Please see our pages on serial numbers (flute, clarinet, saxophone), transposing, scales, key signatures and other nice information pages.

Also see our page on Mouthpiece Refacing page on information about mouthpiece refacing.

Commonly asked questions

1 Year Warranty

Our 1 Year warranty is offered on several of our services.  The warranty covers any work done on an instrument which may fail. This excludes any problems which arise from misuse such as dropping, dents, dings, Marching Band, or general misuse by the instrument owner.  All shipping charges to use are paid by the by instrument owner.  We will pay for shipping back to the customer.  Warranty item approvals are at sole descretion of ClarinetPerfection..

New versus Used instruments & eBay

Musical Instruments today are built in many countries: China, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, and France to name a few.  Their quality varies dependent upon the age of the instrument and the manufacturer.  Depending upon what make and model of horn you buy you may have to have it fixed or it may not play very well.

Many online sources such as eBay provide a good resource for a buyer to pick up good (or not so good) musical instruments for much less than they can from dealers or other online stores.  But buyers also run the risk of getting a horn that is in dire need of various repair(s).  We offer a service where you can know that the horn you are getting will work correctly right out of the case.  Most eBay horns require additional repairs which may amount to hundreds and maybe even thousands of dollars.  This easily negates the original intent of a cheap instrument.  Instruments that are not 100% easily playable are not good for beginners simply because it discourages the beginner because the instrument could making learning the basics very difficult.

On the plus side, used horns have depreciated already.  A new horn can depreciated without even using it hundreds and hundreds of dollars.  Saxophones and clarinets are not cheap instruments when purchased brand new at a reliable local music store. Just like cars as soon as you drive away with it it's value drops significantly.  Buying a used horn you have the ability of not losing as much money and you can see if the aspiring musician even likes that particular instrument.

What is an Overhaul

An overhaul is a process where an instrument (sax or clarinet) gets completely taken apart.  Cleaned inside and out (then oiled if wood).  Replacement (if necessary) of springs, corks and felts. Tone hole leveling (saxophones); minor dent removal (saxophones); repadded; oiled and regulated.

• Cleaning inside and out (clarinet wood body oiling)
• Minor dent removal
• Tone Hole Leveling (saxophone)
• New pad installation
• New corks, springs and felts when necesary
• Mechanism oiling
• Minor Regulation
• 1 Year Warranty
• Neck fitting (if available neck tool sizes are available)

The sound of your horn may change when it is overhauled.  At least, most people have mentioned that the horn gets a "turbo boost", where as when they were playing over slight leaks or something now suddenly the horn is much more louder.  Air control becomes more of a factor in playing.  Playing dynamics should also be improved.

What is Refurbishing

Refurbishing is a process where we restore an instrument which may not be 100% functional to a functional state. This may include repairing or replacing springs, replacing pads, cork and felt installation, cup leveling, tone hole leveling, dent removal and a variety of other routines which may be needed. Additional items may include creating/replacing drill rod (the long metal pieces which keys pivot on); straightening and flattening out key cups to the toneholes to make sure there is an optimal fit; soldering broken posts

Does a horns tone change when it is cleaned

If the inside and outside of a horn is dirty, then when it is cleaned its tone may change.  If there is heavy debris on the outside this could be not allowing the horn to vibrate as freely as possible (though this may have minimal if no impact).  If there is debris inside the horn, depending on the nature and quantity, certain harmonics of the horn could be absorbed by the debris and make the horn play darker than normal. Also, dirty resonators may "soak up" certain harmonics and make the horn sound darker.

A cleaned horn may provide a brighter tone and faster response.

Does the horns tone change when new pads are installed?  different resonators?

(assuming same mouthpiece used before a repad) New pads may have minimal effect on any tonal change on a horn, assuming the pads do not absorb water when played, have cuts, or other leaks of various types. Cuts and other type of leaks may make the horn sound darker or stuffier (or not play altogether).

