 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2020-10-09 07:50
Well, I suppose its better that this happened during the pandemic when I'm not rehearsing or performing, but I broke the bell on my 16-year old Yamaha CSG-H Bb -- (My Bb accidentally slipped through my hand and hit my kitchen tile bell-first as I was about to place it on its peg, breaking off 2 large sections of it.)
I've never had this happen so I'm not sure what course of action to take:
1) I could try to repair it but I have questions about the adhesive to use and the impact to the resulting acoustics.
2) I can call the Yamaha Atellier in Buena Park and see if they can order a replacement.
3) I could try a 3rd-party Bb bell that would work with the Yamaha CSG
Does anyone have any comments or suggestions WRT repairing a broken bell?
Does anyone who plays the CSG have experience and recommendations concerning any 3rd party replacement bells?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Bob Barnhart
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-10-09 08:56
What's a "WRT"?
Superglue will do the trick. Any missing bits can be filled in with superglue and wood dust, then shaped and blended in to make the repair near invisible.
As it's a ringless bell, then that will need to be reinforced with a carbon fibre band as it'll only crack again if you plonk it onto a peg - especially the type of clarinet pegs that have no flat base ("like Hercules, like Hercules") where all the weight of the instrument is bearing directly on the peg which will act like a wedge on the inside of the bell.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2020-10-09 16:06
Normally I would recommend just repairing the damage, but in this case because you have such a nice instrument I think it’s worth finding a replacement just for the peace of mind. In addition to contacting Yamaha I would also check eBay as it’s a great place for finding spare parts. Remember you can also find a silver plated bell and have your tech swap over the original ring to make it correct.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-10-09 17:11
I did it to the original CSG. Almost the same scenario. Even just a crack will ruin the acoustical properties..........as I found out. The bell needs to sound like a marimba bar when you strike it.
I just bought a replacement from Yamaha. It's worth it.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2020-10-09 21:39
Thank you all for responding...
Chris: "WRT" is just shorthand for "With Respect To" -- guess I was just hurrying a bit... I do have a Hercules stand so for the reasons you mentioned and other reasons (I don't want a broken bell on my horn) I think I'll replace the bell.
Jdbassplayer: I checked on eBay but so far no luck. The CSG is a bit of a "niche" instrument and finding barrels, etc. for it is more difficult than for other makes. Thanks for the suggestion about migrating the bell-ring from the broken bell to a replacement. We have a great repairman in San Diego (Ryan Simmons, 2nd Bassoon in the San Diego Symphony) and he could probably do that for me.
Paul: You are one of the main reasons I selected these instruments and I've been quite happy since I bought them. I'm sorry you had the same experience. I'm trying to get through to the LA Yamaha Attelier, but in my experience they are hard to get a hold of. How/where did you order your replacement, how much was it and how long did it take to arrive?
As I use Backun "Fatboy" barrels on my CSGs, I asked Backun about their bells and was told that all of them would fit and work well. I think I need to resolve getting a Yamaha CSG bell first before looking at 3rd party options.
Bob
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-10-10 00:59
That was a looooong time ago. Really all I recall was that is was over $300.......and I still have the box and the old bell.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2020-10-10 05:20
Apparently, one can directly order parts from the Yamaha parts site at: https://www.yamaha24x7.com, although I'm not yet sure because it is down for upgrades until Oct 11th.
I also emailed Tomoji Hirakata (thirakata@yamaha.com) who responded within a couple of hours with the part number for the bell and even an offer to send a loaner barrel (from the NY Yamaha Atelier) if I needed it.
At this point, I will probably order a replacement CSG bell through Dave Kessler, although apparently any Yamaha dealer would be fine.
Thank you all for your help!
Bob Barnhart
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-10-11 14:32
I've added carbon fibre bands to ringless barrels and bells as a preventative measure as they're more vulnerable to cracking no matter how thick the wood is compared to barrels and bells supported with socket or bell rings.
Once you get your replacement CSG bell, have the flare fitted with a carbon fibre band to give you that peace of mind. It shouldn't be visible once done and filled in over the carbon fibre, but there are some that prefer to leave the carbon fibres visible.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2020-10-11 18:29
Chris,
Thanks, I’ll look into it—I don’t want to go through this again!
Bob
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Author: gwie
Date: 2020-10-18 09:24
Hey Bob, got a CSG bell in Hamilton plate. Little chip taken out of wood where the bell ring would be, but it's whole otherwise. Get in touch and I'll send it to you!
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2020-10-18 20:22
Gene,
Thank you so much for your kind offer! However, thanks to God the folks at the LA Yamaha Atelier have sent me a loaner bell, and with the help of Tomoji Hirakata at the NYC Atelier, they are working to get a replacement that I can purchase through Dave Kessler in Las Vegas.
Hopefully, this will all be resolved soon, but in the interim I'm truly grateful for the help I've received from Yamaha and from everyone on this board.
Bob
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Author: gwie
Date: 2020-10-19 02:50
Awesome! I've always had fantastic service from the Yamaha team.
I literally have no use for this bell, having sent my CSG set on to a student, and playing on the CSVR now. If you would like an extra backup bell, I'm happy to gift it to you anyhow.
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2020-10-27 19:42
The plot thickens...
It looks like my CSG is too old and Yamaha no longer has (or can produce) a replacement bell for the original generation Bb.
I tested a friends CSG-III Bb bell on my Bb and although it fits, functions and has good intonation, the tone is quite different and much worse than that of my original bell or the loaner bell from the Atelier. So a new CSG-III bell looks like a no-go.
Gene, given this turn of events, I would gratefully accept your offer of your spare bell. To make arrangements, you can contact me offline at my email or I will try to contact you from your web-site. Thanks!
Bob Barnhart
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2020-10-28 05:06
Bob,
Let me know if you have any trouble reaching Gene. I can put you in touch if needed.
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2020-11-15 03:20
James,
Thanks for your kind offer (I recall you are a CSG player from several years ago...), but Gene Wie already sent me his spare and I was also able to procure a compatible bell from the LA Yamaha Atelier (with assistance from the NY Atelier as well).
At this point, I'm good and I thank everyone for all their help!
Also, I want to reiterate that not only do Yamaha have great instruments, but their customer and technical support is outstanding (and very comforting)!
Finally, I wish everyone a very Happy (and healthy!) Thanksgiving -- y'all have already given me mine!
Bob
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