[A Greene]

I was speaking with a local symphony player during my recent search for a new clarinet. I was hyper sensitive to instruments with repaired cracks. I asked him his opinion about clarinets and cracking. He, without concern says, "They crack all the time" In fact, only one of this clarinets (An A Clarinet) doesn't have a crack. He routine checks his instruments and get fixed want needs fixing.

It's just part of playing clarinet professionally (I guess) especially in Central New York region. I was more than a little surprised by the casual nature of his response. I thought cracked clarinets were to be avoided. Thought?

 

[bandmommy]

I don't know if you would be interested in my thoughts since I'm not a professional player.
Yes, clarinets can and will crack. However if the crack is repaired (pinned, glued, or banded) and 'stable' I don't think there is an issue with it's 'playability'.
This 'thought' I would only apply to an instrument that was in your posession at the time it cracked and subsequently repaired.
I'm sure there are thousands of cracked and repaired clarinets out there being played by some very accomplished clarinetists with no problems.
When it comes to purchasing an 'unknown' cracked/repaired instrument... I would be wary if I weren't well aquainted with the seller and their trustworthy-ness or able to play the instrument for a few hours/days before making a decision as to it's playworthy-ness.

I will say that if my Signature ever cracked I would do everything I could to have it fixed. To me it's a 'once in a lifetime' horn, and I really, REALLY wouldn't want to have to find a suitable to me replacement. It's kind of a girly kind of sentimental attachment, but what can I say... I LOVE MY CLARINET.

 

[Dave Dolson]

I agree with bandmommy . . . my prized Buffet clarinet broke the upper joint's lower tenon when the horn was knocked off a table years ago. The barrel cracked up through the first tone hole above the joint. A superb repair-tech put it back together so that you could not find the crack and the horn plays great. However . . . I would never try to pass off my clarinet as being valued at top dollar if I was ever to sell it. And, I would not expect to pay top dollar for a clarinet that had cracked even if perfectly repaired. They may crack all the time but I think a crack does detract from a horn's value. DAVE

 

[clarnibass]

Most clarinetists choose to repair cracks vs. replace joints/instruments because it's rare that a good crack repair has a problem and it keeps the instrument the same in how it plays. Replacing a joint or instrument can (and often does) change how the clarinet will play, obviously. A lot of players go through a lot to find "the" instrument and then just changing for whatever replacement you get is not a good risk. Some players will look for a new instrument when their instrument cracks, but not many.

I also agree that a cracked clarinet should sell for less than a similar one without any cracks. It's just the normal cost of buying something new in new condition. To be honest, some of the new clarinets come with issues worst than a repaired crack, but still...

 

[kymarto]

Get a Buffet Greenline, and avoid the problem entirely Well repaired cracks should not affect the playability of the horn at all, but clearly they would reduce resale value.

 

[bradfordlloyd]

I agree with the general consensus here -- cracks certainly reduce resale value, but horns can still be great players with properly repaired cracks.

When money was tight, I purchased some cracked vintage horns at an incredibly low price and had them successfully repaired and they are still terrific instruments (and I can't even see the cracks now). That said, I also have a vintage R-13 that has lived through dozens of Chicago winters and never cracked -- so, I can't say that "they crack all the time" reflects my experience.

 

[Raphyel]

Ditto

 

[spike421]

That said, I also have a vintage R-13 that has lived through dozens of Chicago winters and never cracked -- so, I can't say that "they crack all the time" reflects my experience.

[

I have 2 R-13's, one almost 60 years old, the other 40+. No cracks.

 

[daigle65]

I've heard that one of my city's top classical clarinetist's instrument is full of cracks.
However, my mid 50's Centered Tone has none.

 

[doublereeds]

We bought my daughter a new Loree oboe last December. It cracked once in January, and then during in the summer. Got it repaired each time properly by a good tech, and it plays as well or better than when she first got it.

She also plays my brother's clarinet, a R13 Buffet, about 35 years old. It has never cracked.

 

[clarnibass]

Re "they crack all the time", it's a matter of statistics. Yes, absolutely there's almost always a clarinet cracking and many players of all levels have clarinets that have cracked or will crack. You will also find many people saying how their clarinets have never cracked in decades. No one example, or a few examples from the same source, are especially meaningful. I live in an area where the weather makes it more likely for clarinets to crack, but I often see clarinets from different areas with different weather too. I can say from who-knows-how-many clarinets I've seen (and keep in mind a lot of those I see have problems and come for repairs), statistically, by far most wood clarinets don't crack.