[robertwstephens]

Hello!  I just received my 4th Hagerman project board in the mail yesterday, the Clarinet.  I was hoping to get some advice on upgrades before I order my parts for the project.  I was especially looking for feedback on whether to upgrade the volume pot or not.  The one listed costs $3, while the selector switch listed cost $23!  I plan on using Mundorf SIO for the C303 position and have some leftover Auricaps for C301 and C302.  I think I have given up on upgrading the resisitors unless someone can give me a compelling reason to do so.  The only site I can find that sells the PRP resitors in the values I need only carries then in 1/2 watt instead of 1 watt.  Is it OK to sub the 1/2 watt?  Is there a sonic advantage to eliminating the balance pot?  I am totally open to suggestions at this point.  Peace.  Robert

[analog97]

Robert,

I have built the Cornet2 and the Clarinet.  And yes, I consider myself an "audiophile".  But, I am NOT an audio engineer.  I am a real scientist, but repeat NOT an audio engineer. That requires a special beast.  I have learned to take the advice of JH, a real audio engineer.  So, I built the Clarinet and Cornet2 with all the upgrades he recommends.  If I remember, it was just the Auricaps.  I do not recall a volume pot upgrade.  My take on the Hagerman kits is that he engineers a damn fine product, one that sounds really superb as he designed, but also one that can be tailored to people who like certain caps or resistors or volume pots or whatever else.....All I am saying is....get the $3 pot and hear this absolutely fine instrument.  Tweak later if needed.  You will be a happy camper.

[robertwstephens]

Thanks for taking the time reply!  I know the Clarinet will sound awesome making it just as Jim has specified it.  I do enjoy playing around with tweaks though!  I changed the caps on my Cornet2 to some Mundorf sio and Sonicap platinums as specified by a fellow tweaker and have really enjoyed the change in sound.  So I am wondering if an Alps Blue Velvet volume pot is worth the expense and hassle to hook up or not instead of the $3 volume pot listed in the manual for the Clarinet.  Still looking for more feedback! Peace.  Robert

[jcmjrt]

Hi Robert,
I recently built the clarinet too and have been enjoying that build/purchase. I did the recommended upgrades to the jacks and auricaps. The sound that I'm getting is really excellent but like most others else, I'm always looking for better. I've been considering changing the final output caps to an oil cap...hadn't gotten to a particular brand yet to warm up the sound just a smidge. I hadn't really considered changing the pot. For $3, it might very well be worth starting with that pot and then upgrading later. You'd know for sure if it made a difference.
The other item that I'm looking forward to playing with is the tubes. I bought a GE 5Y3 and Amperex 12Au7 to start with which are pretty nice tubes but I've heard that the RCA 12bh7s are a nice change to the 12au7. I want to play everything as is for a while and feel comfortable with the sound before making changes. I'll post up when I've tried a couple things to let others know how that turned out.
I'd love to hear how your mods turn out too.

[robertwstephens]

Thanks for taking the time to respond!  I look forward to updates on any changes made.  Peace.  Robert