How to assemble your clarinet

• Assemble the barrel and the top joint: hold the top joint in your left hand taking care not to apply any excessive force to the keys.
• Assemble the bottom joint and the bell. Take care not to apply any excessive force to the keys.
• Put the top and the bottom joint together: hold the top joint in your left hand and the bottom joint in your right hand. Line up the corresponding keys.
• Put the mouthpiece on the instrument. Then fix the ligature and a dampened reed onto the mouthpiece. Take care not to damage the reed or the tip of the mouthpiece with the ligature.
• After every playing session, put the mouthpiece cap on to protect the reed and the mouthpiece.

Maintenance of the clarinet

Daily care
To prevent corrosion, wipe the keywork with a dry polishing cloth after use.
Always use the Buffet Crampon case provided for the instrument. Too tight or too loose a case may cause bending of keys.
Under no circumstances use oil, solvents or anti-corrosive products.

Pitch
The pitch of a wind instrument is greatly affected by temperature.
The Buffet Crampon clarinet is designed to reach its pitch when it is played for four minutes in a room of average temperature (20°c).

Pitch adjustment
When barrel – top Joint is pulled out:
The pitch of the instrument generally lowers, but especially the notes in the upper part of the top joint.
When the top joint – bottom joint are pulled out:
The pitch of the instrument generally lowers, but especially the notes in the upper part of the bottom joint.

To prevent cracks on the body
In the case of a new instrument, do not play it continuously for more than 30 minutes daily during the first month.
Avoid any rapid change of temperature and humidity. For instance, do not leave the instrument in the heat of the sun, out-door in winter, or near an air-conditioner, or heater.
Apply cork grease on the joint cork. Before putting the instrument in the case, dry the bore completely with your pull-through (swab).
No bore oil, etc… needs to be used to prevent cracks in a new instrument. Observing theses precautions is sufficient.

Note: Should any wooden instrument crack, it will never affect the intonation and tone quality if the instrument is properly repaired.

Use of swab
While playing the instrument, use a swab frequently (every 10-15 minutes). If water collects in the tone holes, bubbling and swelling of pads with consequent leakage will badly affect performance. If so, dry pads with cigarette paper.

Note: pass a swab through the barrel towards the bell. It may otherwise be caught by a tube protruding inwardly in the upper part of the top joint.

When the swab is soiled, replace it with a new one. If a soiled or fluffy one resulting from over washing is used, dust may collect in the tone holes.
Do not put a wet swab in the case together with the instrument. The wet swab may cause rust on the springs and the discoloration of the keywork.

In the event of any problems, please contact your dealer.