Bb/A barrel differences

[Carl H.]

What is the difference between a barrel designated for Bb and a barrel designated for A ? Is there a physical difference that makes a tangible difference?

I have a Buffet Moennig 650 A on my Buffet A clarinet and am looking at finding a different barrel for my SML Bb clarinet. Would there be a bore difference between the Bb and A that might make one better suited to a non Buffet clarinet of a different bore than standard Bb Buffet specs ?

 

[SOTSDO]

I have a pair of Selmer Series 9 horns, and I have (on occasion) swapped the four barrels that I have (2 A, 2 Bb) around. I think that the Bb plays better with one of the A barrels, but other than that I don't notice a difference throughout the range of the horn (after tuning, of course).

Both are stock barrels, and both picked from an assortment at the time that I bought the horns.

 

[Steve]

You will have the issue of bore size differences between makes (and models & runs) - so it's best to measure (or just play test). The Moennig is a reverse taper bore (larger at the top - and smaller at the bottom) The moennig is a larger reverse taper than a Chadash and the stock Buffet is slightly smaller at the top than the bottom - at least my 1955 R13 barrel is. The Moennig/Chadashes will also be shorter, as they have a larger volume - internal dimension than a stock Buffet

But you should be able to swap Bb/A barrel between instruments and even makes BUT the bore may not make the match very good.

The SML that I have has a much smaller bore than the R13 at the top UJ so I would think my R13 barrel would not work well with the SML

FYI, if you have a small enough finger, put the barrel on and see if you can feel a high ridge between the barrel and UJ - or use some probe device to feel the same.

So .. swapping between Bb and A barrels is okay with the same make/model clarinet. Anything beyond that is a compatibility test. Remember the Buffet barrels are made for the Buffet in mind, not the SMLs