Trouble Assembling a New Clarinet

jr0901

Perhaps I could get some advice. I recently purchase a new Buffet E11 on Ebay. Everything looked fine, but the corks were oversized and the fitting of the sections was extremely tight.

I am relatively new with the clarinet and although I have assembled used clarinets, I have never had a new clarinet before. I assumed this tightness was normal and the sections would go together easier after being assembled and disassembled a couple of times.

In spite of using cork grease each time, the assembly was really tight. The last time I assembled the instrument, I had to use a rubber glove to grip the one section to keep it from spinning in my hand. In doing so I bent one of the key rails that operate the two top key holes. This jammed the top and bottom key holes. I managed to crudely straighten it out. It seems to work OK now, but I'm sure it should have more accurate adjustment.

My problem is the fact that the tenons are still really tight and I not sure what to do. Should I sand down the corks? Is there a way to hold the instrument while assembling the sections without bending the key system? I don't see anywhere you can get a good grip without gripping the keys.

I also think I should have it looked at by a professional clarinet repair person. Does anyone know a good repair person in the North Phoenix, Arizona area. Any help and advice here would be much appreciated.
 
jr0901 said:
My problem is the fact that the tenons are still really tight and I not sure what to do. Should I sand down the corks? Is there a way to hold the instrument while assembling the sections without bending the key system? I don't see anywhere you can get a good grip without gripping the keys.
Click to expand...
A good way of gripping an assembled horn for sanding etc. is to wrap the joint into a bathroom towel, so that you have a good grip holding it, yet the pressure is more evenly spread and does not concentrate on a single spot.

I think that a new (as in "never played") instrument should be gone over by a tech, it's not just the cork but also the pads and all that, who might have suffered from being shipped forth and back across the world. If you spend an hour unsuccessfully noodling the instrument, you might as well spend that hour working and spend that money with a competent technician....
 
Thanks Ben: I will try the towel on the next disassembly. Although I'm not sure it will not slip with the towel also if it is as tight as it was.

I agree a tech should look at since I did some bending to free the jam and I will definitely try to find someone I can trust.

I've been told to leave the clarinet assembled for a couple of days hoping that the corking will compress.
 
jr0901 said:
I've been told to leave the clarinet assembled for a couple of days hoping that the corking will compress.
Click to expand...

That may or may not work - I'd be very cautious with the bell-side cork; the bell's socket has rather thin wood, and instead of the cork compressing you'll risk of splitting the bell wood.
Less of a problem in other spots, but I think over-compressing contradicts the cork's virtue - to fully uncompress when the pressure is gone. After two days of leaving it disassembled you might find yourself starting at square one...
 
tictactux said:
That may or may not work - I'd be very cautious with the bell-side cork; the bell's socket has rather thin wood, and instead of the cork compressing you'll risk of splitting the bell wood.
Less of a problem in other spots, but I think over-compressing contradicts the cork's virtue - to fully uncompress when the pressure is gone. After two days of leaving it disassembled you might find yourself starting at square one...
Click to expand...
Or, if you leave it assembled, the cork may expand and then you have a clarinet that you can't take apart.

I've had several new clarinets and saxophones and never had the problem you describe, Jr. It may be beneficial, as TTT mentions, to have a tech do a once-over on it. Hey, it might only cost shop minimum or the tech might have pity on you and not charge anything. At the very most, it could be that the tech will say, "This clarinet is screwed up. Take it back to where you got it from and have them give you a different one." (The E11 is a decent clarinet, BTB.)

Welcome to the forum!
 
I'd echo the sentiment of having a tech look at it.

if i read correctly he bought the E11 on eBay - might not be able to take it back. If it was done by a "shop" alot of those ebay overhaulers are necessarily of the highest quality .. ie, discussions in the past of $99 overhauls where to break even they have to spend less then 50 minutes on the entire thing.

I'll check for a tech in the Phoenix area. A friend of mine uses a good one in that area and I'l have to check with him first then get back with you.

With the cork, i'm curious if it is just the cork or if the wood would also be tight.
with you first put it together before the cork gets put in, does the wood fit tight at all ?

or is it just when the cork gets shoved in ?
 
SteveSklar said:
or is it just when the cork gets shoved in ?
Click to expand...

