Klarinet Archive - Posting 000588.txt from 1997/01

From: Luuk van Buul <vanbuul@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Wood /Plastic Clarinets-WHY?
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 09:16:17 -0500

On Jan 27 David C. Blumberg wrote:

>
> Not wanting to throw gas on a fire that doesn't exist yet, but:
> Why don't the big manufacturers copy the exact bore, tonehole placement,
> etc. ,etc. on the plastic clarinets, to make the perfect clarinet -IF, and
> only IF the tone is the same between wood, and plastic. And don't tell me
> the equivalent of "a common cold virus cure exists, but the cold symptom
> industry suppresses it".
>
>

Well, I don't know. But if I did, what does it prove? I have not seen any
objective argument yet why one should not give the plastics a serious try. Let
another player play them and listen. Play one yourself and maybe you will be
surprised. Especially when compared with wooden 'student models' (twice or
thrice the price of a plastic one).

One thing I do know is that plastic instruments have a better reproduceability
with less variation than wooden ones because of the more homogenous material
(this goes for the Buffet 'Green Line' clarinets as well). The advantage for the
customer is he doesn't have to try a lot of 'the same' products in order to find
a 'good' one. They're all the same. Well, more the same than wooden clarinets.
Objective reasons to buy plastic are: no cracking, cheap.

By the way, what do you mean with 'the perfect clarinet'? :)

Luuk van Buul

--
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L.J.M. van Buul vanbuul@-----.com
Philips Research Waalre Philips Optoelectronics
Prof.Holstlaan 4
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The Netherlands Fax. +31 40 2744335
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