50+ year old clarinet--what do we need to do to get it ready for playing?

[Lisa loves Pooh]

DH just got his mom's clarinet that she played in school a long time ago and that he played 25 years ago.

What do we do to "refurbish" it I guess to get it ready for playing?

It appears in great shape--not sure whom we would even call to get it checked out and cleaned up and ready to go.

Suggestions?

 

[MushyMushy]

Take it to a music store that sells band instruments and they can do an overhaul. The pads might need to be replaced. I know for a flute it can cost around $150 the last time I checked. I imagine a clarinet might be a bit more.

 

[nskjerven]

I had hoped that my DD could use my flute (20+ year old) when she started band a couple of years ago, sadly it would have cost more to repair it than to get her a new one. We opted for a new one. I'd suggest checking out more than one shop for a quote on repairs just to keep 'em honest

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Sounds great! I'm familiar with the string stores in our area, but not band instrument stores. But we have tons of high schools and marching bands, so there has got to be one or two somewhere.

I'm not sure what a new one or a rental costs--$150+ seems steep. But tuning my piano was $65 the last time without replacing anything.

We shall see. We have at least a year before my oldest will be able to play it anyway.

Thanks again!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Ask the band teacher who does their repairs. Usually they have someone who comes to the school to repair the school owned instruments. DD played clarinet for 13 years, on a used instrument. Some of the cork might need to be replaced.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sounds great! I'm familiar with the string stores in our area, but not band instrument stores. But we have tons of high schools and marching bands, so there has got to be one or two somewhere.

I'm not sure what a new one or a rental costs--$150+ seems steep. But tuning my piano was $65 the last time without replacing anything.

We shall see. We have at least a year before my oldest will be able to play it anyway.

Thanks again!

They will have to replace all the pads, corks, etc. basically any part that breaks down. So you will probably have to cough up a good chuck of change.

My dd played Alto Sax and we had to replace those parts while she was playing. Marching Band can wreak havoc on your instrument, being outside in the damp air.

If the instrument is a GOOD instrument, I would fix it. You really need to compare it to the new ones to see how outdated it is for your dd.

Go to a music store, they will tell you. Oh and don't wait till the last minute. Repairs like that could take a couple of months on a waiting list when you get close to school starting. Basically the waiting list starts at the end of the school yr.

Then you end up renting while that one is getting done. My dd's alto sax broke and we had to rent. By the time it was fixed she was almost done with band and finished out the semester on the nicer rental.

 

[Plantlady]

I was raised with the belief that an instrument only gets better with age.

Our piano is over 100 years old. My mandolin is 30 years old, ect ect... Age does an instrument good.

IF your DH still plays, have him test it out. Take what the music store recommends with a grain of salt.. they want your money. Do what you need to do to give your child a good start in music, but.. you don't have to do EVERYTHING they recommend.

We had a family trumpet for DS12... we were told the dents HAD to be taken out... I said no.. It works great. Dents and all.

 

[mrs_hower726]

If it has been sitting around for 25 years, it will most likely need an overhaul.

It costs me around $200 to get my professional clarinet overhauled every couple of years, with a student model it will cost at least $100, probably closer to $150 if it is worth overhauling. They will take all the keys off the clarinet and thoroughly clean all the tone holes in the body. They will replace all the corks and pads on the keys as well as cleaning out the rods and changing any screws that might be stripped. Then as they put the keys back on, they will oil the heads of the screws and adjusting the keys to have them work smoothly. This is quite a lengthly process, expect the repairman to take a couple of weeks to a month to finish this since he will have other repairs to tend to as well.

Like PP's mentioned, take it to at least 2 different music stores and talk to the person that runs the woodwind dept. I am guessing that the clarinet is plastic, if it is wooden, it will not work for marching band. The moisture in the air will cause the wood to expand and contract which will cause cracks and ruin the instrument. A lot of the cracks are difficult to repair and can get quite costly.

Sorry if I got too technical, hope everything works out for you.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I was raised with the belief that an instrument only gets better with age.

Our piano is over 100 years old. My mandolin is 30 years old, ect ect... Age does an instrument good.

