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Re: Adding a vent hole to the bell of a bass clarinet?

Author: clarnibass
Date: 2020-10-27 14:24

>> I think there should be a different bell design for low C BCs vs low Eb. <<

Yes it makes sense that the distance between the last key tone hole and the open vent holes would be different.

Maybe it's the opposite and to make it easier, the bells are the same other than the vent hole and they have determined that when making vent holes for both, the bells would need to be different in other ways that raise manufacturing cost. Maybe that's why Selmer makes a vent hole only on the low Eb model, so the bells are otherwise the same.

It seems that it would be possible to make the bell key tone hole work for both. They definitely "play" with sizes and distances and it's not exactly linear.

>> It makes sense that the vent hole aids in tuning, but why would the design require it to begin with, if there was not some other advantage? <<

It's what Mojo wrote, to make low C more similar to notes above it and it does help with that.
A vent hole by itself doesn't aid in tuning. It can make tuning worse just the same. It's just like a tone hole. It's a little different only in that it has the open bell after it, but what matters are the specifics of the size and location and not some kind of basic idea that is different.

If they have decided that a vent hole is better for this reason you might expect they would have it on both models...
I remember the Selmer 35 had a particularly "honky" (to use Mojo's term) low Eb, different from all other notes. Maybe the same (though less) for the low C on the 37 (my memory is not as good with that one).

>> on basses built to low Eb as low Eb issues directly from the bell. <<

Do you know or remember what's it like on the Buffet 1183? I'm struggling to find a good photo of one to at least guesstimate how similar (or not) it is to the 1193 bell.

BTW I found more photos of that modified Selmer Privilege I mentioned, with low C and a bell vent hole. They are not completely clear, but it's definitely possible to tell there is actually an extension on the section itself with a key that replaces the bell key. I think (but not sure) the vent hole is the low C key tone hole with the key removed. It might have been a specially made bow, though most likely it's the original low C Privilege bell bow, since there is no extra vent other than this one.

>> could you describe what causes the qualitative differences between them, in the lower chalumeau? <<

They are just a little different overall. Different bore, tone holes, etc.
I gave up trying to describe these type of things...