 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Suitman
Date: 2010-05-21 12:12
I have a recently over-hauled Conn 17, that was given to me by my fellow third clarinet player in my community band. My previous clarinet was a poor condition Armstrong I used in marching band for 4 years with a Woodwind educator G8, a D. Bonade inverted lig, and a vandoren 3 reeds. I bought the clarinet second hand and literly played the life out of it. My main instrument is the bass clarinet, but after graduating high school I no longer have one to play, thus my switch to sop. My Armstrong finally fell to a condition unplayable by anyone, so I now have it displayed with some other old plastic clarinets given/bought for sentimental reasons. When my fellow player learned of my situation, he said he'd bring me a clarinet he had lying around, that didn't really work for him, thus how I came by it. I'm using a Selmer Goldentone mouth piece, with what seems to be a generic fabric inverted lig, with Vandoren 3 reeds. I have a horrible tuning problem in the throat tones, being that the sounds produced are perfect semi-tones. My current solution is to pull out the mouth piece and barrel to just where the cork starts to show, then adjust the middle joint as needed. I also have a buzzing low C and E flat. I do not have the alternate barrel.
I really love the feel and tone I get from this horn. I play a wide variety of styles, and it meets my demands quite well, which can be exstensive. I'll do anything to get it just right. If any one has anything they can add to help me, I will graciously take their advice. I have no problem changing my set up in any way, so any thoughts on that would be great. I thought about buying a new barrel and bell, but I have no clue where to look.
Thanks in advance,
Suitman
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2010-05-21 19:22
The first thing I'd try: Round up all the mouthpieces from your collection of horns, and test them out on your Conn. Hopefully, you'll find one or more that helps even out the tuning.
I have six mouthpieces and four clarinets. Not one mouthpiece in the lot plays in tune on all four clarinets. On my horns, when using a mismatched mouthpiece, the most glaring tuning fault is sharp throat tones. I'd be willing to wager that the Selmer Goldentone is simply a mismatch for the Conn.
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Author: Suitman
Date: 2010-05-21 21:40
Well, I only have the Selmer and and the woodwind educator worth using. The rest are extremely old hard rubber bundy's or vitos that need new cork and look horrible. They are student level, and I can never get a very good sound out of them. Just in case though, I did try the ones I thought were good enough. They failed miserably in that all hope was lost in articulation and that they felt stuffy.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2010-05-21 22:43
I would be tempted to see if one of your other clarinets has a longer barrel than your Conn. If so, try it on the Conn and see what happens.
Failing that, your next logical step would be to consult a good technician. There could be issues with leaks or improper pad heights on the upper joint. A good tech could make a quick diagnosis.
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Author: Suitman
Date: 2010-05-22 00:22
Ok, putting a plastic barrel on a wooden clarinet is a big NO!! I'm pretty sure there is improper pad seating, but the techs around here aren't worth the gas money to get there and find out. I'd have to send it off somewhere, so I'd be better off fixing what I deffinately know is wrong, myself. I've done it beofore, so I've no problem with it.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2010-05-22 01:58
Suitman wrote:
> Ok, putting a plastic barrel on a wooden clarinet is a big NO!!
Who lied to you?
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Author: Suitman
Date: 2010-05-22 02:06
Why would you want to do that? It'll probably sound aweful, and the wood won't be able to expand properly because of the plastic. Correct?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2010-05-22 02:44
No and no.
There are some pretty well-respected barrels made of material other than wood (Robert Scott barrels come to mind immmediately) and I've never heard of any particular problems with any plastic barrel sticking.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-05-22 04:29
I have used hard rubber barrels on wodden clarinets with fine results. Someone fed you a line. Use whatefver sounds best in your collection. It won't damage anything to try.
Jeff
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2010-05-22 08:06
You certainly don't have to take my advice, but I was hoping to help you find some answers testing your setup using equipment you already have at your disposal.
Please consider that some Armstrong, Bundy, Normandy, and other wooden clarinets came equipped with composite barrels and bells. One can safely mix and match barrels without worry.
When you find a barrel length that works on your Conn, you could then order an aftermarket wooden barrel, confident that you'll be ordering the proper length. There are some truly magnificent barrels being made these days, some sold by sponsors of this forum. I personally use Ridenour Ivorolon hard rubber and Backun MoBa grenadilla wood barrels. Both are excellent.
My very old Normandy is equipped with its original composite bell, as it has been since 1953 or so, and has suffered no ill effects to the lower joint/bell coupling. I've received nothing but unqualified praise for the tone quality of the instrument.
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Author: doonebug
Date: 2019-07-16 01:25
I know I'm adding to an old post, but for anyone that is troubleshooting the buzz around C4, add some pipe tape to the middle joint to make the joint REAL snug.
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