Are Rebuilt Clarinets a Good Buy?

Given that the instrument in question is of good mechanical and acoustical design to start with, rebuilt clarinets are better than new clarinets in one distinct area, the pads. It is commonly known that all woodwinds including clarinets play better when they are set up to be completely air tight. Professional clarinetists for years have had their clarinets set up with cork pads on the upper joints because cork in a very long lasting materiel that repels moisture and stays supple for a very long time, repels the wool eating pests that plague traditional pads, does not vibrate causing annoying overtones such as the fish skin on traditional pads and is virtually non porous, meaning no air can leak past the skins. With proper swabbing after each use one can expect 10 years of use out of a set of cork pads with minimal maintenance!! We don't use cork on the bridge pads of the upper and lower joint because cork is a bit too firm to allow for consistent adjustment of the bridge keys between the joints. We don't use cork on the four large pads of the lower joints because it is difficult to get good quality (a clear surface that is completely free of holes) because of the large diameter and because the firmness of the cork combined with the large diameters of those tone holes are way too noisy for most performers tastes. Fortunately we have found a very reliable synthetic pad with many of the positive characteristics of cork that is yet soft enough to be quiet to make this the best pad jobs on the market.

I know of many professional who abandon the traditional cork, felt, cardboard and fish skin layered pads on BRAND NEW INSTRUMENTS having them refitted with installations of pads that I have described above before even using that instrument!!!

Factories and many respected school quality repair shops don't use cork and synthetic pads because of the following reasons:

• Tradition.
• The cost of the materials is slightly more, maybe $2-3 per instrument. Over the number of instruments built or repaired, this amount can add up to significant savings.
• Resistance on the part of factory workers and repair technicians to change techniques and materials.
• The time and skill need to install these pads is greater than with traditional pads where heat, steam and the force of a rawhide mallet can make the pads work. Albeit marginally and with a short lifespan.