 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bbrandha
Date: 2012-03-20 03:25
I have just been offered one. I have seen lots of info on here about Mazzeos, but nothing on pricing. I can't even find much on the internet. One sold in South America for about $400 and a "need repair" one here in the States for $100.
Is it even worth my bother?
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-03-20 07:07
Offer $60 and use the comment that it will cost $300 to fix. For $100 you shouldn't have any trouble selling it on ebay and getting your money back or even more.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2012-03-20 07:37
I bought one on EBay US for $90 some time ago. Needed a couple of pads and plays OK. Not great, just OK.
Tony F.
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Author: mvjohnso
Date: 2012-03-20 08:07
Some what of a related question. Do the selmer and bundy student Mazzeo's have the throat Bb correction mechanism. As I would like to ghetto rig that onto my festival. And yes, I realize that they will probably not fit (I will add extensions, take out sections, or file things).
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Author: bbrandha
Date: 2012-04-13 22:43
Just got the clarinet today! It looks brand-new and has good corks and pads. Play time!
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-04-14 00:10
mvjohnso wrote:
> Some what of a related question. Do the selmer and bundy
> student Mazzeo's have the throat Bb correction mechanism. As I
> would like to ghetto rig that onto my festival. And yes, I
> realize that they will probably not fit (I will add
> extensions, take out sections, or file things).
Yes, but that's the only part of the Mazzeo mechanism they do have. Only the Selmer Paris variants had the full system IIRC. To be honest if you wanted to retrofit one of the throat Bb correction systems onto your clarinet it would probably be easier to use a Stubbins/Kaspar mechanism or a Selmer Omega mechanism as the there would be less keywork to make. This would require drilling a second vent hole however.
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2012-04-14 12:45
The mechanism on the Bundy is not the same as on the Signet. The Signet mechanism (like the Selmer France) has a plunger that can be moved to engage/disengage the mechanism; the Bundy is not adjustable. Looking at the keywork it doesn't seem like it would be an easy modification. I don't think I'd want to apply it to something like a Festival without measuring very carefully and trying it out on something else first.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2012-04-14 14:01
I advise against adding the Selmer Omega mechanism. It used counterbalancing springs, one overcoming the other. When the upper part got the least bit dirty, the pad (cork actually) would stick closed. Selmer even supplied strips of sandpaper to clean the cork and the vent tube.
Also, you had to get your left thumb all the way off the ring for the mechanism to work properly. For me, this got in the way of passages that moved back and forth over the register break, as in the Debussy Premiere Rhaposdie.
Information on the Stubbins mechanism is at http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/News/Newsletter/August2010/ClarinetSoreThroat.html.
The Mazzeo mechanism requires a change in fingering and eliminates the use of the left hand "resonance" fingerings for throat A and Ab.
I think the best solution is to link the mechanism to the throat A or Ab key, with the Ab link coming out a bit ahead. On the other hand, there are good resonance fingerings for the Bb (such as adding the right and left ring fingers and the right low F key). If you have long fingers, it's possible to avoid the "pinch" fingering altogether and use the next-to-top side key instead.
In an interview with James Gholson, Sidney Forrest said you just blow harder. http://www.unitus.org/SEACLAR.html As Gigliotti said, BTSOOI (blow the s**t out of it).
Ken Shaw
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-04-14 14:09
Ken Shaw wrote:
> I advise against adding the Selmer Omega mechanism. It used
> counterbalancing springs, one overcoming the other. When the
> upper part got the least bit dirty, the pad (cork actually)
> would stick closed. Selmer even supplied strips of sandpaper
> to clean the cork and the vent tube.
>
True. I keep a small linen strip in my case that I use to give the upper register tube a quick polish before assembly. This seems to stop the sticking problem. I suspect it could be drastically reduced or even eliminated if the brass register tube were replaced with one made from a material not prone to developing a sticky tarnish like verdigris. One of these days I'll have to get on the lathe and make one out of stainless to test the theory.
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Author: mvjohnso
Date: 2012-04-14 22:03
Well, I'm putting this idea on the back-burner for now, but thanks for all of the great suggestions. I did not even know about the S-K mechanism, and it seems very interesting. Currently, I am short on cash and time so such things will have to wait. That idea seems better than the Mazzeo to me though as it does not involve a new fingering system (less the complications pointed out by Ken). Though I am a bit wary about drilling holes in my horn.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2012-04-14 23:04
Normandys and Noblets were once sold with the S-K mechanism; a Normandy so-equipped (Model 208) went for just $55 last fall on eBay. You might want to keep an eye open for these as a donor instrument for the mechanism.
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