 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-04-04 02:40
I was shopping for pads for a DIY project I'm working on. I saw an assortment of Kangaroo leather "RooPads" and wonder what advantage they offer over tan leather pads. There are white and black RooPads, the black apparently higher in quality. Do the black ones really seal better?
Just curious.
Karl
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2017-04-04 04:27
Your clarinet will jump higher with Roo pads. Others will disagree, but I think they're over-hyped, I just use tan leather and my clarinets seal just fine (without leaping off their stands).
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2017-04-04 04:37
I've used roo pads, and as David says they offer no advantage over leather pads of good quality as far as my experience with them goes. The difference between black and white roo pads is that the black ones are black and the white ones are white.
Tony F.
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2017-04-04 05:30
What other exotic materials are pads made of?
Are Roo Pads stored is a pouch?
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-04-04 10:51
There is the elusive "fish skin" which is an intestinal membrane sourced from a special kind of fish that evolved over several million years and is much better known to us today as cattle.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2017-04-04 13:35
All kidding aside, it would seem to me that a softer, more flexible texture would make for a better seal. If the surface is brittle, I should think it wouldn't seal as well. Maybe sealskin would give one a good seal!
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2017-04-04 16:21
The leather is much tougher than some others and won't tear as easily. This is not an issue for clarinets. By the time a pad gets fragile and torn it needs to be replaced form other reasons.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Wes
Date: 2017-04-04 22:15
Many years ago, the Fox Company did tests on pads that showed that leather pads need to be sealed for minimum leakage when used in an instrument. They did not test roo pads at that time. Do roo pads seal better because of smaller pores in the surface?
I wax the surface of leather pads with two coats of liquid carnuba wax from the auto parts store and that seems to work just fine. One can put an unsealed leather pad in one's mouth and actually detect a bit of leakage by blowing through it, but I haven't tried that with roo pads.
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Author: NTSOG
Date: 2017-04-05 00:28
Gooday Folks, Before some concerned animal welfare person jumps on the issue of pads made from kangaroos and wants to ban them because roos are "cute", it must be said that there is no lack of numbers of roos in Australia. [Actually roos may look cute, but can be very dangerous and big "buck" roos do attack humans at times.] As I type this I know that there is a mob of roos up in my back paddock eating the pasture I have grown for my cattle. On another 20 acre paddock I can guarantee there will be 50-70 well-fed roos lounging happily. With farmers building water storages for their stock in Australia as well as planting good pasture the native species have been eating very well from the earliest days of settlement. Roo leather is highly prized by some, though I don't know much about types and uses of different leather.
Jim
Australia
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Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2017-04-05 03:05
Used one (1) roo pad, on the pinky Eb/Ab. Was sort of hoping it would be quieter because of what they say about the skin being softer. It was a bit thinner than the other large (leather) pads on the instrument; if I continued to use them, I'd have to get some card backing. It was just as much trouble to get seated with the feeler gauge catching all around the pad, so the skin being soft doesn't save any time seating it. It makes about the same amount of noise as its predecessor. It seals great; no leak problems, no funny sounding or stuffy notes below the pad. I'll probably stick with leather in the future, to match the thickness of the other pads since, everything considered, I haven't noticed an advantage to them.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2017-04-05 09:27
>> Do roo pads seal better because of smaller pores in the surface? <<
They don't seal better. I've tested the sealing of more than a few different types of pads.
The main advertised advantage of some roo pads is they don't stick as much. IME if they are not treated they stick less, but (1) it also usually means they are more likely to be porous and (2) it's only true for stickiness that comes from the pad itself.
A lot of times pads stick because of dirt, etc. that gets to the pad and/or tone hole and not the pad itself. For that roo pads are just the same as other pads. Actually, if they are not treated with anything that helps to prevent it, there's a chance they would get more dirt and stick more. It's more common with saxophones than clarinets regardless of pads. I've seen instruments with roo pads that were as sticky as any instrument with any pad.
>> I'll probably stick with leather in the future, to match the thickness of the other pads <<
It depends on the thickness of the pad, not the leather. Roo pads can be made to the same thickness. There are a few companies making kangaroo leather pads, worth asking about thickness if you are looking for something specific. A non-roo leather pad can be even thinner if they are just made this way. The exact same model is often available in different thicknesses.
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Author: ned
Date: 2017-04-06 09:25
''...>> Do roo pads seal better because of smaller pores in the surface? <<
They don't seal better. I've tested the sealing of more than a few different types of pads...''
Seal skin pads seal the best.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-04-08 11:26
I was always against leather pads. Not just for leaks, but for the soft feel. However, my opinion changed completely with the Yamaha leather pads. The upper registers seal well and feels fine, but I recently did change the pads on the lower registers of both, the Bb and the A clarinets to the firmer GREEN BACK Valentino pads from Jlsmith. (800) 659-6073. They are synthetic I believe, seal well and when you press down on the keys you get that very firm "Feel." There isn't that play or that give which leather do have. I found that the leather pads on the Yamaha's often resulted with a squeak with fast passages and I had to press a shade harder. (Lower register only) The leather pads did seal very well on the lower joints, but that "Feel," was too soft for me.
I'm not a pad junkie, meaning I will try something new. However, the Yamaha CSVR horns play a lot better for me with harder pads. I want to hear that firm click feel, not a sponge or give when pressing down on a key.
After making this minor change the Yamaha's feel even better and as some of you know I've loved these horns right from the beginning. They are amazing horns. I have now played them at the Kennedy Center in Washington and Orchestra Hall in Chicago. The sound fills the halls. For those that have not played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC the hall kind of sucks.
This is why my postings lately have been kind of limited. Traveling a lot.
Most of you may be perfectly happy with the Yamaha leather pads that come with the horns. They don't leak at all and help with the sound.
My advice is go with the leather pads and see what happens. The pads surely warm up the horns. But I must say the GREEN BACK pads were also warming. This is great news. Please note that I said warming and not deadening. The sound carries.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: shmuelyosef
Date: 2017-04-08 20:46
I'm not sure that the kangaroo leather makes a difference, but I'm very partial to the roo pads sold by MusicMedic, in particular. The leather is skived to pretty high standards, and the firmness of the felt and quality control is very good. I have mostly used them on saxophones, and the feel of the pads is very nice, firm, but quiet. I have a couple personal horns that have over 5 years of regular play and they are holding up well, both the firmer black ones and the white ones.
I did my own personal bass clarinet recently with roo pads from MM and am very pleased with the result.
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