 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tdufka
Date: 2020-04-19 05:48
While disassembling and swabbing the instrument this afternoon, I discovered a crack in the top joint, between the tone hole for the throat G# and moving diagonally towards the A tone hole.
This instrument (Privilege) was purchased in France this past October and was slowly broken in according to the seller's instructions (15 min 2x day for the first week, 30 mins 2x day. for the 2nd week, etc.) It is swabbed after every practice, excess moisture is wicked from each pad with felt cloth, left in the case with cover open, and has never been exposed to extremes of heat or moisture as I live in a temperate climate.
The instrument is under warranty, but given the current situation and small likelihood of travel in the near future, I am wondering if it makes sense to keep playing it and if this will result in further cracking?
Is this a common occurrence?
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2020-04-19 06:03
What bad news ! My suggestion is to stop playing the bass right away and inform the seller and the manufacturer of the situation, and that you will deal with them about the matter when travel and communication becomes easier. This is not a common problem. Don't play it anymore or they could accuse you of making the problem worse.
Good luck.
Alan ( a rather poor bass player).
tiaroa@shaw.ca
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Author: m1964
Date: 2020-04-19 06:37
tdufka wrote:
"...While disassembling and swabbing the instrument this afternoon, I discovered a crack in the top joint, between the tone hole for the throat G# and moving diagonally towards the A tone hole.
This instrument (Privilege) was purchased in France this past October and was slowly broken in according to the seller's instructions (15 min 2x day for the first week, 30 mins 2x day. for the 2nd week, etc.) "
Hi,
I am not sure where you are located.In the US, the Selmer USA most likely will not be of help if you bought the instrument online from France. If you bought it in person, they might help.
Most likely, you would have to deal with the dealer your bought the bass from.
Buffet factory closed about a month ago, I would expect that Selmer factory is closed too.
It is very unclear if the Selmer would be willing to provide a replacement joint, and how it would take to get it, that is IF they would agree to supply a replacement joint. Would be nice to replace the whole thing but I doubt the dealer will do it. Never hurts to ask.
However: the cracks usually do not affect play-ability, and even the best-sounding instruments crack sometimes.
I would get a quote from a good repair tech and possibly try to have either Selmer or dealer to cover the cost of repair instead of sending the joint back to France. Esp. if the tuning/sound is good, since you never know how replacement joint will tune and sound.
The crack most likely can be pinned or banded, it may never go further even if not fixed, but at least for the piece of mind I would have it fixed.
Good luck, let us know what happens.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-04-19 08:08
If anything and I know its not going to be of much comfort, but you shouldn't have bought a brand new instrument that late in the year as autumn and winter are the worst times to buy a brand new wooden instrument or the best time to buy one for cracks to happen. And just to rub more salt into the wound, NOW is the best time to buy a brand new wooden instrument as it will be played in when humidity levels are on the up and less likely to crack when winter sets in.
I'm not prepared to sugar coat the situation, just giving the hard and cold facts.
Also, you're much better off at this point in time having a top joint transplant done now as you will again have to play that in and this is the ideal time of year to do that, although if it was an older instrument or one you picked from a selection, you're better off having the crack repaired than having the top joint transplanted.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2020-04-19 08:10)
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Author: tdufka
Date: 2020-04-19 09:34
Chris, is this seasonal purchase advice based on playing and storing the instrument in heated environments that are dry? I only ask because the climate where I live (SF Bay area) is quite temperate and we seldom run the heater in our home.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2020-04-19 12:35
>> ...and was slowly broken in... <<
>> Is this a common occurrence?<<
I guess it depends on how often you would consider it common. Most clarinets don't crack, but quite a few do no matter how much you try to prevent it. Some clarinets never crack even if abused.
First contact whoever you bought it from and see what they say. I know of someone who had a section of their Selmer bass clarinet replaced twice because of cracking. Most people prefer to just have it repaired. They might return you the cost of repairs (if you do it locally) or they might say you have to follow whatever they suggest if you want to use the warranty.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2020-04-19 15:48
Tdufka,
Sorry to hear that news but I had a crack in my Selmer bass after 2 years. Mine was repaired by Eric Satterlee at Meridian Winds on Okemos, MI. There is a complete set to the pictures on FB here. This is a link to the finished repair (try to find the crack).
Work through the many photos in this series. I watched the whole thing from start to finish. Eric is a true artist. I never cease to be amazed at the quality of his work as well as by others in his shop.
https://www.facebook.com/meridianwinds/photos/a.10152105553381228/10157406507406228/?type=3&theater
Stop playing the bass right away.
Hank
PS I have no business interests in Meridian Winds but Eric does warranty work for most of the major manufacturers.
Post Edited (2020-04-19 15:59)
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2020-04-19 16:02
Cracks in bass clarinets in this area aren't common but they happen. You may need bushings for one or two tone holes. It is more involved than repairing the crack and some repair techs unfortunately skip this step.
Steve Ocone
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