h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was just having a wander and discovered that we play on the same make of clarinets. Mine are called Sarah and Catherine. I have no idea why they called themselves that. But there you go. That is the end of the startling revelations- except that mine have leather pads!

VIPx

So do mine. .. I had them completely rehauled by a repairer called David Fingerhut in Middlesex, which .. well, suffice to say that when they came back a week later, they didn't sound like the same instruments.

What mouthpiece/reed combination do you use? I have a pair of Selmer C85 120s (the old ones, made to the beautiful profile which they've sinced dropped), one of which is as-bought and one of which has had the lip very delicately opened so that the sound both projects more and is more focused (although I used to prefer this mouthpiece, I've sinced moved back to the unaltered one, since I feel that the tone it produces is far superior, although this may merely be a function of the fact that although it's an old-profile mouthpiece, it's a year or two newer)...

David Fingerhut! That's where mine were done too! Mind you, that was befoer I owned them, but that's not the point. I play on an old Windcraft D3. I did play on a Selmer C85 too, as that's what I played on when I had my E13. My teacher decided he wasn't entirely happy, so let me try the D3, and decided to let me have it. I don't know whether they're made any more, and I don't know the spec either, which is a bit of a bother, as I couldn't get Anton to make me another!

I'd whole-heartedly recommend him.. I've had at least three seperate R13s repaired by him and my albert-system clarinet is going for overhaul with him as soon as I have the money. (the fact that I trust him with it - it's worth about £40k - speaks volumes) The small amount of woodwind restorative training which I've had was with him.. from my experience, he both charges exceptionally reasonable prices, whilst at the same time offering a service which is nothing other than first class; none of the repairs which I've had done by him have troubled me again, whilst instruments I've had repaired by other (reputable!) repairers have started to be problems again within several months. (I have his address in my clarinet case, if you ever want it..)


"The ‘Symphonic’ D3
A long lay and concave chamber offers a velvety tone and mellifluous quality. Especially designed for the Symphonic Clarinettist in today’s orchestras. (Similar to C85/120 in reed strength.) "

They do still make them. ...http://www.dawkes.co.uk/dawkes/index.html, click on "W-W mouthpieces" at the left hand side...

You mention Dawkes in the link- I take my clarinets to gary at Dawkes- and the little training I've had was with him. Would yu put David above or on a par with them? I have never had any problems from them, and my teacher also.

Dawkes are perfectly good, but I have found that they overcharge. To give an example, once when I was on tour, cold weather caused a crack in one of my instruments (my Bb, going from the throat 'A' pad, vertically up the bore of the instrument about two inches through the 'buffet' stamp, which .. was extremely stressful, but to say the least). Coincidentally, the other first clarinettist in an orchestra I've recently finished playing at had exactly the same problem in almost exactly the same place, and we respectively sent our instruments to Dawkes and David Fingerhut. (I had both of my instruments serviced at the same time, and the large crack was seen to as part of that). I was charged around £120 per instrument. I forget what she was charged, but the servicing fees alone for her pair of R13s (prestiges, mind, but I still maintain that there's NO difference between the R13 and the prestige, other than the extra keys the prestige adds and the silver plaque part way down the instrument) were larger than was I was charged for servicing and shipping of the instruments back to me.

Her instruments, upon coming back, had been perfectly competantly serviced, and the crack (which was more superficial than the one on my Bb, which went several milimetres down towards the bore) filled up.. although with notable patches of crack-filling glue were on the wood around the crack (with fingerprint marks in them). To this day, you can barely notice the crack in my Bb, and it hasn't been a problem since. Not only that, but - as I've said - the instruments positively radiated warmth and tone when they came back (with all of the pads redone, balanced, and the instrument thoroughly cleaned &c.

I suppose I'm not the least biased person to ask, but I still maintain he's the best. (notably, he has clients from america who send their instruments to him - or so he says - which, since I have no reason to believe he's not telling the truth, speaks volumes as well)...

I think they do overcharge, though that wasn't a problem last time I went- I was charged £40 for a basic service on both of my instruments because I was there, and I was allowed to do a a little of the repair myself. I have only heard good reports about David Fingerhut, I must say- and you have backed it up. I think also that you have to know who to ask for at Dawkes. As my teacher knows everyone there (he sails with the owner of the company!) I have always known who to ask for.

