A cracked wood clarinet is one of the most stressful things that can happen to a player. The frustrating reality is that there’s no predicting it – the most meticulous player who breaks in their clarinet carefully and oils it regularly can still end up with a crack, while someone who never gives their instrument a second thought might never see one. There is no rhyme or reason to it.
What does matter is what happens next. Crack repairs are not simple to do well. There are many approaches to fixing a cracked clarinet, but most of them negatively affect performance, appearance, and the long-term value of the instrument. Done properly, your clarinet will play exactly as it did before the crack with little to no visible cosmetic evidence that it was ever damaged.
Below is a step-by-step look at how we handle crack repairs, using a real clarinet that came to us with a severe crack through three tone holes.
Step 1 – The Crack
Wood is hygroscopic – it absorbs and releases moisture. If a clarinet absorbs moisture unevenly (from improper break-in when new, or being picked up again after a long period of not playing), pressure builds inside the wood. Eventually, like an earthquake, that pressure has to go somewhere.
In this case, the student had not properly broken the instrument in when new and it cracked within two months. As you can see in the photo, it’s a wide crack passing through three tone holes – not a simple job by any measure.
Before the repair begins, we clean the crack and let the joint sit and dry slightly, allowing the crack to close a little on its own before we proceed.
*Pro Tip* – If your clarinet has cracked, using a regular pencil, mark the crack just as you see in these photos below. As time goes on without being played on, cracks will dry out and sometimes cosmetically close up and look like they are gone – making it harder for us to fix!
Step 2 – Tone Hole Inserts
When a crack passes through a tone hole, the only way to restore its structural integrity is with custom tone hole inserts. The original tone hole is cut down to approximately 50% of the body depth, preserving the original undercutting shape so that the acoustic performance of the clarinet is not affected.
We custom-make each tone hole insert from hard rubber in our shop. Hard rubber machines cleanly and precisely, and its weight is close enough to grenadilla wood that it doesn’t alter the tone of the instrument.
What you see in this photo shows one tone hole already replaced, and the other in the “cut and ready for replacement” state.
Step 3 – Pinning & Sealing
To properly seal the crack we use a technique called pinning. Threaded, metal pins are carefully inserted into the body of the clarinet – positioned so they do not enter the bore – which forces the wood back together into its original position. This restores the inner bore shape and ensures the acoustic performance of the clarinet is returned to its original design.
Once the pins are in place, the crack is sealed. The pin holes are then filled with Grenadilla dust and a cyanoacrylate adhesive. At this stage the repair looks rough – but all evidence of this work disappears in the next steps.
Step 4 – Cosmetic Restoration
With the structural repair complete, we address the cosmetics. The joint is lightly sanded across the entire affected area to remove excess adhesive and level the pin covers. The evidence of the crack blends away quickly at this stage.
The body is then refinished to give the entire clarinet a consistent cosmetic appearance. As you can see below, other than the tone hole inserts and a small amount of adhesive at the tenon (which will be covered by new cork), the crack has essentially disappeared.
The Finished Product
When all is said and done, our crack repair method restores the bore shape and performance of the instrument, structurally stabilizes it against future cracking at that location, and cosmetically eliminates virtually all evidence that the clarinet was ever cracked. Yes, if you look closely, you will see a hint of where the pins were, but they look more like water spots than repair marks. However, they blend well and more importantly, your clarinet is back to playing correctly again!
Crack Repair Pricing
Every crack is different, so pricing depends on severity. The clarinet shown in this presentation required 5 pins and 3 new tone hole inserts – a very significant repair.
$75 –$200+ depending on severity
Turnaround is typically 3–6 days depending on the scope of work.
If your clarinet has cracked, don’t wait – cracks can and will get worse over time. Contact us to discuss your instrument and get a quote.
Want to reduce the risk of cracking in the first place? Download our Wood Care & Preservation Guide for tips on proper break-in and ongoing maintenance.