 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Niclas.e.gustafsson
Date: 2022-11-23 12:49
Hello.
I am fed up with my clarinets cracking. Had really bad luck with two fine and expensive instruments cracking from the thumb all the way up. The first one couldn’t be fixed... dont know yet with this one.. still processing and finding a good repairperson. Can’t understand why this keeps happening. Always cleaning them, not playing them after being outside in the cold, drying all the tone holes, as instructed in the manual from yamaha. Small cracks is a part of our lives (even thought my last prestigue cracked in 7 places at once, which was a bit over the top…), but this? Twice?! :(
I’m a clarinet teacher these days, stopped freelancing a few years ago when i got a family, and all my free time is spent in my studio mixing and producing for other people, so an expensive wooden horn seems to be… not an option due to this constant cracking. So sick and tired of this happening. No one i know, pro or amateur, have had anywhere close to this much bad luck, and some abuses their horns like crazy!
What should i buy? Anything with a left hand Eb would be nice.. does that even exists?
Got an lyrique some 15 years ago and that was a real dissappointment with bad adjustment and way too soft keys. Have they gotten better?
My backup clarinet now is a bottom of the line jupiter and it plays rather okay. But no projection and not the best intonation. So i want to find a new one as soon as possible.
Best regards
Niclas
Post Edited (2022-11-23 12:50)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2022-11-23 16:59
No crack should be impossible to fix, a good tech can carbon fiber band your clarinet which will prevent the crack from opening up in the future. I had a Tosca with a repaired crack running almost all the way through the upper joint. It was still a fantastic player and the crack never opened up again thanks to the carbon fiber bands.
As far as good non wooden clarinet go, the Buffet Prodige, Yamaha 255 and Backun Alpha are my favorite offerings in that order. If you order from Thomann (located in Germany but they ship worldwide and have excellent prices) you can get a Prodige with a left hand Ab/Eb for about $520. Add on a good barrel like a Fobes synthetic and you have yourself a great setup that’s resistant to cracks.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-11-23 18:52
Howarth made a few S1 and S2 clarinets with machined PVC bodies. Very handsome looking clarinets having a high gloss polished finish to the plastic with silver plated keywork. Most beginner level plastic clarinets have nickel plated keywork which doesn't look the same, or have a brushed or matt finish to the plastic to make it look more like wood which is funny as most wooden clarinets have a highly polished finish.
Only the general clarinet-buying public were a tad prejudiced and disparaging, deeming these plastic clarinets as not being professional instruments simply because they were made of plastic, even though they were produced in the same way as wooden clarinets and if anything, cost more to produce compared to their grenadilla, kingwood and cocobolo counterparts because of the extra difficulties in working with plastic.
Someone somewhere has them and I've not seen them come up for sale anywhere yet.
To safeguard against cracks rendering your clarinet unplayable, as well as dealing with the crack repairs themselves, also have the toneholes at the top end (down to the sunken open G tonehole underneath the throat A touchpiece or maybe even the side F# tonehole) bushed with plastic or ebonite so the cracks can't run across the crowns and cause them to leak.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2022-11-23 20:36
"Got an lyrique some 15 years ago and that was a real dissappointment with bad adjustment and way too soft keys. Have they gotten better?"
Check out the Lyrique AureA. That's what I got.
https://www.rclarinetproducts.com/aurea-bb-clarinet
Tom talks about the new Lyrique Libertas II and the AureA in this video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s9TodlGPBQ
I *believe* that the mechanism is very sturdy and strong, but I haven't played in 20 years and I've only had this one for a couple of months. My only complaint so far is that the gold post plating seems to wear or fade as I use a polishing cloth on the keys. Otherwise, it's as solid as anything to me.
Getting back into playing after 20 years.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Vandoren M15 Profile 88 (non-13) mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren blue-box #3.5 reeds
Post Edited (2022-11-23 21:26)
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2022-11-23 21:30
* please delete *
Getting back into playing after 20 years.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Vandoren M15 Profile 88 (non-13) mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren blue-box #3.5 reeds
Post Edited (2022-11-23 21:33)
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2022-11-23 21:32
*please delete*
Getting back into playing after 20 years.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Vandoren M15 Profile 88 (non-13) mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren blue-box #3.5 reeds
Post Edited (2022-11-23 21:33)
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Author: Niclas.e.gustafsson
Date: 2022-11-24 12:43
Thank you for your replies! I appreciate it very much.
I will look into the suggestions mentioned. The Prodige with lh eb looks promising.
My last clarinet they tried everything. And it ended up sounding different and intonation was off. In some other country there probably is great repair people for these kind of bore adjustments and such, but in sweden there is only one guy. And his schedule is, naturally, crazy busy. So i got another “tech” to do it… and the clarinet before that i sent to a tech outside Sweden, and the Mail office lost it for over a month before finding it again…
This clarinet will go to the swedish good guy thought. no matter the waiting period.
I’m just so sick of this whole thing. I need an instrument i can trust.
Any idea as to why this keeps happening? Could my spit be corrosive or something?
Good thing my prestigue bass hasn’t cracked yet thought. That would make me cry for a good week or so…
Gold plating coming off because of polishing seems… not that good for such an expensive instrument.. :( darn. Kind of like the idea of a pro horn made out of a non wooden material.
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2022-11-24 19:20
Depends on your hierarchy of values. It certainly wasn't as expensive as other artist level clarinets.
https://youtu.be/meD1HLv0zfs
Getting back into playing after 20 years.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Vandoren M15 Profile 88 (non-13) mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren blue-box #3.5 reeds
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-11-24 21:02
Gold plate shouldn't need polishing on a regular basis as it's gold which shouldn't tarnish (although it will look dull over time from handling and depending on the quality and the alloy). Also bear in mind gold plate is applied very thinly between 1 to 3 microns thick and only as a top layer, so will wear off on areas of high contact, or if you use a silver polishing cloth which contains a mild abrasive, or are overly fastidious with polishing it even with a dry cloth.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2022-11-24 21:05
It says it's a gold and silver polishing cloth, so I'm sure it's abrasive enough to create the issue.
I'd rather have faded gold posts than worn silver plated keys.
Getting back into playing after 20 years.
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Vandoren M15 Profile 88 (non-13) mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren blue-box #3.5 reeds
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