, I should say. It is not overly sharp, which I would think such a tiny barrel would cause, but I do have to fight with some of the notes, especially the throat tones.
I have a Robert Scott barrel for my Bb clarinet and I felt that it not only helped with the intonation in the throat tones, but made the tone of them better as well. And it overall improved the tone of the instrument. So part of it is intonation, some part tone.
I did find out that I can get one custom made in 38mm. Now the next question is -- is it a standard size connection. I need to measure the joint and compare it to a modern Eb clarinet and see if it's the same size.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-03-01 00:24
crysania wrote:
> I did find out that I can get one custom made in 38mm. Now the
> next question is -- is it a standard size connection. I need to
> measure the joint and compare it to a modern Eb clarinet and
> see if it's the same size.
The maker may want your barrel as a model for the internal socket diameter. Did the subject come up with a custom maker (or have you only looked at custom barrels online)?
When you mention fighting with the throat notes, does that mean they're really sharp? You could bring the pitch of those notes down without replacing the barrel (and without affecting the other notes if they're already mostly in tune) by using thin tape placed in the top of one or more of the throat notes' tone holes. You might both flatten and "darken" those specific notes independently, since you don't need to worry about twelfths.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-03-01 03:20
Eb clarinet bodies vary considerably in length from one maker to another as do their barrels as a result - an Eb clarinet with a longer body will have a short barrel compared to one with a shorter body (at the top end) and longer barrel.
Selmer's stock Eb clarinet barrels are different in length to Buffet's stock Eb barrels, so there isn't any real standard when it comes to joint/barrel lengths of Eb clarinets compared to Bb/A clarinets (which are less variable in joint and barrel lengths by comparison).
But if you find you're having to pull the barrel out by over 2mm to bring the instrument into tune with itself, then that is drastic and a longer barrel will probably be best. But if most notes are in tune and a few are sharp, then they can be dealt with to bring them down to pitch.
I had to do fill in the throat notes on my 1962 Buffet Eb as they were very sharp from G to Bb, so only had to fill in the G, G# and A toneholes to resolve that (using the longest barrel) and that was less costly than a new barrel which wouldn't have done much anyway.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2017-03-06 09:59
To your second question, yes it's entirely possible that the tenon diameter is different from other models (other models might vary too).
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