 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Claratheclarinet85
Date: 2021-01-28 04:03
I have a sincere Question. So I have a vintage wooden D Noblet Clarinet with an oval logo (I heard that that means she's older) and I want to get her professionally cleaned, But I'm not sure that this is a good idea due to her age. She's still playable, and I often practice and perform with it. Does anyone have any recommendations as to WHERE to get it cleaned? Should I go for a clarinet specialist or just an all around instrument repairer?
Extra Info:
She's over 50 yrs old and probably never been professionally cleaned.
She's had her pads replaced multiple times.
there's a TEENSY WEENSY chip in the middle joint.
I've looked all over the internet for answers, but I can't find a straightforward answer.
-Max
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Author: kdk
Date: 2021-01-28 05:10
Claratheclarinet85 wrote:
> I want to get her professionally cleaned, But I'm
> not sure that this is a good idea due to her age. She's still
> playable, and I often practice and perform with it. Does anyone
> have any recommendations as to WHERE to get it cleaned? Should
> I go for a clarinet specialist or just an all around instrument
> repairer?
I don't know if you mean literally to have the clarinet cleaned or you mean having it "overhauled" or serviced mechanically. In either case IMO you should always have the work done by a clarinet, or at least, a woodwind specialist. Cleaning the whole clarinet (body and keywork) will mean disassembling it. Taking it apart and reassembling it is a job best done, IMO, by a specialist either in clarinet repair or flute, oboe and clarinet work.
That said, there's the question of whether or not such a repair person or shop exists in your area. If you're looking for recommendations, you might give some general idea of where you are. Who did the pad replacements you mention?
Karl
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Author: kdk
Date: 2021-01-28 05:18
What exactly is a "B flat D Noblet ND"? I assume it was a model, or does the serial # start with D? I misunderstood your topic and first post to mean you were talking about a D clarinet. I wondered where you got to use it so much.
Karl
Post Edited (2021-01-28 05:22)
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Author: DougR
Date: 2021-01-28 17:39
I have one of those, circa 1957-58. Workhorse student instrument, superb grenadilla wood (as was common back then), sturdy keywork. No reason a regular woodwind repair person couldn't do what you want done (though I don't know if by "clean" you mean service or overhaul--stripping the instrument down, replacing pads, cleaning/oiling the wood inside & out).
I think of it as a student instrument but I may be selling it short--a real expert on Leblanc/Noblet models from the 50s/60s would have to weigh in on that.
Hope that answers your questions, if not chime in again!
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Author: Claratheclarinet85
Date: 2021-01-28 18:31
I live in the Virginia Beach Area. I had the pads replaced at Music and Arts, but I found that I couldn't find what they charge for just a thorough cleaning. I have now noticed green stuff under some of the keys. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THAT IS?!?!) A small detail I forgot to mention was that this Clarinet was in storage for the longest time before I got it in my possession.
-Max
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Author: kdk
Date: 2021-01-28 20:07
Claratheclarinet85 wrote:
> I live in the Virginia Beach Area. I had the pads replaced at
> Music and Arts, but I found that I couldn't find what they
> charge for just a thorough cleaning.
They probably don't have a standard "cleaning" charge, because they (and most shops) don't generally offer the service separately. The instrument is usually cleaned up during a more general adjustment or maintenance service. Except for removing any gunk that could actually be slowing the mechanism down, you seem to be looking for a mostly cosmetic improvement. Better to have it adjusted mechanically at the same, since it has to be disassembled anyway to clean it thoroughly. (Cleaning it without taking the keys off is something you could just as easily do yourself.) That kind of adjustment doesn't *need* to include a complete re-padding, which you shouldn't need if they've been replaced recently. While it's disassembled, the repair person *should* look to see if any pads are damaged and those (few) should be replaced, but recently replaced pads should still be fine.
That said, a place like Music and Arts may provide as good a service as anyone. It really depends on who specifically is doing the work. The M&A I've dealt with when I taught music full-time has three separate divisions in its shop - woodwinds, strings and brass (I don't know who works on percussion). Each division has a foreman. The best person to get to do any clarinet work is the foreman of the woodwind shop. Their shops, though, are set up to move lots of student rental instruments and school-owned instruments (where they have a service contract) through and get them up to "good-playing condition," which may not be the best condition possible. They may balk at committing time to work on an individually owned instrument, especially if you only want cosmetic work.
Does your band teacher at school, or your private clarinet teacher if you have one, have a suggestion for a good shop? I have an old Noblet C clarinet that may well be of the same vintage as your instrument, and it's an excellent clarinet, well worth having the best maintenance available.
Karl
Post Edited (2021-01-28 23:44)
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Author: DougR
Date: 2021-02-07 05:02
Just replying to my own post! As it happens, I pulled my old D. Noblet (same vintage as our original poster) out of its case and just gave it a toot. The pads cover amazingly well and it sounds perfectly fine intonation-wise, and is in fact a darn good instrument.
Why would anyone care? Well, you can get these for in the range of $40-60 on the Goodwill auction site, and with a student-level overhaul it's a cheap and eminently playable backup horn.
It does have some "green" on it, old cork grease or oil I assume, and some sort of powdery stuff on some of the keys where the plating had worn through, and the usual buildup of old cork grease on the joints. But that aside, it toots very well indeed. Glad I've kept it all these years.
Just wanted to mention, in case anyone's interested.
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