As many of you may know, I'm a clarinet repair specialist. This is a good thing as it puts in my hands many professional, intermediate and beginner instruments. So it allows my to make some studies from time to time.
A couple years ago I had the idea of starting to make clarinet barrels. That was a novel idea since I like tinkering so much. I'm also the enginering mentality as I try to determine specifications related to specific output parameters ... or in this case tonal quality.
In the past year I've learned about the different types of woods.
I've also studied and experimented in clarinet acoustics (including making an artificial pressure machine to act as a player) and also more specific, clarinet barrels including Moennig, chadash and Buffet Moennig barrels. Plus a variety of other barrels.
This involved some in-depth study of clarinet mpc design. This added to my mpc refacing skills that I already have learned much about over the past 5+ years. Here's some basic summary information that shows the variance among some basic mpc measurements.
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clmpcdesign.htm
I have much more detail that is shown there including the baffle curve every 2-5mm. and width, dimensions, etc.
That expanded my research into the basic clarinet body itself.
taking a upper joint. filling and covering holes and relocating them. making them wider and shallower (to maintain the same volume) and vice versa, thinner and taller. Tonehole by tonehole and noting the tonal variance and response variance.
But alot also is dependent upon the bore design itself. Finding out clarinets not only have the reverse conical bore like a Buffet R13, and the known cylindrical bores like Selmer CTs or Leblanc LLs but finding a surprise in the conical bored Leblancs. Yes, it's smaller at the top of the joint than at the bottom of the joint.
each tonehole is designed a certain way to maintain a certain air pressure response making the clarinet itself "even" in the way it plays and sounds.
But another interesting experiment in dealing with a Honduras Rosewood barrel. I made a fat body Rosewood barrel with a Chadash spec'd bore for my R13. It sounded pretty good. I then thinned the body a bit smaller than a regular barrel. I figured nothing of it. But to my surprise it sounded badly. Tried it on another clarinet and it still sounded bad. Another mpc, bad. But to my surprise that thickness of a particular wood also has effects on the tonal quality.
In my many books (or sections of books) about clarinet acoustics I have found reference on the thickness also has impact on tonal quality. Quite some interesting reading.
But various woods are completely different in effects based on thickness. Such as MPingo which is a very dense wood seems to have minimal effect on tonal quality versus rosewood.
Another item learned from all these woods is that I am starting to see what woods my clarinets are made of.
There African Blackwood aka M'Pingo aka Grenadilla (the trade name)
not to be confused with Grenadillo
and then there is
Cocobolo
Ebony - Gabon, striped and Macassar
and Mopani
My 1950 Buffet seems clearly to be made of Gabon and striped Ebony
Whereas my 1955 Buffet R13 is made from MPingo
In general, from what I can tell. many bells that have reddish color to them may be Ebony.
keep in mind, you are not seeing the natural colors but a stained/tinted wood. here's a list of woods
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/wood.htm
Alas, I am working on a summary "high level overview" of things I have learned and am putting them here
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clacoustics.htm
When I finish, I'll be posting some items on this forum and chatting about specific items.
