Clarinets-- why does this keep happening to me??!!?!?

Question:I own a Buffet E11 that I bought about a year and a half ago, and about a month ago my clarinet teacher noticed a crack in the barrel (which wasn't my fault) and a chip in the upper section (which may have been my fault although I NEVER drop it) so my mom took it to where we bought it and Buffet replaced the upper section and barrel.

Now it's almost impossible to get the upper section and barrel apart, I purposely don't push the barrel in all the way, but stillll can't get it out!! And my teacher noticed that there is ONCE AGAIN a crack in the barrel, which we are guessing is caused by the cork on the upper section pushing out and the pressure cracked it a little.

Has Buffet gone down in quality? Or is it just bad luck? And how can I get the d@mn upper section and barrel apart?!!?!? I left it alone for a while because the upper section's cork had expanded from playing, I waited for it to contract but I still can't get it off! What do I do??

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I own a Buffet E11 that I bought about a year and a half ago, and about a month ago my clarinet teacher noticed a crack in the barrel (which wasn't my fault) and a chip in the upper section (which may have been my fault although I NEVER drop it) so my mom took it to where we bought it and Buffet replaced the upper section and barrel.

Now it's almost impossible to get the upper section and barrel apart, I purposely don't push the barrel in all the way, but stillll can't get it out!! And my teacher noticed that there is ONCE AGAIN a crack in the barrel, which we are guessing is caused by the cork on the upper section pushing out and the pressure cracked it a little.

Has Buffet gone down in quality? Or is it just bad luck? And how can I get the d@mn upper section and barrel apart?!!?!? I left it alone for a while because the upper section's cork had expanded from playing, I waited for it to contract but I still can't get it off! What do I do??

First, calm down.

Second, Buffet is one of the best clarinets out there. The problem you're having is that the cork simply needs to be shaved down with a small strip of sand paper. Take it to your music store with a repair shop and tell them what's happening, or show it to the guy who comes into your school from the music store and services your school's instrument. Your band director might even be able to help you out.

Third, a crack like the one you described could happen due to any number of reasons. If you left it outside in a hot or freezing car... if you dropped the case with the instrument inside... if the instrument fell to the floor... if you went into a very high altitude (flying in a jet). Wooden clarinets are very particular in how they should be treated. You might want to consider talking with your BD to discuss better clarinet care techniques for your instrument.

I think the brand must have just been bad... This isn't a normal clarinet happening. Maybe you should buy another clarinet (as soon as you can, obviously any band instrument will be expensive).

I have a Buffet E11 and it is a very high quality instrument. Basically, cracks happen with season changes and with time if you don't oil your clarinet. You need to use a good bore oil on the inside and out of all parts of the clarinet (except the mouthpiece.) Just use an old swab, dab some of the oil on, and work it inside the clarinet and outside. This prevents the cracks and keeps it looking nice. As for getting it apart.. I'd say take it in to your local music shop and get a pros advice. Once it's back in working condition, be sure to oil up. And always keep your cork nicely greased! Good luck =]

Buffet is usually a pretty good brand! It prob just luck! You may need to take it back to the shop if the warranty is still active! Best to let an expert fix it rather then try and get it off yourself! You could cause more damage! Good luck

mabey you need to grease the cork before putting it together... it happened to me and that helped.

u probably need ot oil the wood but very carefully so that none of the oil gets on the pads,
the craks are probably due to weather
u might not have to replace it just get a pin placed in the crack
grease ur cork spots say every 3 times u go to play dont jam the barrel on twist it this will also relieve pressure