Low E-flat extension for Uebel alto clarinet

thingiverse

My favorite alto clarinet is an F. Arthur Uebel instrument that boasts a range down to low E, unlike most altos where the lowest note is the E-flat, a semitone lower. While this lower note appears only occasionally in alto parts, it's extremely frustrating not being able to play it when needed - hence this extension to provide that extra note at the bottom of the range. One of the key requirements was that it should involve absolutely no modifications to the instrument itself, leading to this four-part design: - The extension itself with the required tone hole and key - A 'clamp' to support the thumb touch-piece which clips around the instrument body and is secured by the existing thumb rest - An adjustable linkage to connect the touch piece to the key - A filler piece to mask the flare in the bore at the bottom of the existing instrument body when the extension is in use I don't imagine that there will be many Uebel alto owners out there with 3D printers, so I'm publishing this more as an illustration of something that is possible rather than expecting it to be particularly useful per se - but please do let me know in the comments if you are a Uebel owner! It's also an interesting mix of century-spanning technologies - 21st-century 3D printing coupled with 18th-century methods for assembling the pivots. Although not absolutely essential, it will be very helpful to have access to a lathe for cleaning up the socket in the extension and for making the adjuster on the link. Additional materials required: 1.2mm hard brass wire for the pivot pins and the link wire M3 square nut to fit in the turnbuckle M3 nut to use as a locknut on the turnbuckle (I used an M3 threaded insert) M3 brass machine screw (head removed) for the turnbuckle screw Clarinet pad to fit the key piece Cork strip for the joint at the bottom of the extension