 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-05-26 17:15
People that use cocobolo barrels and bells are already using more than one type of wood on their instrument, but have any of you tried a clarinet with a top and lower body made of different types of wood: ebony and mopane, fpr example? It would be worthwhile to experiment with this. It might produce some interesting harmonics. My idea, going from softer to harder wood as you go down the clarinet. I can advance no scientific basis for this idea: just a hunch.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
Post Edited (2020-05-26 17:17)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2020-05-26 17:31
Are there such creatures? You can't just stick a top joint from a cocobolo clarinet to a bottom joint made of grenadilla and then attribute any changes entirely to the wood mismatch.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-05-26 17:36
Who still uses ebony for making clarinets?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: MichaelW
Date: 2020-05-26 20:10
Attachment: SAM_0251a.jpg (391k)
I have seen some older grenadilla clarinets with cocobolo bells, mostly more or less hidden by staining. With one Keilwerth I washed down the laquer and found the result quite attractive (Foto).
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-05-26 20:19
Michael: Leblanc used to use Coco for the bells of their Noblet clarinets, hidden by staining as you said. This was simply to save money, coco being cheaper.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-05-26 20:21
"Who still uses ebony?" At JL-Clarinettes, we still do. But the supply of wood we have was acquired about 40 years ago. When it runs out, we'll see where we take it from there. We'll probably be gone before the wood.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
Post Edited (2020-05-27 00:45)
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2020-05-28 22:04
My pre-1980s F. Arthur Uebel soprano clarinets and Oehler-system bass clarinet have grenadilla upper joints and rosewood lower joints. The rosewood is stained dark black so you hardly notice any visible difference, unless/until you drill or grind the wood and see the very red dust generated.
I'm guessing this was done for mass balancing of the assembled instrument, since rosewood is less dense, thus the longer lower joint benefits from being made of a lighter-weight material.
I'm of the opinion it makes zero audible difference what material(s) a clarinet body is made from - but we've been 'round and 'round that controversy here over the years, so I won't go there.
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Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2020-05-29 00:43
Wurlitzer make their A-clarinet bells from rosewood (or at least some other red colored wood), but stained black as above. The Bb-clarinets are all grenadilla.
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2020-05-29 11:44
Hi Ruben, interesting idea. I remembered Swenck und Seggelke have made their French instrument (model 3000) from wood with varying density. I believe from hard to soft, the opposite as you want to try. However, I cannot find this statement anymore on their website.
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Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2020-05-29 17:49
Jeroen, I remember the same as you about S&S using hard to soft wood (from top to bottom) and searched for it on their Website to confirm it - but didn't find in anymore on their renewed site 
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-05-29 18:16
Hi Jeroen: I thought of soft to hard because coco wood-which is soft-makes for good barrels. Both options would have to be tried. I thought of different types of wood; coco, mopane and African hardwood also to get interesting harmonics. If ever you're in Paris, come to visit us!
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-05-29 20:22
Chris P: are grenadilla and ebony the same thing? Is grenadilla simply the botanical term for ebony?
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-05-29 20:26
Karl: take two barrels of identical dimensions: one made of grenadilla, the other of coco. The difference in tone is perceptible. I have noticed less of a difference with bells made of different types of wood.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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