 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tyleman
Date: 2020-08-24 00:14
I recently sold a Selmer Centered Tone clarinet to a person in the US (I live in France). The buyer now tells me there are two cracks in the bell. I honestly did not see these cracks and can't see them in the photos I used to sell the instrument. I'm wondering now if it was possible the bell developed these cracks during shipping (via UPS). Can anyone here offer any input on my theory? TIA
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2020-08-24 02:05
Weather in the summer can vary a lot. Going from dry to heavy humidity. The bell cracking is not a big deal at all. A person can replace the bell or simply fill in the two cracks, there's not enough room to pin these cracks. Most repairmen use super glue or epoxy's. I've experienced only one bell cracking and that was on a newer Buffet R13. So maybe the wood hadn't "Cured" enough. The only reason I found the crack was the lowest notes had a weird buzzing sound, vibration. I had a difficult time trying to figure out where that buzz was coming from. I usually do my own repairs and I used a few very small drops of super glue, then sanded the area and buffed it so it was very hard to see the repair. I repaired the inside of the bell, not the outside.
If you want to make the buyer happy advise him to do the above and take $10 off for the glue and sandpaper! A Centertone bell should cost more than $10.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2020-08-24 03:45
In my experience bells for professional model clarinets (especially one as in demand as the Centered Tone) tend to run around $100-$150 in mint condition. You have to keep in mind that cracks also hurt the resale value of the instrument, so the problem that op faces is that even if they were to cover the crack repair it probably won’t make the buyer happy. Even if the crack can be repaired for $10 it’s still there and it still makes the instrument harder to sell. And most people aren’t going to feel comfortable trying to fix an instrument they just paid hundreds of dollars for themselves. If I was the buyer I would probably expect no less than $100, either to cover the cost of a new bell or to cover the crack repair and the decrease in value.
In any case the question of whether the cracks are due to shipping or whether they were always there is going to be impossible to answer without going back in time. My advice to op would just be to work out a fair partial refund with the buyer and accept that as the cost of doing business. I suppose if you wanted to play hard ball you could try to file a claim with UPS (they usually insure up to $100 for free I believe) but I think you’re going to have a very hard time getting anything from them without good evidence.
Maybe the buyer can provide pictures and you can compare them to the ones you took before?
-JDbassplayer
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2020-08-24 09:53
jdbassplayer - I just checked used bell costs on ebay. OMG the cost has go up so much! Yes you are correct and thanks for saying something. I'm shocked.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2020-08-24 10:46
I have 2 excellent CTs and have noticed the fragility of the bells as compared to other instruments; one has a definite crack (since before I bought it) and the other could crack any minute, the bell is so thin. Perhaps this is a design flaw? In any case, they both are just wonderful horns (P series) which is why I did not let the very slight crack dissuade me.
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2020-08-24 10:49
PS when shipping old horns , especially in old cases, it is essential to secure the elements against any vibrations. The old paddings weren't very good to begin with and certainely have worn. My experience suggests that vibrations in the case rather than impact are the real danger.
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2020-08-24 12:12
The bell of a CT is very thin indeed and prone to cracking. Many have cracked during the years and that's why a CT bell is rare and expensive now.
Temperature and humidity differences during the shipment could have caused the cracking.
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Author: tyleman
Date: 2020-08-24 15:18
"Author: Jeroen
Date: 2020-08-24 12:12
The bell of a CT is very thin indeed and prone to cracking. Many have cracked during the years and that's why a CT bell is rare and expensive now.
Temperature and humidity differences during the shipment could have caused the cracking."
I offered to send the buyer an "M" series bell, and when I checked to see if it was OK, I noticed it was much more substantial than the CT "R" series bell on my own CT (the bell of which cracked after I'd only owned it for a few weeks). So your response only verifies my own experience.
After my CT bell cracked I bought an inexpensive resonite Bundy bell from a seller in the US. Works great and I don't have to worry about more cracks.
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