 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dan
Date: 2001-10-20 00:13
Dear fellow Sneezy enthusiasts, I emailed Useful Music concerning the Lyon C clarinet and received the following reply. I thought the following info was useful and interesting and I wanted to share it with all of you.
Dear Dan,
The internal bore is 15mm. The clarinet flares from the second tone
hole from the bell (F#C#) increasing the internal bore to 19mm to the end of the
clarinet without the bell. The bell then has a pronounced flare. Many
of the tone holes are undercut.
I'm sorry, there's no trial period. I'll warn you of the worst things
about it. The instrument does everything it is advertised as doing - fully
chromatic, good tone and intonation, complete clarinet range - and the
price is one quarter of that of a C clarinet with equivalent tone and
intonation; but it does need getting used to. The size of the holes and their
spacing is different as are the positions of the pinkie keys (I assume you are
American).
There are no duplicate keys: one key one note. You must slide between
B/E and C#/F# and between C/F and E-flat/A-flat - similar to saxophone
fingering.
The plastic keys and its lightness make it look and feel like a toy.
This is deceptive. A close look at the mechanism will show the care and skill
involved in the engineering.
The keys clip on to the body so that the owner can repair it
him/herself. It never needs and overhaul. The disadvantage of this is that keys can
become dislodged if pulled by clothes, for instance (they never come away of
their own accord!). It is a simple matter to put a key back in place.
Likewise pads can be replaced easily but, in a similar fashion to the keys, they can be inadvertently removed.
The keys, in order to clip on and off, are slightly flexible. Although
they act as immediately as metal keys, the long pinkie keys feel a little
spongy under the fingers.
The B/C E/F mechanism for the left pinkie sometimes needs adjustment,
for instance, in very hot weather or after a lot of playing. This adjustment is a little tricky when you first attempt it but takes two minutes or less at subsequent attempts. It is explained in a comprehensive repair and maintenance sheet that comes with the clarinet.
There is full support on the telephone or e-mail for a year if any
problems occur. Keys and pads usually arrive in U.S.A 14-20 days after orders
are received, the cost being unlikely to be more than $20 including
mailing.
If you have any further questions, I'll answer them truthfully and
also, if you wish, play the instrument to you over the telephone.
Regards,
Graham Lyons
Useful Music
3 Tinley Court,
Tinley Garth,
Kirkbymoorside,
North Yorkshire, YO62 6HP
England
Tel: 00 44 1751 433379
Fax: 00 44 1751 430611
<A HREF="http://www.firstclarinet.com/">www.firstclarinet.com</A>
<A HREF="http://www.usefulpiano.com/">Useful Piano</A>
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