Compression

[Douglas Tate <100576.3265@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rick Epping mentioned various ways of making instruments airtight.

There is a funny effect with airtight instruments.  To me there seems to be a
point beyond which it becomes more difficult to play the instrument in a full
bodied way.  Remember, this is a personal observation based on altering only a
few instruments in this way.  I agree that cementing the reed plates down
doesn't seem to be efficatious, the thing goes dead, same really with a lot of
gasket materials (apart from the fact that most of them taste like a combination
of cow-pats and vulcanised rubber mixed with syrup of figs).  I ended up by
making certain that reed plates were pretty flat, tightening to finger tight,
and putting up with a fairly long running in period where, as Rick said, the
dried saliva forms a live gasket.  

It is interesting that there is a theory, which I subscribe to, in the classical
guitar world, that you had better play that new, very expensive, hand crafted
guitar a lot in its first six months because you influence the way the glues
crystalize out.  Stuff it on a shelf for six months (so to speak) and it will
never play well.

If I leave my stainless steel instrument for a week without playing it takes at
least a couple of hours of playing to get it up to scratch again.

I was interested in the reed slot side burnishing idea.  Kicking own backside
time, I heard about this many years ago but had not tried it.  One reason was
that the gap between reed and side of slot had already been reduced on my plates
by nickel plating.  I tried a couple of instruments with a small insert in the
end of the slot where there is the largest gap and this gave me a noticeable
difference, but I wouldn't swear it was for the better!!

One thing I have never heard anyone mention for some reason is the flapping of
the whole instrument (up to hole 12 on a #270)  If you go to the trouble of
altering the slide movement and making everything else airtight it seems crazy
to NOT flap these notes. It also makes the instrument so responsive at the top.
You can play the quietist notes right up there and not sound like a demented
bhissing kettle.  Having said that, I did this on some of the instruments I
altered for Larry Adler.  His immediate response was to tear the things out, he
couldn't bend the notes as he wanted with the flaps on.  (The instruments looked
like a disaster area after he had finished.  Beautiful player but NO technitian,
Bless Him.)



Rick, it is great to look down the horses mouth, .... keep opening it :)  I'm
glad that the stuff I've written in my books on this subject basically agree
with what you have to say!!

Douglas T