The more important factor is the resonator. If the resonator is currently "heavily dirty" then these may have an effect of darkening the tone. Metal resonators may have an "edge" to them in certain horns. It is best to keep the same type of resonators in a horn that the tone is similar to what you want.  But with all the potential variables this may not be optimal for your sound. This, unfortunately, is very hard to define until after new pads have been installed.  The below chart can be used as a guide, but with so many variables may not be representative of you particular horn.  Keep in mind, if the current tone is one you like then, normally you first would start with the existing type of resonator for any new pads.  But due to leaks, etc. this may not provide the same tone as you had before a resonator selection.

Some early US horns sound best with No resonators or Rivet only.  Certain horns may sound well with flat metal whereas other horns may sound brighter with flat metals.

(Saxophone) On the G to A (or vice versa) transition my saxophone always squeaks.  What am I doing wrong?

Some times an inexperienced player has an incorrect embouchure.  If you are new to tenor, but have been playing alto for some time, there is just a transition period of improving the embouchure and improving the airflow.  There are also other factors.  But one of the major one is weak springs related to the octave mechanism.  If you review the octave mechanism you will notice that it is quite complex.  The G key helps close the body octave, which also relies on the tension from the neck octave spring. For the most part, usually one of these springs is not tensioned properly. If your horn is used someone in the past may have attempted to mechanically fix the problem without actually knowing the issue, and this could have created other problems.  This is one area in which taking it to a knowledgeable technician is the best and quickest answer to the problem.

When and how often should pads be replaced?

There are other questions that need to be answered before you should consider replacing your pads.

First, if there a leak we need to be able to recognize a leak, such as:

• A leak is where a pad is not closing all the way and providing an opening for air to escape.  If you (or an experienced player) cannot play the lowest note in a pianissimo then you may have a leak.  Or if you have to use heavy pressure on the keys to make the horn speak well.
• If you get squeaking notes that you didn't get before.
• Low notes seem to be extra loud, or out of control tonal-wise 

You also may consider to get new pads if the existing ones are not drying out properly.

Fit and finish of the pads in the keys ?

Pad installation is a delicate process.  If the pad is too tight then the "skin" becomes loose and heavy indentation of the pad is required.  If a pad has "extra space" between it and the key cup it only affect appearance and not playability, unless the pad is greatly undersized where the tonehole is going beyond the key cup.  Normally pad sizes are selected to fit the cup perfectly. 

In general, vintage US use pads in the 32nd inch increment whereas european/asian horns uses metric.  This creates a large variable.  Most technicians use metric in 1/2 millimeter sizes, even though the 32nd may not visually provide a perfect fit on a US horn.  Also, older horns may have keycups which are not perfectly round which may create a pad selection look awkward (unless you find a pad not perfectly round).  Also slight variations in pads of the same size may create slight variations.  The main idea here is the pad should not be too tight in the cup as that could deform it slightly and loosen up the skin which then becomes a non-flat surface..

Soprano Clarinet pads are different as they fit via a beveled edge into the clarinet cup and the top part of the pad covers past the edge of each key cup.

How does saxmaniax differ in offerings from local repair techs, the advantages and disadvantages?

Local repair techs are great for people that have good local repair techs. Many times we are sent horns simply because they don't trust the local repair tech. Local repair has it's advantages: first and foremost you can usually test your horn at the shop.

Probably one of the biggest advantage we offer is price. Our prices are very affordable while offering a high quality of work. We specialize in only (soprano, alto, tenor & bari) saxophones, (soprano & bass) clarinets and mouthpieces. Not all brass, woodwinds and strings.
We also extensively play test each instrument to make sure keywork is smooth and fast, intonation, quiet keywork operation.
 

What is a good beginner's horn

For Alto and Tenor Saxophone I recommend the Vito (Yamaha, LeBlanc built).  They are very solid horns that should last a long time.  Tonal-wise they are very good for the money.  On eBay these can be fetched for $300 and $400 respectively.  Add a maximum tuneup to them and we are normally talking about $500 and $600.

For Bb soprano clarinet I recommend a Leblanc Normandy 4 clarinet.  These can normally be found for around $100 on eBay and in overhauled under $300.  A very high quality clarinet for the money.

Shellac or Hot Glue?

Q: Do we use shellac or hot glue to install pads.

We can use a variety of shellacs.  We have in stock black, white, dark amber, light amber and clear shellac.  I feel as though the ambers and clear have different flow rates and thickness control.  The black and white are used cosmetically for black and white pads.

