 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-09-14 10:22
My year old Arioso ASB 101 (= Lyrique 576 BC) has evidently been in need of some adjustment for a while, no surprise with the hours of play its gotten. I know, not as many as some of you 4 to 10 hour a day folks, but a lot more than any clarinet I owned back in high school or university. I'd been poking along waiting for a good time and place to have a checkup done (no backup horn)- meanwhile I've been struggling with reeds and mouthpieces trying to get consistent reliable play.
Finally when I noticed RH F/C was finicky I had a look at that pad, and it was split. Hmmmm, I wondered, how long have YOU been causing trouble? And what else might be off? I did some more testing, and eventually found a problem with LH C#/G# not properly sealing. So I had at least 2 issues in need of a fix.
Before I got my Arioso, I had an old Leblanc Dynamic 2 with ugly old pads that sealed perfectly. And I had gotten a modest setup of torch, some pads and adhesive, shims and such... and a junker clarinet to work on- with the idea of partially or fully repadding that Dynamic. I replaced one big pad on the junker, and got cold feet about possibly messing up my nice Leblanc. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! After I got my Arioso, I put all that repair stuff away figuring I'd never use it. But I still had it.
So today I swallowed hard and went to work on those 2 issues myself. I replaced the big pad- and got it nicely aligned on the third try. And I heated and reseated the LH C#/G#. Didn't burn myself or anything else, didn't start a house fire, but this is way beyond the risk factor of the alcohol lamp I messed around with as a 12 yr old. A butane torch is a serious weapon. Now on the upper joint I can get a good suction and "pop!". Lower joint, not so much but I'm not sure how much to expect. I actually have a new backup horn showing up in a week or 2, and it will be interesting to compare.
Of course I was anxious to play test after my repairs. And it seems to be night and day difference- wow that's nice. I can tell (I think) there is even more improvement to be had, so I still will have it worked over by a real tech. But that will be after I have new horn and can compare side by side.
Now I wonder how many of my reed testing "conclusions" are off the mark because of the leaks. We will see. And one moral of this is, even if your horn is perfect at some point, you should not expect it to stay that way indefinitely, especially under heavy playing. At least you have to evaluate it periodically. Bad things can happen slowly and it can be hard to notice.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2014-09-14 15:38
Stan,
I really enjoyed your post and appreciate that you did not "start a house fire." All too often, we unconsciously compensate for leaking pads, some key alignment issues, and other pesky things that can go wrong. And then when we get things corrected it is like " why did I not realize this sooner..."
However, that being said, I fix some small items on my instruments (saxes and clarinets) and may do an occasional small tweak on my flute. But there is nothing like having a very good tech work on your instrument. I am blessed with having Eric Satterlee at Meridian Winds in MI. The first time I went to see him he said "Don't tell me what's wrong, let me see what I find..." Each visit is like getting a new instrument handed to you.
So, try to find a tech, plan on building a long-term repair relationship with that person, and enjoy watching them work.
Hank
PS Eric really plays clarinet and sax very poorly but he has good enough chops to get the job done.
Post Edited (2014-09-14 15:42)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-09-14 17:54
Hank, nice comments.
There's an excellent tech in town I've used through the years on several of my succession of horns up to but not including that Dynamic I sold after getting my Arioso. The old Leblanc came to me playing so well I never was motivated to go to the trouble. And of course the Arioso was perfect last year and I guess until 2-3 months ago. Visiting Soell at The Band Room always requires 2 unpleasant drives across town (when I have access to my own car) and being without a horn for 2 to 4 days (only once did he service something while I waited). And a minimum charge of $40 (only once did I pay less- and maybe it never happened, memory failing me). SL has to follow the rules of his employer. BR is a nice place but like many music stores leans mostly toward the high profit student rentals and sales. And I imagine the service dept is really backed up in early September, I might wait many days for them to do even an easy fix.
I once had a nice chat with a tech at one of our local Sam Ash stores (also a long way from home), and had the impression that his business slanted a bit more toward the adult non-student and pro musicians. And that he would be a better choice in an emergency situation. But I've never had him do any work for me... yet.
Actually, I have always had the option of sending my Arioso back to Tom for any service required at no cost other than the shipping both ways. And that was my plan. But that means being without it for a week or 2. That's another moral of this story- any serious player should have 2 preferably identical horns ready to play. And that's where I'll be in a few more weeks.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-09-14 17:55)
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Author: TomS
Date: 2014-09-14 18:06
We have a really great repair facility here in my Central Arkansas area (company name withheld). Really performed top-rate service on my Buffets and Yamahas, and at a good price. Excellent! However, when I brought to them my Lyrique Speranza they looked (no tests performed) at it and wanted to completely repad the entire clarinet: "Maybe we can get it in playing order ..." All I needed was a couple of small pads changed and a big one re-seated. I think they look askance at clarinets that aren't from the "big three".
The entire encounter just rubbed me the wrong way, made me angry, and I haven't been back since.
I used to repair instruments back in High School, so I ordered a few complete pad sets, some cork and an alcohol lamp and did my own work. All the stuff about was 75 bucks plus shipping ...which is the cost of less than 1 hour labor at a good service shop. I had also ordered enough stuff to service an old Selmer Signet and a Bundy.
We should all learn to perform minor repairs on our instrument. No, I wouldn't pin a crack or turn-down a swollen tenon, but pads and cork are no problem.
I've played the heck our of my Lyrique instruments and now my Libertas needs a little attention. Will I return it to Tom Ridenour? No, it's quick, easy stuff and just normal wear and tear ... about like adding a can of injector cleaner to the fuel tank or vacuuming the cracker crumbs out of your seat covers on your car ...
Glad to hear that more musicians are fixing their own instruments ...
I have no doubt that a really professional repair facility can do a little better work, and may have some esoteric tweaks ... but I'd save those trips for intermittent expense.
Tom
Post Edited (2014-09-15 07:20)
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2014-09-14 21:00
Two of my best friends for correcting minor pad problems are a pad slick and cigarette paper. For a long time, I thought a pad slick was just another way for the tool makers to get money from us and I did not feel comfortable going in to buy a pack of cigarette papers (one pack will last a looooong time). I have never been so happy with a purchase as when I finally decided to let go of (literally) a few dollars and get those two items. With the addition of a cigarette lighter, a hot glue stick, and a small selection of pads I was able to make a permanent repair in seconds for the lady sitting next to me in the middle of a concert when one of her pads came apart. Oops, make that one of her clarinet's pads came apart.
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-09-15 07:11
A little followup today was a crows foot adjustment. And since I figured this whole area will soon get reworked (new pad reseated or even replaced- not sure it matches other pads)- I used tape to shim rather than attempting any bending. And I managed to get an even better seal on the E/B and F/C combination.
And as a result it played even better than yesterday. First impressions are that I did indeed unfairly downgrade some reeds. Now I've got a whole lot of testing and thinking to redo. But I bet it goes faster this time around.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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