Klarinet Archive - Posting 000594.txt from 1996/01

From: Fred <fsheim@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Buffet's "Green Line" clarinets:info?
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 19:56:22 -0500

Was this the one called "The Tree of Music?"

Fred (fsheim@-----.com)

>PBS did a special making of clarinets and the extintion of the Africa
>Blackwood. If anyone wants to see it they can send me a tape and I will
>make them a copy.
>
>Mike Moors
>
>On Fri, 26 Jan 1996, Neil Leupold wrote:
>
>> Clark ended his statement by asking the question, "At the same price, why
>> would some one buy this and not a wood clarinet?"
>>
>> That makes perfect sense to me in the present, as I too would rather play
>> on a real wooden clarinet instead of the synthetic Green line instrument.
>> Clark's question will probably answer itself over time, I imagine. Since
>> the Green line was created in anticipation of African Blackwood's very
>> possible endangerment, it stands to reason that brand new Buffet R-13's
>> (not to mention the Leblancs, Selmers, and Yamahas which are as well made
>> of African Blackwood) will rise in price when the availability of the
>> wood is substantially dimished enough to raise *its* price. If the Green
>> line holds at its current price in the face of the Mpingo tree's
>> sparsity, many more people will very likely opt to purchase the Green
>> line over the "real thing" precisely because the price disparity has
>> become so great. We've seen and heard enough testimonials on the subject
>> to believe that the Green line can indeed measure up to the standards of
>> the nation's professionals, so one's pocketbook will rule the decision as the
>> unfortunate "event horizon" draws near.
>>
>> Neil
>>
>> On Fri, 26 Jan 1996, CLARK FOBES wrote:
>>
>> > You wrote:
>> > >
>> > > I'm reading the archives and about late 1994 there was brief
>> > discussion
>> > > (involving Clark Fobes and a couple others) of Buffet's "Green Line"
>> > of
>> > > clarinets. Does anyone know what this nomenclature refers to?
>> > Thanks.
>> > > ********************
>> > > Bill Fogle
>> > > Washington, D.C.
>> > > ********************
>> > >
>> > Bill,
>> >
>> > The Buffet Green Line is so named because it is environmentally
>> > sensitive. African blackwood is becoming less available and some
>> > sources say that it is on the verge of becoming "endangered". This may
>> > be true, however, I was told at the factory that they waste up to 80%
>> > of the wood that is deemed suitable for manufacture. Blackwood is not
>> > extremely expensive, but in large quantities this would present a
>> > fairly substantial loss of capital. Buffet came up with a way to
>> > pulverize the waste material and mix it into a matrix of some type of
>> > plastic resin and carbon fiber. The material has some of the dark brown
>> > coloration of the original wood and apparently machines quite well.
>> >
>> > The idea is great provided that your primary reason for purchasing
>> > this instrument is that it will not crack. If you believe Arthur H.
>> > Benade (author of Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics and leading
>> > authority on acoustics) then the material has no significant affect on
>> > the quality of sound. My experience is different. Dan Leeson and I have
>> > gone around on this several times, but I believe there is a significant
>> > difference in sound.
>> >
>> > This is not to say that this synthesized material has a bad sound.
>> > It is only different. I have played several of these green line horns
>> > and I have found them to be quite consistent ( more consistent than
>> > wood ) and they have a good sound. To my ears, and this is ONLY my
>> > opinion, the sound is more pure than the wood clarinets and perhaps
>> > lacking in some of the distinctive overtones that I like. From a
>> > distance of 30 or 40 feet this difference may be completely obviated.
>> >
>> >
>> > To my knowledge, I don't know of any "blind" testing by a group of
>> > professionals or of any published data by Buffet.
>> >
>> > An interesting note from a marketing standpoint. These instruments
>> > are priced identically to the standard R-13 model. Either the cost of
>> > wood is not a significant cost in the production of clarinets or they
>> > are trying not to cast these green lines into an inferior role by
>> > pricing them lower. However, at the same price why would some one buy
>> > this and not a wood clarinet?
>> >
>> > Clark W Fobes
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>