 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ken
Date: 2003-01-05 23:31
Now that business is concluded I had an interesting situation happen to me when selling my clarinet. I had a buyer for my R-13 and after play testing they returned it "solely" because they claimed the horn smelled of cigarette smoke. When I got it back I sniffed it thoroughly and asked several pro player friends (all non-smokers that never smoked) smell/inspect the horn closely to ensure my sense of smell wasn't totally fried. None of them detected any odor whatsoever, including the case ... and I believe them. The facts and history: the instrument is 27 y/o; I'm the original owner, a smoker playing on it for 20 years. I quit smoking 5 years ago; since then it's been brannenized "twice" however on occasion STILL been subjected to smoke-filled nightclubs and like environments as I've had to make a living.
Question, should clarinet players that smoke, have smoked or had their instruments they are selling exposed to smoke-filled environments ethically advertise their instruments as such?
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Author: ALOMARvelous12
Date: 2003-01-05 23:37
Interesting point, but I surely wouldn't want to play on a wind instrument if I know that it has been used by somebody who smoked.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2003-01-05 23:45
I sometimes, in a pinch, use cigarette smoke to find a leak, but mostly in a pinch like just before a concert or something. Its quick. It will leave a dark residue on the pads and distinctive "leak mark" on the offending pad. However if you played that horn regularly (with routine swabbing) I don't see how there could be much residue left in the horn that one could detect after five years. Maybe U.S. Customs oughta hire these folks to help sniff out drugs and bombs. Sounds like their olfatories(sp) are more sensitive that the average hound dog.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-01-05 23:56
Ken...Interesting question, considering that I do not smoke, but <b>have</b> played many gigs in clubs, restaurants, bars, etc...where smoking does take place.
I am a firm believer in "truth in advertising" as I would want others to tell me everything about an instrument if asked, and I would, in turn, do the same if I was the seller.
I have seen a few eBay sellers actually make a point of stating in their description that their goods come from a "smoke free home."
Simply stating that you were a former smoker should be enough "truth in advertising" for most people.
That fact that as a working professional, you may have played in smoke filled environment is usually a given fact, and something you had no control over...GBK
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Author: Henry
Date: 2003-01-06 00:26
I may be naive but I always thought the way to play a clarinet is to BLOW into it, not SUCK on it!
Henry
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Author: Ken
Date: 2003-01-06 00:27
Glenn, I agree wholeheartedly and precisely the way I conduct business with people ... regardless the way I'm treated in return. I took extra care to mechanically "max" out this horn (the same horn I used on my last Dixie CD). I bought it from Bill and Linda in 1975 and even had Clark Brody handpick it for me. At the time, it never dawned on me to declare the horn was a "previously-owned" smokers horn... with that kind of logic people should sell their used horns like they're selling false teeth. <:^).
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Author: CPW
Date: 2003-01-06 01:19
Depends on whether it was... menthol.... or regular.
And what about the other killer weed?
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2003-01-06 01:20
Not stating that your clarinet is this way, but I've had some instruments, saxophones in particular, that just opening the case caused me to take a few steps back! I know this sounds crazy, but while buffing keys I can get an slight odor of smoke if the horn was used in the past by a smoker. I think the smell even gets into the plating somehow. I KNOW I'm not imagining it. I think it might be just how sensitive one is to the odor.
jbutler
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-01-06 07:07
Willie wrote that when using smoke to find a leak in a clarinet the smoke "will leave a dark residue on the pads and distinctive "leak mark" on the offending pad."
That mark is surely nicotine etc, and will smell until it has entirely evaporated, if indeed, it ever does.
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2003-01-06 13:00
I realize that everything is tending to get more and more politically (and medically) correct these days, but I'd sure prefer to buy a clarinet from a smoker than from a garlic eater.
Back in the "good old days" when people had wood burning stoves or, heaven forbid, fireplaces, people weren't as likely to run into another room to preserve their health, if someone opened a clarinet case that had been in a night club 20 years ago.
I realize that not all odors are appreciated by all people, but the chances of suffering health effects from a "smoky" clarinet are pretty slim.
If I ever advertise a clarinet for sale, I'll be sure to mention that it was seldom played in the bath room.
Guess I got that off my wheezing chest.
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Author: Bob
Date: 2003-01-06 13:57
If the buyer had preconceptions about playing a clarinet that had been played by a smoker he should have sent an email query before the fact. Yes, I've seen some eBay horns advertised as non smoker etc etc and that tactic probably appeals to some. In my opinion the buyer is just using this excuse in the belief that it is a legitimate reason to renege on the deal. Anyone who truly wants a horn that is smoke free should buy a new one, however, nicotine does tend to deter moths and other nasty creatures.
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Author: Benni
Date: 2003-01-06 14:38
When I first got my new (to me) clarinet and opened the case, I pretty much gagged on the odor . . . Then, my friends wanted to see it, and after getting the zippered case open once more, they quickly cleared the room. As I described in another post, I finally got the smell out of the case, but not out of the horn. It smells like a combination musty/smoky odor. I'm a non-smoker, so the hint of smoke stood out, but I don't notice *any* of this while I'm playing. (As Henry said, you blow air through the clarinet!)
Could it be that my clarinet was just played in smoke-filled rooms? After all, even the deteriorating pads that were originally on it weren't black . . .
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Author: William
Date: 2003-01-06 15:07
My wife can always tell if I have been in a smoke filled room, just by the residue smell picked up by my sports coat or sweater. If the clarinet was played in such an environment, it is only logical that, as with clothing, some residual ordor could be left on the instrument for future sniffers. Additionaly, the "smell" could be coming from the lining of the case, and not actually the instrument.
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Author: doctorsprod@mindspring.com
Date: 2003-01-06 18:00
(Disclaimer - I will be offering a deodorizing product for sale) Some of the newer technologies - those employing enzymes and citrus oil terpenes will remove smoke odors from the horn and the case permanently. Older deodorant formulations may remove some of the smoke odor and mask (for a time) some odors, but to totally remove the odor it must be transformed into another compound that has no odor or a different and less noxious odor. Newly discovered natural enzymes interact with the volatile odor causing chemicals and chemically change them. Certain classes of citrus terpene compounds, which are volitile themselves will also combine to form volitile compounds that have a faint citrus smell but not the original noxious smell. Many have used the product Fabreze which combines and nullifies certain odors - not ultimately effective with smoke odors however.
The formulation of these deodorizing solutions is a science in itself and must be geared to the range of odor causing compounds to be eliminated. Many older instrument cases have a particular smell that often can be traced to deterioation of the horse hide glue used to glue the parts together. This is a very stubborn odor but a combination of natural enzymes will cure the noxious smell. This is an ongoing treatment situation (perhaps once per year) since there is further substrate glue to break down. Smoke odors absorbed in the case lining can be eliminated with one treatment of a combination of enzymes and citrus terpenes.
The Doctor
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-01-07 21:37
What about the smell of beer? It often goes with cigarettes. There must be some pretty sensitive noses out there.
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