IF your DH still plays, have him test it out. Take what the music store recommends with a grain of salt.. they want your money. Do what you need to do to give your child a good start in music, but.. you don't have to do EVERYTHING they recommend.

We had a family trumpet for DS12... we were told the dents HAD to be taken out... I said no.. It works great. Dents and all.

Clarinets have alot of pads and corks that need to be replaced. We are not talking "dents".

This is something that you would do regularily if you were playing.

A trumpet does not have that many pads to replace.

 

[phorsenuf]

Originally Posted by Plantlady View Post
I was raised with the belief that an instrument only gets better with age.

Our piano is over 100 years old. My mandolin is 30 years old, ect ect... Age does an instrument good.

IF your DH still plays, have him test it out. Take what the music store recommends with a grain of salt.. they want your money. Do what you need to do to give your child a good start in music, but.. you don't have to do EVERYTHING they recommend.

We had a family trumpet for DS12... we were told the dents HAD to be taken out... I said no.. It works great. Dents and all.

Clarinets have alot of pads and corks that need to be replaced. We are not talking "dents".

This is something that you would do regularily if you were playing.

A trumpet does not have that many pads to replace.

I'm guessing that her comments about the dents relate to her statement about taking what they say with a grain of salt.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I'm guessing that her comments about the dents relate to her statement about taking what they say with a grain of salt.

Well my experience with the music stores is that they want to do as little as possible.
Never had a problem with them.

 

[golfgal]

Look to see if one of your local marching bands has a website. They might have information there about who they recommend for instrument repair-I know our site does but being in MN that won't help you much . I have never had a problem with a good music store wanting to repair things that were not needed. The music community is pretty tight knit and if there was an unscrupulous music store out there, word would get around quickly.

 

[Plantlady]

Clarinets have alot of pads and corks that need to be replaced. We are not talking "dents".

This is something that you would do regularily if you were playing.

A trumpet does not have that many pads to replace.

I understand that pads are different from dents. I was saying, that they may try to sell you ADDITIONAL things that you may not need. That was my example, of what they said HAD to be done, that didn't.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I understand that pads are different from dents. I was saying, that they may try to sell you ADDITIONAL things that you may not need. That was my example, of what they said HAD to be done, that didn't.

I get what you are saying & I am sure there are bad stores out there, it is just my experience, they are pretty straightforward.

 

[MushyMushy]

Well my experience with the music stores is that they want to do as little as possible.
Never had a problem with them.

That's been my experience with the nearby music stores. These guys wouldn't stay in business long if they were scamming people. Let's face it, their customers are musicians and a lot of them know their instruments inside and out. Like Golfgal said, word would get out quickly if they were scamming.

 

[monkey68]

I was raised with the belief that an instrument only gets better with age.

Our piano is over 100 years old. My mandolin is 30 years old, ect ect... Age does an instrument good.

IF your DH still plays, have him test it out. Take what the music store recommends with a grain of salt.. they want your money. Do what you need to do to give your child a good start in music, but.. you don't have to do EVERYTHING they recommend.

We had a family trumpet for DS12... we were told the dents HAD to be taken out... I said no.. It works great. Dents and all.

For string instruments, that's generally true, that they get better with age. For wind instruments, which have more moving parts, it's not always the case. There are more things to be replaced on a woodwind.

My guess is with the OP's clarinet, all the pads and corks will need to be replaced. I would also have them check the wood isn't warped. And take it to a reputable place. I would avoid the chain type stores, but that's because the ones here are all just after the money. You can ask the band teacher if there is someone he might recommend. They may or may not recommend the person who repairs the school instruments. When I was in band, the repairman for the school instruments did a horrible job, but they used him because he was the cheapest. I asked him who I should go to to fix my flute, and he sent me to a great guy, cost a little more, but totally worth it.

 

[klynn]

DH just got his mom's clarinet that she played in school a long time ago and that he played 25 years ago.

What do we do to "refurbish" it I guess to get it ready for playing?

It appears in great shape--not sure whom we would even call to get it checked out and cleaned up and ready to go.

Suggestions?

If the value is worth more than on overhaul, then have it overhauled. My two professional clarinets (Bb and A) are currently getting overhauled. The cost is $260 for each one which is well worth it for me.