 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Taryn
Date: 2007-10-30 15:30
I've had my clarinet for about 5 years now, a Yamaha YCL-SE custom, bought brand new, and I'm told it's overdue to be serviced. How often do they need servicing, and is there anyone in my area (Calgary, AB, Canada) that does it?
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2007-10-30 15:50
Be one with the instrument, grasshopper, and you will know when it needs attention.
I am particularly picky about the adjustment on my pinkie keys. You can usually tell when there are leaks by how notes speak and visually check for torn pads, etc. However, it is also true that one simply grows accustomed to how an instrument plays but will notice when it gets adjusted, just like a guitar player who plays along with old strings but notices the sound of the new strings right away.
Barb
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-10-30 16:02
You should have your clarinet serviced every 12 to 18 months.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2007-10-30 16:41
See who services the woodwinds for the students at the nearest university level conservatory or for the nearest full time symphony orchestra.
My psychic abilities tell me that your barrel does not need sevicing ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Taryn
Date: 2007-10-30 16:42
Do most band stores (like St Johns Music or Long And McQuade) do this, or am I going to have to send it away? I'm told that Peter Spriggs is the best one to go to, especially in my area, but I'd like to avoid sending my clarinets away if I can.
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Author: Taryn
Date: 2007-10-30 16:45
Why Allen, how did you know? By the way, my teacher loved the resonance of your barrel. I'm adding an Eb barrel to my list of things to get.
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Author: bahamutofskycon
Date: 2007-10-30 17:45
I take mine in for a general adjustment/oiling/etc once a year.
It seems to keep my pair in good working order.
Steve Ballas
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2007-10-30 18:01
Depends how much you play and how sturdy the clarinet is. i recently learned that one should put a little bit of key oil about once a month to keep the mechanism smooth. I play 10-15h per week and have my set of Buffet looked at once a year.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2007-10-30 18:30
Over at the Armed Forces School of Music, they instruct us to oil the bore, oil the keys, and wipe down the clarinet once a month. That's a bit on the extreme side if you ask me.
But I don't think there's anything wrong with oiling the keys/posts once a month and the bore at least once a year. I'd like to hear from people like Doc Henderson or others on this board who know a lot about oil and it's affect on the clarinet, but I don't think overoiling a clarinet would harm it. If the whole point of the oil is to permeate into the wood, there's only so much that can permeate and the rest would just not soak in.
They told us at the school that to oil effectively, put a light coat of oil on it and let it sit overnight. The next day if there's no evidence of oil in the bore, it was soaked in and to do it again. Repeat until there's evidence of oil and that would be the point where the wood is fully saturated and can't get anymore.
Alexi
PS - Don't have any qualms about sending your instrument away. As long as it's a reputable person (search the board on Peter Spriggs and you'll probably find he is one). I live by this bulletin board. My instruments were purchased through it's classifieds section and on recommendations from posts, my mouthpieces through people that are mentioned in posts, the exercise books I use, ligatures, everything. And so far, I have had MANY more positive experiences than negatives (and I could probably count the negatives on one hand . . . not bad for the years I've been on and the VAST amount of purchases and services made using people from this bulletin board)
US Army Japan Band
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Author: FDF
Date: 2007-10-30 23:10
If you think your clarinet needs servicing, then it does. If you think it's OK then it is. If you don't know, service it.
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2007-10-31 01:07
A good quality professional clarinet usually doesn't need any servicing for 5-10 years. This applies to the brand new clarinets that have been properly set-up and clarinets that received the artist quality overhaul.
Vytas Krass
Clarinet Repair
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2007-10-31 06:37
Vytas wrote- "A good quality professional clarinet usually doesn't need any servicing for 5-10 years."
I'd like to know how this can be possible unless the instruemnt is not used much. Just as far as normal wear and tear on the pads and the build up of dirt in the holes is concerned, I would expect no more than 2 years (at the most) for anyone that use their instruments everyday or almost everyday(pros/ students/ etc). Perhaps if you use synthetic pads, like Valentino, you may get another year or more out of them, but there is still the build up of dirt in the holes.
I have sometimes gone for 2 years without changing a pad, but I still have to clean the toneholes every 6-8 months.
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Author: Taryn
Date: 2007-10-31 19:57
Thank you! I'll be looking for a place to service it then. I can't tell the changes so well since I was only 15 or 16 and not too bright when I first got it, but some things just don't feel right. Now I just have to hope that Canada Post doesn't ruin it!
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2007-10-31 23:04
Perhaps Vytas meant "professional overhaul" as a service?
Normal upkeep can be done up until an overhaul is done. Certainly you can clean out the toneholes yourself every other month and change a pad here or there. But maybe a good professional overhaul should be done every five years. And oil the clarinet as you see fit. I could see that.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: ned
Date: 2007-11-01 05:01
A service is essential every 10,000 or 15,000 tunes - depending on the manufacturers warranty.
Seriously though - if it's not working then it needs a service. If it's not broken don't get it fixed.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2007-11-01 05:23
Alexi wrote: "Perhaps Vytas meant "professional overhaul" as a service?
Normal upkeep can be done up until an overhaul is done. Certainly you can clean out the toneholes yourself every other month and change a pad here or there."
I think of the word "service" like this- if I have to get my clarinet back to the repair person's shop, then it is "service"; even if it is only 1 pad or changing 1 tenon cork. I don't know many pro players or students that can change pads, and most people I have talked to about it are super scared to move much more than the adjustment screw on the throat A key. I know a few people (rather well known players BTW) that are confident enough to clean the holes, but they are not going to even think about anything with pads/fire.
5-10 years between major overhaul?? Yes, that seem a good number. But to change nothing at all on a daily used clarinet for 5 years?? I would be honestly amaized to see it.
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2007-11-01 13:59
skygardener,
Wash your hands before you pick up your clarinet. Do not ever leave your clarinet idling on the stand. Use silk pull through swab. Clean your clarinet (and mouthpiece) IMMEDIATELY after each use. If you follow these simple instructions you won't have to complain about the dirt in your tone holes.
During my study years I bought a brand new clarinet and played it (about 42-45 hours a week) for 13 years without any servicing and when I sold it the buyer decided that the clarinet doesn't need any servicing yet.
I meant what I wrote:
"A good quality professional clarinet usually doesn't need any servicing for 5-10 years. This applies to the brand new clarinets that have been properly set-up and the clarinets that received the artist quality overhaul".
By the way I had leather pads or leather and cork pad combination in mind. That is what I use and would recommend to anybody.
Vytas Krass
Clarinet Repair
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-11-01 15:19
"By the way I had leather pads or leather and cork pad combination in mind. That is what I use and would recommend to anybody."
Works for me.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-11-01 18:11
there is no set time for a clarinet to be serviced. it is all relative to how much you play. If the clarinet is having issues, then service it. if it ain't broke, it probably doesn't need fixing. service your instrument when you note a decrease in response of either key action or intonation issues or whatever.
use your intuition. and keep your instrument clean etc.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2007-11-01 18:41
"Over boreoiling the Clarinet can deaden the sound from what I was told by Gigliotti".
Oiling the bore will not deaden the sound if the ACCESS of oil IS REMOVED from the bore. Your bore should look dry after you finish the oiling process. If you leave the access of oil in the bore than of course it will deaden the sound of your clarinet. It happens because the (soft) layer/finish of oil doesn't resonate together with the wood and it actually dampens the sound. So, make sure you wipe off the access of oil from the bore after the oiling process.
Also, the oil that IS SOAKED in the wood will not ever get rancid but if you leave the access of it in the bore it might get rancid.
Vytas Krass
Clarinet Repair
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
Post Edited (2007-11-01 18:46)
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2007-11-01 19:16
(Disclaimer - I sell plant derived bore oil and Grenad-Oil)
Bravo Vytas - the process of autoxication - turning rancid - is highly dependent on air - oxygen. Oil in the wood is primarily in an anaerobic condition. The fatty acids of Grenadilla Oil are mainly poly-unsaturated which have a higher tendency to turn rancid than other fatty acids but obviously they do not in the wood. Grenadilla oil has also been used for centuries in Africa for its anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
Post Edited (2007-11-01 19:20)
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