 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Betsy Burns
Date: 2002-02-04 20:42
I know this is a REALLY stupid question, but what exactly do cracks in a wooden clarinet look like? I want to know because I suspect that my 5 month old Buffet E-11 may have the beginings of a crack near the top joint. Thank you for dealing with my stupidity!!!:)
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-02-04 20:57
Oh my ... it's not a stupid question at all!
Sometimes just raised or depressed grain will look like a crack, or there may be just a surface hairline "crack" that never changes or gets deeper (a "check" in the wood). When a crack gets big enough to affect something that's obvious (unless it closes up - and that <b>does</b> happen!) I can identify them, but other than watching it open and close or having an affect on the sound I find that I'm an unreliable "crack finder".
Someone with experience at determining whether or not it really is a crack should take a look - an experienced teacher or a repairperson can probably tell right away, but I know someone like myself with limited experience in determining whether or not something is really cracked can be fooled.
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Author: Bob
Date: 2002-02-05 13:49
Betsy: In my experience,first of all the crack will be "longitudinal", that is parallel to the length of the clarinet. Second, you will probably be able to examine it better with magnification of some sort. Third, it will "open" and "close" as the moisture content(mainly) changes....one day you can see it , the next day you can't. If you really have any suspicions that you have a crack take it back to the seller asap.
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Author: Jamie Talbot
Date: 2002-02-05 14:37
Cracks normally appear on the top joint and start from a tone hole.
The G# and A holes are particularly vunerable and so are the top trill keys.If your E11 is only 5 months old it should still be covered by Buffets' warranty.
Good luck!
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