 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: musica
Date: 2022-12-15 19:01
Last concert Bb clarinet unplayable 4th line d and above… top half sealed with suction test.. bottom half no suction at all. Next day playable but resistant. Brought in for repair and tech said he shifted a few pads and adjusted top a
key. I questioned about bottom seal and he said he could do some spring
adjustment but seal not that crucial. My horn is a Tosca Bb with gortex pads on
bottom and mostly all cork on top half. I know this issue has been addressed on this board before but I can’t send my horn away now for repair and want to know
others thoughts…. the top joint was replaced after 2 months after a crack
and keys transferred years ago and I asked about possibly a minute crack but he found none.. I will bring horn back to tech but what are my next steps..
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-12-15 19:27
Both joints need to be as airtight as is possible, so make sure the lower joint pads are all seating and sealing well and the spring tension on the closed-standing keys (B/F# "sliver" key, Ab/Eb and F#/C# keys) is strong enough to hold them closed.
The F#/C# key spring on Buffets is a poor design (although they insist in using it to this day and right across the board now) and is often too weak to keep the pad closed under the weight of the key and is the reason why I refit that key with a much beefier and longer spring mounted in the pillar instead of the weak spring that has the point digging into a slot cut into the wood.
As Buffet toneholes are usually ragged, that can be the source of small leaks which add up to a significant leak when you add up all the leaky toneholes.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2022-12-16 01:17
musica wrote:
> I questioned about bottom seal and he said he could do
> some spring
> adjustment but seal not that crucial.
Maybe not "that crucial" for a beginner who hasn't learned any right hand notes yet. It's hard to think why a qualified tech would make such a remark. Isn't there anyone else locally you can go to?
Karl
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Author: musica
Date: 2022-12-16 04:44
I am going to check into sending away to a reputable tech…
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Author: m1964
Date: 2022-12-16 06:09
As Chris P. explained in another post on this board, when installing cork pads, tone holes surface needs to be "perfect", which is not always the case even on new instruments.
If the pads on your upper joint were replaced with cork pads without checking tone holes for minute mini-cracks (and fixing those if found), that could lead to small leaks.
"Unplayable 4th line D and above" sound strange. What about C and B below the D?
What about low F and E?
Is it possible that the bridge was not aligned properly?
I would go back to the tech, but not necessarily to the same one. You need to find a tech that specializes in woodwinds and (preferably) can play-test the instrument.
There are techs that can fix any instrument, from tuba to bassoon, but I doubt they could repair each instrument to a high professional standard.
There is more to clarinet repair than just properly sealing pads.
A good tech could identify a problem (and fix it) easier if they play the instrument, IMO
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Author: donald
Date: 2022-12-16 13:49
My wife had a student turn up with a BRAND NEW BUFFET LEGENDE (that had been "set up" by the local store). Both of us had a go at playing it a the start of the lesson, not what either of us are looking for in a clarinet but nice enough....
However- we both experienced a little trouble with the right hand notes, it felt like a pad not seating well, and the right hand rings needed a little extra pressure. Very subtle- not bad enough to immediately notice, and problems were somewhat inconsistent.
Of course, the problem was that the joints were out of alignment by less than 1mm. Like, we just had to rotate it half a millimeter.
I still can't believe we fell for such a rookie mistake- I'm ALWAYS having to lecture my students on this... but it really made a difference when we lined the thing up.
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Author: donald
Date: 2022-12-16 17:21
The point being even a $10,000 will play badly if the bridge key is out of alignment
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-12-16 17:42
Correct alignment of the joints is easy enough to diagnose and correct if you can feel the RH ring keys feel spongy when held closed and rotating the joints by fractions of a degree will soon find the ideal point, but if the lower joint was tested on its own and is found to be leaking and the repairer thinks it's not important, then they're part of the problem if they have such a cavalier attitude.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2023-02-13 04:56
I don't get how the bridge key alignment affects anything except the 1-1 Bb/Eb. I suppose if it was bent or had too much cork, then the right hand ring keys would not close that one tone hole......
Post Edited (2023-02-13 04:57)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-02-13 06:12
If the bridge mechanism engages and holds down the top joint pad FIRST, it will prevent the top pad of the lower joint from coming down fully resulting in.........no notes (or bad notes) below the C one ledger below the staff (and the associated clarion notes of course).
............Paul Aviles
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