Hi Bill– Well, that’s quite a specific response. Thanks for all the info. Thinking about it all, I have a couple of suggestions that you might try. 1) Remove the head joint of the Denner and breathe in through the body by itself in order to see whether the pear wood triggers an allergic response or not. (See point #3 below.) 2) Call Bill Lazar and ask him to ask his repair person to send you a small, dust-free block of cedar so that you might try to see whether or not that is the source of your symptoms with the Denner. 3) Note: If I remember correctly, Bill will have oiled the body up to, but not including the windway, prior to shipping it out. So it is possible that either or both the cedar and un-oiled pear wood might be symptom triggers. 4) If, having determined that the oiled body does not trigger symptoms, you are brave enough to pop the block out, you might just oil the entire windway and block surfaces that are not buried inside the head joint. If you’re not brave enough to pop the block, just run a good amount or oil through the windway and on the end surfaces of the block (it could well be from the end grain that the bulk of the outgassing is taking place). I’ve heard of it being done with no adverse effects. 5) Alternately, at the same time that you talk to Bill, ask whether he thinks that his repair person might be persuaded to make a plastic block for your Denner should the cedar prove to bring on the symptoms. 6) Send the Denner back (or sell it on consignment) and stick to plastic–regardless of what “everybody” says to the contrary. You’ll be happier making music if you’re as healthy as possible. –Dick–
