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Re: Difficulty assembling clarinet.

Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-05-02 20:21

Tenon corks are rarely the problem with binding tenons as cork will compress, whereas wood won't.

Plastic clarinets rarely ever suffer with binding tenons as plastic doesn't tend to stick to itself as wood can. But most plastic clarinets have average to poor fitting tenons and sockets anyway.

Ideally tenons should be a perfect fit in their respective sockets without the tenon cork fitted - that only acts as a gasket and also to apply outward pressure to the inside of the socket to keep the joints held together. But due to the nature of wood which will change with the humidity levels, they often bind up when clarinets are new due to the increase in humidity from playing.

So it's always advisable to buy any clarinet from a well respected woodwind specialist with on-site repair facilities so they can carry out any guarantee work such as binding tenons and keys on new instruments as these things will happen early on as the clarinet gets accustomed to being played full time. The maker can only do so much, but if they were to make the tenons a wobbly fit in the sockets, then that isn't ideal where mechanical reliability is paramount as you will want your long Bb to work all the time instead of being temperamental.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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