 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetzealot
Date: 2020-07-13 18:03
Hello all,
I recently inherited an overhauled Buffet A with some tuning issues. The model number is in the 38000s, so it is quite old. It still plays with a good tone and everything from a B middle of the staff and above plays in tune. When I get to the throat tones it gets a little sharp, but I can lip it down. As I get towards a C and down to the E, it is almost a quarter step sharp.
Is there anything I can do to bring pitch down that much or is the instrument a lost cause?
Thanks for any help,
Post Edited (2020-07-13 22:52)
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Author: m1964
Date: 2020-07-13 20:42
The register tube has to do a lot with tuning, so a different tube may help.
Also, you could try different barrels.
Tone hole inserts would not work because they would affect the upper register.
I would contact Lohff and Pfeiffer and ask if they would evaluate the instrument.
Last year I bought a Buffet R13 Prestige that had beautiful tone but very uneven tuning. Eventually I sold it because of the tuning problems.
You may want to check this old thread:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=476632&t=476592
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Author: kdk
Date: 2020-07-13 21:06
One reference I looked at dates this series as 1950. You probably should have a knowledgeable repairman evaluate it and see what might be causing this. Could be your mouthpiece is mismatched. Is the barrel an original from the period?
There might be issues between the clarinet's bore and the barrel or the mouthpiece causing the too narrow twelfths. If that's the right date, it would have been before Buffet started using a polycylindrical bore, so it may have been a larger bore than we're used to. The bore may have changed since then and , if it has gotten narrower, it might be reamed back to its original spec.
Have you checked with a tuner to see which register is actually in tune? It may be that the 2nd register is actually flat and the chalumeau is actually closer to the right pitch. How long is the barrel?
A very short barrel might sharpen the chalumeau register more than the clarion. If the chalumeau notes are actually sharp, what happens if you pull the barrel (and if necessary the mouthpiece) far enough out to make the low notes play in tune?
There might be an issue with the register tube. You could try cleaning it out. Changing it might help.
The overriding consideration to me is that the clarinet almost certainly tuned better than you describe when if was made. So something has changed and, if you can find where the change happened, the instrument might be made playable.
Karl
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Author: clarinetzealot
Date: 2020-07-13 22:46
I think I will try bringing it in to a specialist. The original barrel is a 66 with only the Buffet marking. I also tried a Moennig 65 and 67 with very little change. I can get most of the instrument in tune, but the low G to D below the staff are incredibly sharp. Everything else on the instrument is well in tune.
The person that I inherited it from bought it from Wichita Music last year I believe. I'm starting to think someone reamed the bore and took off too much in one spot if that is possible. The register tube was clean and is rather small, which I assume was common during the time. Thanks for the responses!
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2020-07-13 23:15
As already written, try a larger bored mouthpiece, a reverse tapered barrel first. Then maybe look into mess with the register key placement. I'd probably start with the barrel first, then have the bore drilled out of the mouthpiece and finally replace the octave situation, but that might cost more than what the horn is worth.
As far as reaming the bore of your horn there should be some marks from the reamer.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2020-07-14 04:47
Check to see if that 66 actually measures 66mm and hasn't been cut in the intervening 70 years since the number was stamped on it. I got a 1948 Buffet for cheap a while back and initially thought I'd wasted my money getting it put into playing condition. It was so sharp in the left hand!
Then I realized the barrel had been cut down to 60mm. I put the 66 from my R13 on and it was normal enough. Intonation is a little worse for me than on my R13, but I've played that one for 16 years, so that's obviously what I'm used to at this point. It's a great clarinet, though.
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2020-07-14 17:45
Your serial number shows the instrument is before the introduction of the polycylindrical R13 redesign in the mid-1950s. At this time, the Buffet "master bore" was more nearly cylindrical. An inevitable feature of such designs, as with the Selmer models of the day, is that the LH 12ths are narrow. In other words, if the clarion register is in tune, notes in the chalumeau tend to be sharp. The D and C# tend to be particularly problematic. Different barrels may change the problem a little, but I would very much doubt that it can be eliminated this way. You need a bore that tapers substantially so that it is 0.2-0.3 mm narrower at bottom and top, which is what you find in R13s from after the 1950s redesign. For the older instruments, you have to be prepared to deal with these sharp lower notes. As you noted, the problem is beyond what can easily be lipped, and you have to bring things down by shading the holes with fingers held close.
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