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Re: Cork needs replacement

Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2024-01-10 04:59

Evert,

Chris P, m1964 and lydian all make some very valuable points.

Here's my perspective: you bought a professional clarinet from someone which quickly developed a "crack" in one of the tenon corks. This makes me very suspicious about the rest of the instrument. I would strongly suggest going over the entire instrument with a magnifying glass to possibly spot any other problem that could possibly take place within a short period of time.

Is the person you bought it from a professional repair person?

I searched the Internet for reasons a tenon cork could possibly "crack" and found nothing. What do I suspect? The aging of the cork possibly left for an extended period of time with little or no cork grease lubricant on it.

If the seller is not a professional repair person, you might want to ask when the last time the entire instrument was professionally serviced.

Bottom line...you have a professional instrument and, IMHO, only a true professional should work on it. Chris is absolutely correct.

My gut tells me that if one cork went bad, the others may not be in very good condition. If the seller is not a true professional repairperson, I suggest finding one who is much closer and having all of the tenon corks replaced. Yes, this could get expensive, however, the piece of mind knowing that your professional instrument has all brand new tenon corks should make this investment all worth while.

Have I done this before? Yes, on my student clarinets and m1964 is absolutely correct. I had some where it took me an immense amount of time using a small, thin blade screwdriver to try and remove the stuck, sticky contact cement. Very frustrating... Bottom line? I wouldn't do it again. I would send a student clarinet to a professional to have a tenon cork replaced.

All of the above are just my opinions.

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