We use French Cement (white) for all clarinet pad installs.

Hot Glue sticks are reserved for fixing loose fabric in cases.  Hot glue tends to keep flowing for a while and setup becomes very difficult with it, thus not recommended.

Body & tonehole Check & cleaning

Each overhauled and Certified clarinet goes through a complete disassembly. This disassembly is required to check for any problems and to confirm that each tonehole is 100% intact from outside to the inside bore and unobstructed.  This process also allows for proper oiling - a 3 to 5 day process.  We do not use wax on wood bodies.  We will offer Almond oil per customer request.  Almond oiled clarinets should be picked up by the customer to prevent spoiling of the Almond oil during summer shipment (hot weather).  Otherwise Selmer and Leblanc synthetic oil is used on wood bodies.

Difference from Silver and Nickel Silver

It's very hard to describe the differences between Silver and Nickel Silver in words.  Nickel Silver has a "yellowish" tint to it and Silver has a certain brilliance to its shine.  It's easy to compare with two instruments next to each other.  But it's hard to photograph.  Click on each picture below for a larger virw. The Noblet is Nickel Silver and the LeBlanc is silverplated.

Clarinet Bore Sizes

All other things being equal, the bore size can have an impact on how the clarinet generally sounds to the players.  Theoretically, a larger bore would give a fuller, darker tone.  A smaller bore would give a less spread more centered tone.  So, theoretically, a larger bore is better for jazz and a smaller bore better for symphonic band.  Of course, mouthpieces would play a roll into this too and personal preferences.   Please submit any clarinet bore (or other)  information you have to Steve

Clarinet pads - cork vs Leather vs skin
Fish skin versus leather versus cork  Which is best ?
First, we stock only the best fish double skin pads - Ferree Dejur pads.  These pads are much higher quality, tighter and firmer than even their normal double bladder pads.  I believe these are as good as their premium clarinet leather pads.  Though the leather pads are more durable. Leather pads are more difficult to install and regulate.  Cork pads offer the least "vibrations" and offer the "smoothest" tone, though are the most difficult to install and regulate and are also the noisiest pads, though they tend to last the longest once installed.
Saxmaniax offers installation of Ferree Dejur double skin pads, Ferree premium white leather pads or AAAA or better premium cork pads as options.
 

Soaking a Clarinet in oil
Clarinets should never be "soaked" in oil.  Oil should be applied in multiple treatments inside and out if the wood seems dry. If the oil soaks in quickly, then another layer should be applied, and so forth until the wood no longer accepts the oil quickly.  By soaking a clarinet body in oil you risk it having too much oil (saturated) which can cause cracking down the road.  We use primarily manufacturers synthetic oils as they will not have the tendency to get moldy over time.

Also, oiling a clarinet for days will cause the oil to leech out later.  This can cause alot of problems.

In this case, this Leblanc clarinet was overhauled with a 3 day almond oil soak (from a online tech). Not even 1 month later I had to do a complete overhaul (overhauling this techs overhaul) due to this leeching.  The leeching can be cleaned up, except under the tenon rings, from the side of posts, etc - quite a messy and smelly problem. Click on the pic for a larger view.

Ferree DeJur clarinet pads
We believe that Ferree Tools, based out of Battle Creek, Michigan, carries some of the highest quality clarinet pads available. Teh Dejur pads are made from carefully chosen skins and felt.  The pads have perfectly selected true double dkind, not just thick skins.  Sides are beveled.  We believe these are the best skin pads for any clarinet.  Ferrees has been in business since 1946 and has been the leader in instrument repair tools and supplies.

Ferree Premium Kid Leather saxophone pads
We believe that Ferrees Tools, based out of Battle Creek, Michigan, provides some of the best and highest quality kid leather saxophone pads.  Each pad size has its own special die for cutting and assembling.  This does away with the variation in thickness and diameter that most wholesalers must contend with.  When Ferree imports a pa they resize them to insure that the sizing and quality is as close as possible to the ones they make.  Ferree's is also the largest distributor of saxophone pads in the US.  Their pads are made with 100% woven wool felt, covered with a high grade soft tan leather that is specially selected.

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