I think every once in a while it could be wise to stress that one doesn't shove clarinet parts into each other.
One preferrably uses a - pardon - screwing-like, or more zigzag motion, as if the cork and the socket where threaded.

Now I feel like a teacher with the raised finger and a cane. <shudder>
 
Last edited:
Thanks for everyone's input.

The E11 was purchased on Ebay, but I am 100% positive that it is brand new and never used. So the "$99 Overhaul" does not apply. There is a standard 2 year warranty on it.

I have been in touch with the seller who recommended leaving it assembled over the weekend. If it gets totally stuck and I am unable to disassemble it then we pursue a return or at least local warranty repair.

If it comes apart OK then I still want to have a pro Tech look it over primarily due to the adjustments I made to remove the jam. So, I still would like that Tech recommendation.

I'm going to clean it and leave it assemble through Monday. I will get back and let everyone know what happens. Again, thanks for everyone's interest and input.
 
One of the problems with old style clarinets has always been that the German style of contour case was often set up with the lower joint and bell assembled. Tendencies of human beings being the way that they are, this usually meant that the two joints were always left assembled, and later attempts to pull them apart often resulted in a broken bell joint (as detailed above).

I've known similar problems to occur with clarinets left assembled and stored on pegs. I had a friend here in Houston who split his bell joint under the same circumstances.

The moral of the story is to not leave the joints assembled, but rather take them apart after use.

Sanding down a cork isn't rocket science, and it can be quite easily done with a sanding block with relatively coarse grit abrasive. (The new foam cored sanding blocks are particularly good for this, as well as for roughing up carbon fiber hockey stick blades.) You work around the entire cork, taking care to keep off of the wood, and grease the cork up and test it every few passes around the circumference.

Other than keeping the sanding block off of the wood, it's a relatively painless process. And, if you go too far and get it too loose, it's a simple matter to have your technician install a new cork and then adjust it himself.
 
SteveSklar said:
I'll check for a tech in the Phoenix area. A friend of mine uses a good one in that area and I'l have to check with him first then get back with you.
Click to expand...
Sorry. Should have noticed you're in Phoenix. I blame it on the drugs I'm taking and being sick.

You can contact the Robbins' at The Band Instrument Repair Shop. They're not necessarily the folks I'd send you to for overhauling a Conn-O-Sax or somethin', but they're with the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Techs (NAPBRIT.org) and they're cheap. But they're also in Mesa.

I'd recommend against the big-box shops, like Milano's. Don't bother with any of the guitar shops.
 
I'm really surprised simply because I recently purchased a Buffet E-11 off Ebay new and while the fit is tight, it all goes together with a bit of twisting motion and fits snugly together. No problem with any piece being loose........or too tight.....hmmm:emoji_rolling_eyes:
 
Even if you're not a real repair tech, sanding and fitting corks is pretty easy to do yourself.
As long as you go slow, and are careful.
 
Tammi said:
Even if you're not a real repair tech, sanding and fitting corks is pretty easy to do yourself.
As long as you go slow, and are careful.
Click to expand...
+1. I've even done it, so it must be easy! (And on a BASS clarinet!)

When sanding corks, you don't want to take off too much. You can always take off a little more, but you can't add on if you've taken too much off (same goes for haircuts).

The only cautions I'd make about sanding a cork would be obvious:

* Use appropriate adhesive, not super glue or epoxy -- and definitely not model airplane cement. This kind of "adhesive" works by melting the plastic a little. Don't believe me? Coat a plastic model with that stuff. You'll have a shapeless lump of goo in a few minutes.
* Make sure you don't bend the keywork as you're grasping a joint to sand.
* Make sure you don't scratch the wood/plastic/metal when you're sanding, as SOTSDO mentions.

However, if it's just a bit tight, cork grease or a bit of petroleum jelly works pretty good.
 
It may not be just the corks. Depending on the environment, clarinet tenons often swell enough to make them too tight to assemble. I'm surprised that this would happen in a dry area like Phoenix, but in Florida, where I live, it's a common problem.

Our shop has a special set of tools made specifically to refit Buffet tenon corks. We got them from Buffet designer Francois Kloc. They can actually aadjust the wooden part of the tenons WITHOUT removing any cork. That way the clarinet can be assembled and the corks won't get loose later.

I'd suggest finding a Buffet dealer and ask if they are equipped to do this adjustment. It's not an expensive repair.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom