 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mike J
Date: 2010-01-09 23:34
Hi all, need some advise
I’ve just bought a new Buffet Bb R13 Prestige for when I go to music collage etc.
I tried and tested it in the music shop and was fine, was in tune and not hard to blow.
I’ve been trying to “break it in” but I don’t know why now it’s really hard to blow, I’m playing it with the same mouthpiece (Vandoren 5RV lyre) and reeds (Vandoren Trad #3) , I’ve tried my other mouthpieces and reeds, And still hard to blow??
But this is really worrying me, the whole instrument is very sharp but all the F’s on it are very flat, I’ve tried all the normal ways of tuning but it’s no good still out of tune. HELP
Lastly, it’s not projecting very well, everything in the lower register is ok apart from F1 and E1 but anything above A2 is hard to get out clearly.
What should/could/can I do , I spent £2550 on this instrument and thought it would be my dream instrument and thought I could rely on Buffet but so far I’m not impressed :(, maybe I just need to get used to it or is there some thing wrong?
Please can anyone give some constructive advise, NO SARCASM PLEASE
Thanks ,
Mike
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Author: xpedx7342
Date: 2010-01-09 23:40
First of all, all clarinets are slightly different being that they are made of wood. So it's normal to expect certain differences.
Also, when you got your instrumnt, did you simply buy it or did you test several of the same model? When purchasing an instrument, it is best to try several so that you don't happen to get a type you don't like.
Also, I ackonowledge that Buffet clarinets are like any othe clarinets and oviouslyfluctuate sligtly. However, Buffet is a great company and you should not pu it down due to this one instrument. I have a Tosca from Buffet and it is perhaps the greatest instrument ever :D
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Author: Eh.Steve0
Date: 2010-01-09 23:41
It's possible that a pad came loose, shifted, and/or the skin broke. Knowing Buffet's pads, that's not entirely out of the question....
When you said, "all the F's on it are very flat," which F's specifically (low, throat-tone, clarion, and/or altissimo) and how flat are they?
Also, How long have you been playing this new instrument each day?
-Stephen Ian Savage-
Clarinet Performance
CCM
"The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason." -John Cage (1912 - 1992)-
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Author: OmarHo
Date: 2010-01-10 01:28
This is highly unlikely, but being winter, you never know, are you sure it didn't crack?
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Author: Wes
Date: 2010-01-10 02:59
It has been my experience that all new clarinets need to be checked and possibly repadded to get them to play well. The factories cannot spend a lot of time in finishing them because the prices of new clarinets are not high when compared to other woodwinds, except those made in China. When you buy a new first class oboe for $7500 or a flute for $12000, you can expect them to be ready to play, but not necessarily a new French made $2500 clarinet, which is low for a Buffet Prestige.
The thing to do is to get a competent repair person to check it out. Good luck!
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-01-10 04:03
It amazes me that some of you are willing to pay more for a tech to ADJUST a NEW Buffet clarinet than I would charge you to PURCHASE a complete, 100% ready-to-play clarinet of comparable quality. I guess I'm in the wrong business.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-01-10 09:33
Wes - he spent £2550 (GB£) which is the average price for a Prestige in the UK. If it was $2500 (US$) then he'd have definitely got himself a bargain.
Mike (and everyone), winter is the worst possible time to buy any new wooden instrument what with the low humidity and central heating being on full time, sudden changes in temperature when moving between your warm house to going outside, then into your cold car, then from a warmed up car to outside in the cold again, into a rehearsal hall where you'll be warming the clarinet up, playing it for a couple of hours, drying out, putting it away only to make the return journey home again, so the wood will have a lot to contend with at this time of year.
Have you been informed of the playing in procedure for a new wooden clarinet? It's vitally important you keep your new clarinet at a constant temperature at this time of year and don't subject it to sudden changes.
Only play it for a maximum of 30 minutes a day for the coming week, then dry it out and put it back in its case, then increase the playing time by 5 minutes a day after that. If you play it for hours on end from the outset, the risk of cracking it is great as the wood is still pretty much fresh from being machined, so any moisture in the bore will be absorbed which will cause the inside to swell up whereas the outside will be put under stress.
This is how they split as the internal pressure from the swollen cells surrounding the bore will have only one way to push - and that's outwards, and that will cause the surface of the joint to crack at the weakest point - along the grain at a weak point the top of the joint which can be through the speaker tube, through the top two trill toneholes or down to the throat A tonehole - maybe even running all down the left side (as you're playing it) to the cross Eb/Bb tonehole.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2010-01-11 23:24
Given the symptoms you describe I'm thinking the first thing to do is have a tech check the pads or (better) take it back whence it came and have them check and fix it it under warranty - i presume buffet does give a warranty? For GBP2550 (USD4100) I'd certainly want something that's easyblowing and fairly in tune.....
Too bad all the music profs expect you to have a Buffet - but then nobody ever gets fired for recommending Buffet - kinda like the old IT mainframe days when every exec bought IBM because, after all, nobody got fired for that....
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-01-12 00:04
Mike, many of the finer stores in the US, not all, will check a new clarinet over and make all necessary adjustment before it leaves their shop. It sounds to me like a leak problem. I think you need to take it back to the store you bought it from if they have a repair person and tell them the problem and ask them to give it a very careful check over. I never knew why some people have their brand new clarinets overhauled soon after they get them. I always suggest playing it for at least a year, if not two or three as long as the original pads stay in good shape and don't leak getting adjustments as needed of course.
As far as intonation, that's different. It's possible that a leak or crack may change the intonation but that's probably unlikely. If you bought the clarinet in the summer it's possible that the bore might have changed somewhat. It's also possible that you are in error about how in tune it was when you picked it out. It's unusual for one or two notes to "go out of tune" in a short time. Perhaps the whole clarinet can be flatter of sharper in a few months but unlikely for one or two notes to change. I guess nothing is impossible though.
I bought a new Selmer 3 years ago and it tuned just fine with the larger of the 2 barrels it came with and a few months later it was much to flat and have been using a shorter barrel ever since. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2010-01-12 00:19
I have a friend in the same situation so she's going to Vancouver to visit Morrie Backun. I will be very interested to hear what he has to say. I have the same instrument she does (actually she's borrowing it right now, an R-13 Festival) and she has no problems. It's at least ten years older than her brand new instrument.
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2010-01-12 20:52
Definitely something happened to this instrument. Maybe it's due to improper assembly or disassembly. It's not so hard to bend a key or a linkage on a new instrument when the cork is too tight. Many things could happen. Maybe the bridge-key or the adjusting screw on the throat G# went out of adjustment etc. Have a tech check the instrument.
Vytas Krass
Clarinet Repair
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
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Author: Fred
Date: 2010-01-13 18:40
Did you check for lint buildup somewhere it shouldn't be? Maybe register tube?
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-01-13 20:09
I'll throw my hat into the ring with all the others who have ecommended having the instrument checked by a competent repair tech. It sounds as though something's gone out of whack on it - a torn pad, a bent key, possibly (but not the most likely) a crack in the upper joint - one of any number of possible small problems is causing a significant air leak somewhere. A new instrument - even one of lower quality than an R13 Prestige - shouldn't be "really hard to blow" unless you've just gone off and made some major and grossly inappropriate change in reeds (which you say you have not).
Don't sweat about it any longer. Have it checked out.
Karl
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