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Re: very tight joints on new clarinet

Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-09-04 00:12

This is normal and should ONLY be dealt with by a SKILLED woodwind specialist who knows exactly what they're doing so they only remove as little wood as is needed from the tenon rings. Removing the high spots, then checking and adjusting the fit will ensure the tenons fit well in their sockets and don't rock around which is most important with the middle tenon to ensure your long Bb remains in regulation and then the top tenon that fits in the barrel so the barrel doesn't wobble around whilst playing.

Don't let anyone near it with coarse sandpaper or files or even just bunging it on a lathe as that can remove too much wood from the tenon rings making the joints unstable. It's much easier to cure the binding tenons if they're too tight than having to repair them if they're too loose.

And if anything, it's better the tenons are on the tight side than being loose. They were a good fit at the point of manufacture, but wood moves with humidity changes and that can't be taken into account too early on. It should be covered by the warranty to have this done and should be expected with every brand new clarinet.

Some clarinets have metal sleeved tenons and rarer still are metal lined sockets on clarinets (they're mostly seen on pro level oboes and cors) which means the tolerances can be tight from the word go (just like a sax tenon in its socket or tuning slide on a brass instrument) with no problems of them binding after a few weeks.

But wood is a live material and that nature needs to be understood and dealt with as and when it happens instead of it and the makers being cursed for not doing their job properly when they can only do so much in this aspect.

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

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