 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mr. Mitch
Date: 2023-05-24 01:04
Mates:
I am a beginning player. I am anxiously awaiting a new Yamaha YCL-650 from Europe. I was always going to use a Boveda 49% RH pack in the case, but am wondering if there is any benefit to placing a Boveda pack in the case for a few days before playing it the first time as part of the break-in period to help acclimate it from The Netherlands to Atlanta. Thanks.
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2023-05-25 21:58
I'd have thought that atmospheric humidity levels in Atlanta are already pretty up !
If you keep a humidifier in your case ( or a damp swab ) it will tend to tarnish your key work.
To the best of my knowledge it's not a good idea .
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2023-05-25 23:33
Mr. Mitch wrote:
> Mates:
>
> I am a beginning player. I am anxiously awaiting a new Yamaha
> YCL-650 from Europe. I was always going to use a Boveda 49% RH
> pack in the case, but am wondering if there is any benefit to
> placing a Boveda pack in the case for a few days before playing
> it the first time as part of the break-in period to help
> acclimate it from The Netherlands to Atlanta. Thanks.
I'm not sure what trying "to help acclimate it from The Netherlands to Atlanta" is meant to accomplish. The wood of a new clarinet has been saturated with oil in the manufacturing process. The comparison of Netherlands and Atlanta humidity is pretty much irrelevant.
If you ever notice signs of dryness - binding keys or other signs of things moving because the wood is contracting or tenon rings are coming loose and falling off - that's usually the time to add humidity. If you lived in Arizona the wood might start to dry out in a couple of years - or not, depending on where you store the clarinet.
The standard advice for acclimating the wood to the stress of expanding and contracting in the course of playing (blowing warm air into a cooler instrument) is to start with short bursts of playing - 10 or 15 minutes at a time at first - and make sure you physically warm the instrument up with your hands or body before you start playing. Gradually extend the playing time, but never blow into a cold or noticeably cool instrument.
Karl
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Author: Mr. Mitch
Date: 2023-05-26 01:34
Atlanta certainly has sufficient humidity, but I understood that keeping the clarinet at 45-55% RH was optimal and that I should do what I can to prevent significant fluctuations in humidity in either direction. This is why I don't use a true humidifier but a relative humidity pack which keeps RH at 49%. Should I not be so concerned about such fluctuations? Thanks.
Mitchell D Benjamin
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2023-05-26 02:18
Mr. Mitch wrote:
> Atlanta certainly has sufficient humidity, but I understood
> that keeping the clarinet at 45-55% RH was optimal and that I
> should do what I can to prevent significant fluctuations in
> humidity in either direction.
> Should I not be so concerned about such fluctuations? Thanks.
>
IMO yes, you shouldn't be so concerned about such fluctuations, or about relative humidity in general unless it's extreme (Pheonix AZ 5% yesterday, Miami Beach right now 72%). If your home stays within a comfortable range of temp and RH, you really shouldn't need to worry about it at all. Just bring the outside of the instrument up to a temperature that feels neutral to the touch (not cooler than your skin temp) before you start to play.
Karl
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Author: LostConn
Date: 2023-05-26 06:28
When I purchased a clarinet from the U.K. and had it shipped to the U.S. at the start of the year, it arrived with a Boveda pack already in the case.
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2023-05-26 10:45
I recall that when I bought a Yamaha 450 online some years ago it came with lose tenon rings . Perhaps adding a Bovada pack is something a shop might do before sending it if they saw it was so dry , but I don't think it's something that's wise to keep it there .
As I said , plating and also steel pins and hing rods will suffer corrosion.
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: LostConn
Date: 2023-05-26 17:12
Julian ibiza wrote:
> As I said , plating and also steel pins and hing rods will
> suffer corrosion.
>
I don't believe that's true here, because a Boveda pack is not simply a humidifier; it's also a dehumidifier. The pack does not release moisture indiscriminately. It absorbs excess moisture when necessary to maintain a relatively constant humidity level inside the case.
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2023-05-26 18:12
You may be right !
Where I live excessive humidity is the real issue.
I answered this topic largely because it was sliding down the listings with no replies .
Non of the real experts seem to want to chip in on this one it appears!
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2023-05-26 18:36
Those Boveda packs seem to have been originally marketed for cigar humidors. They've been aiming additionally at the musical instrument market for a number of years in various sizes and RH levels. I don't know that you can do any harm with them - unless you find a film of water on the instrument when you open the case. That amount of moisture can damage pads.
I've used them occasionally if my instruments developed loose rings and it seemed to help. They're more convenient than the Dampits or fresh orange peels I used to use. But, to come back to the original post, using them shouldn't be necessary with a brand new clarinet unless it was sitting unplayed in a warehouse or on a store shelf for a very long time before it was sold and shipped.
Boveda packs (or the ones marketed by D'Addario as Reed Vitalizer packs) are used by many players in their reed cases to keep reeds from drying completely in storage.
Karl
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