 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: TCB91
Date: 2014-02-27 22:32
I have been playing for over 25 years on a Yamaha 72 Bb and have always wanted an Eb to play with. When my oldest asked for one to play in band I saw an opportunity . We just received the Yamaha 881 and it's the first time that I have been less than thrilled with a Yamaha clarinet right out of the case. Since we are a household of clarinetists we have 2 - 72's, a 650, and a fairly new CSV (in addition to 2 Selmers).
Right off the 881 was playing a quarter of a pitch flat on all notes below the throat tones, right in tune over the break, then it went a bit sharp at high C and up. I can deal with the sharpness on the high notes, but fixing flat is a problem. I have never had a "break-in" period with any of my other clarinets, so I wouldn't think that would be an issue here. Has anyone had any experience with this?
I have tried the stock Yamaha 4C mouthpiece that came with it, a Vandoren B44, and a Richard Hawkins. Overall the Yamaha and Vandoren give the most consistent playing sound. The Hawkins actually has an overly bright sound to it (sounds great on the borrowed Buffet R13, but doesn't blend on the Yamaha), but none of the mouthpieces change the pitch. I have tried Vandoren Eb reeds, Vandoren Bb reeds (regular, V12, Rue 56's, and white masters) with no change in the pitch issue.
The barrel comes standard at 42mm. I tried to order a Scott 41mm barrel today but it was out of stock. They have a 40mm, but I'm afraid that would be too short. I also don't want to shorten the barrel to have the lower register come in tune to just have the upper register uncomfortably sharp.
A Fobes extension was suggested to me, but I didn't think that was necessarily used to tune the lower register; I can't really see what it would do for thumb F down through C or even B.
If anyone has any experience with this or suggestions I would really appreciate it. The Yamaha has an amazing sound and I don't want to have to send it back, but I don't want to fight with it either. I was told when we purchased it that it was the only one in stock and the wait would be long for another one.
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Author: TCB91
Date: 2014-02-28 04:16
Agreed, but the music store will let me take it back if needed. I would like to find a solution though since overall the sound is amazing and I know Eb's in general can be fickle. The next one may have it's own set of issues.
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Author: shadow1
Date: 2014-03-20 05:50
I'm just wondering if you fixed your problem or sent it back. I was actually going to get one myself.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2014-03-21 01:51
I recently bought a used Forte C clarinet that was a quarter tone flat. Replacing most of the white Italian leather pads with cork pads fixed it and it now plays fine at A440. Those tiny leaks in each pads can add up to a flat clarinet! Good luck!
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Author: TCB91
Date: 2014-03-26 03:20
Long story and it's not over yet
I talked to the tech at the music store, he told me that he tested the clarinet himself and it was fine. He said it was probably the player, thinking my daughter was the only player. The sales guy knows me and my playing ability, but I never take my instruments to the store for work, so the tech guy doesn't know me. So I told the sales guy the tech was dead wrong because I also have the same problem as my daughter. I told him I wanted our clarinet repair shop guy to look at it, he is not affiliated with the store. The sales guy agreed that there is no one better around, so he took it over to settle this matter. The clarinet specialist agreed with my assessment that something was terribly off. He ran it through his process and determined that the bore was cut wrong near the octave key, causing the twelfths to be a quarter of a pitch off. I was really hoping it would be something a lot easier to deal with, like pad leaks. My daughter is currently using a Buffet R13 eefer that was having some intonation issues; a couple of pads and a tone hole repair fixed that, but it wasn't the 1/4 pitch off on the twelfths, more just a little wonky here and there.
The store contacted Yamaha and they asked for the clarinet back. They are going to see if they can fix it without causing any other problems and if not they will send out a new one. It looks like Yamaha is standing behind their product and they are going to make it right.
It's a little frustrating to wait, the tone on the Yamaha was so amazing compared to the Buffet. It is really close to the tone on my 72 minus a bit of the rich resonance, definitely much better than any other Eb I've played over the years. It just has to be tunable!
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Author: William
Date: 2014-03-26 15:11
To echo James, I also love my Yami 681 Eb, but had to have the stock barrel shortened in order to play up to pitch. I use a Forbes extension, but even without that, the over-all tuning is quite manageable and response even throughout the practical range. FWIW, my mouthpiece of choice is a vintage Selmer HS** and I use shortened Forestone Bb reeds. Haven't had any experience with the 881 you wrote about, but nonetheless, I hope our postings help you a bit.........
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Author: TCB91
Date: 2014-03-27 05:27
Thanks, all info is appreciated. I looked at the 681 because I had heard good things about it. I chose to go with the 881 because of our experience with the Yamaha Bb clarinets. When my daughter started playing I purchased a 650 for her. (As a lesson teacher my biggest pet peeve is parents who buy their kids sub-par clarinets - $50 off ebay - and then wonder why they don't like band. It is a struggle for some to just get notes out. When they play on my extra clarinet they can make it sing, but daily play is no fun on their own instruments.) The 650 is a good clarinet, but not as nice as my 72. As my daughter's abilities grew I decided to try the CSV's with her. There wasn't a bad one in the batch.
After she picked one out and we brought it home I played on all 3 of them to get a good comparison feel. I still prefer my 72, it's so rich and free blowing, the CSV was right up there with it in richness but not quite as open. My daughter prefers the CSV over my 72, she says mine is hard to control the tone. I like to have the ability to control the tone, not have the tone control me. I purchased a used 72 for my son a year later, it is somewhere between my 72 and the CSV, so they all have their own personality. Regardless, they all outshine the 650 we have. The 650 is still a top notch clarinet, but I prefer the 72 and CSV. Who knows, maybe our 650 just isn't as good as some of the others. When I was trying to decide between the 681 and the 881 I kept coming back to the difference between the 650 and CSV. I kept thinking there may be a decent difference for a little more money. It may very well be an apples to oranges comparison since the Bb and Eb are two totally different clarinets. It could also turn out that I could have found a 681 with a good personality for less money (and hassle). It sounds like you and James have. Hopefully the issues with the 881 will be resolved soon and I can enjoy playing it.
On a side note, do you need to shorten Bb reeds for the 681? I have to for the Buffet or they hit the barrel ring. I noticed when I was testing the 881 I could use the Bb reeds without cutting them. The barrel lined up well with all of the mouthpieces I have and the reed laid flat. I was a little bit surprised, but it was a nice bonus. My OCD may still require that I cut them though so they don't overhang.
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Author: William
Date: 2014-03-27 22:12
Shorten reeds?? Yes, on my 681 Eb with the Selmer HS** mouthpiece. I cut the butt off my Forestone Bb reeds just enough so they do not interact with the barrel ring. If you do not have to do this with the 881, that is a real plus........
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