Most recently, I've been studying under one of the Welsh National Opera's clarinettists, and he uses Dawkes for repairs, as far as I remember (although I won him round to David fingerhut after getting him to try my post-serviced clarinets, I think. )

*nods*.. as with any company like Dawkes or Myatts, that's almost certainly true.. and I suppose to an extent, it's the fact that it's a lottery sending your instrument there if you're /not/ someone who knows all of the staff is the reason I've tended to always go for specific repairers (I've used Ian White(?) and Jonothan Hill in the Oxford area, for example)..

what does a 'basic service' constitute for Dawkes?

In my particular case, we just checked through the instrument and repaired what was necessary. They were in pretty good condition, all that needed was some corking, reseating of one or two pads and a little re-alignment. The full service is about £90. So actually, thinking about it, that was probably about right.

That's not half as bad as I remember Dawkes being, actually. The last time I had my instruments looked at, it came to about £120 each, as I said, but that's understandable since that included replacing all of the pads, most of the corks, one of the thumbrests, respringing most of the keys, fixing one rather large crack, and also shipping/insurance. (Also, I skipped the waiting list and had the instruments back a week and a half after asking him to service them, since I was going to italy the following week and it was an emergency repair: I wasn't going to get the instruments serviced until after I came back, but since I was playing for a wek out there, the crack /did need fixing/)

Coo- that's a lot of work. Your clarinets have had some times. My Bb was cracked and repaired, but only to a small extent and filled beautifully (though i don't remember who by, as I didn;t own them at the time).

Anyway, I must go, as i have been and am strting to develop a computer headache!

VIPx

even, I never could getthe hang of all this number shorthand rubbish.

*nods*.. my clarinets have been all over the world and done lots of strange things. (And also played some fantastic music with some fantastic orchestras).. *wistful sigh*

have fun!

My clarinets have been to Germany and Italy, and of course, my darling England. But then, I still (hopefully) have many years ahead of me to get some more miles in them! How about you? I presume you are playing at the moment!

Actually, sadly, I haven't played for some months, currently being devoid either of anyone to study under or an orchestra/ensemble to play with. My playing's limited to getting my clarinets out of the case every few days and twiddling my deprived little heart out playing Weber with all of the windows open..

let me think.. my clarinets have visited.. France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Germany (South, West, and East), Poland, the Czech Republic, and Wales. .. They've probably been through some more countries on the way to and from various places, as well. (And the babies are 20 years old, so they've probably been further afield than that in the hands of previous owners). They still have the original R13 wooden (covered in brown leather) double case, which - scratched and battered whilst it is - is built like a tank. (as soon as it starts to look like it's not going to last out the year, I'm going to order a nice BAM case from paris, but for the moment, I rather like the distinguished air my case has to it.

I've got a lovely BAM- but the old cases do have that... yes, air about them.

I have a teacher, but I don't know how long i can stick it. Although I like *what* he is trying to teach me, as a person he drives me up the wall. Do I try and stick it out, grind my teeth, clanch my fists, but do my best to absorb what he says, or admit defeat and ask for someone new?

well, I'm fortunate enough to have learnt from some wonderful clarinettists, and generally the people I've learnt the most off have been those I've connected with. (I think that learning off a musician is a far better expression than 'being taught': if you're anything above an intermediate musician, and I have no doubt that you have, you learn for yourself, rather than being specifically taught, I think).. so, if you can find yourself someone to study under who you like, whose style you like, and who you think you'll be able to learn off, I'd try and switch. I have my doubts as to whether if he drives you up the wall, you're learning much off him.. but I may be wrong. I'm a very strange person.

Out of interest, what sort of instruments does he play?

*..no doubt that you /are/

bad fingers typing what they think I mean. *fwaps them*

He plays on pre-war 1010's but recommends R13's to his pupils.

hmm.. interesting. I only know one clarinettist who plays on 1010s and he's a lovely chap. ...I have some strange theories about what instruments people play on. As far as I've observed, there's a tendancy for a certain (more modern) attitude towards clarinet playing to go hand in hand with certain types of instrument (notably leblanc instruments, yamaha instruments, and other less well-established manufacturers).. whilst I'm by no means saying that this is anything causal, a fixed relationship, or that anyone who plays on buffets is perfect, every clarinettist that I find I like (as a general rule; there are notable exceptions, such as the WNO clarinettist I studied under, who played on selmers) tends to play buffet or similar instruments.

R13s are certainly the instruments I'd recommend to anyone.