Klarinet Archive - Posting 000346.txt from 1997/11

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Bass Clarinets
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997 21:47:51 -0500

On Sat, 8 Nov 1997 reedman@-----.com wrote:

> Roger Garret said in an earlier post:
>
>
> I'll quote J. Lawrie Bloom (CSO)....."I know of no
> Selmer bass clarinet that is as in tune and projects through the orchestra
> as well as the Buffet Pretiges currently available."

> I could hardly disagree more. Further, It really peeves me when someone
> prefers to name drop than provide substantive material based on personal
> experience or research.

Give me a break......J. Lawrie Bloom is one of the finest, if not THE
finest bass clarinetist on the planet. That's substantive enough for me!

> J. Lawrie Bloom is a great bass clarinetist, but he has offered the same
> opinion on Yamaha and Selmer .

Right....WHEN? Why does he not play one?

> With the proximity of Leblanc to Chicago
> maybe at some point in the future we'll see Mr. Bloom change opinions again.
> He has been at various times a Yamaha "Artist", A Selmer advocate and now
> Buffet. I don't doubt that Mr. Bloom has a lovely Buffet, but I think a
> statement like the above is fairly rash.

Rash is your intepretation....I believe I was fairly coherent, objective
when I made the observation....as I believe Lawrie was when he said it to
me.

> That aside, my experience in repairing, evaluating, and extensively
> performing on bass clarinet has brought me to the conclusion that the newest
> Selmer Bass clarinet (Model 37) is superior to the Buffet in many ways not
> the least being a much better tuning schema.

I tried several out back to back with the Buffet Prestige. Sorry.....to
quote you....I could hardley disagree more.

> Some players may prefer the Buffet sound (although I don't know why)

For many reasons......you might try asking why instead of just asuming
that they can't hear, have not taste, blah blah blah!

, but
> that would be the only reason for making a decision to purchase a Buffet
> over a Selmer. The Selmer mechanism in general is superior and much more
> positive. The register mechanism in particular is much better and is not so
> prone to adjustment problems as the Buffet.

I disagree...sorry....have owned both.

> IMO, the greatest fault of the Buffet basses is the "short" twelfths. If you
> don't play a lot of bass clarinet this may not bother you.

Betcha I play more than you do! *wink*

> But if you have
> ever played, for example, a Wagner Opera on bass clarinet you become acutley
> aware of how important the bass clarinet is to the intonation of the entire
> woodwind section.

Thank you very much.....How many times have you played Tristan?

> Wagner loved the bass clarinet and many, many times he
> scores the bass clarinet at the bottom of the section in pp chordal writing.
> If you are sitting on a low G (One of the absolute worst notes on the
> Buffet),

Actually, the low D is sharp....the C is perfect. Have you played these
things????

> The point is, and I don't think that Mr. Garrett would disagree, DON'T
> take someone else's opinion as God's Truth.

Who said anything about God's truth???? I have owned two Selmers and two
Buffet Prestiges.......I prefer the Buffets. You may like any clarinet
you like.......but to attack both Lawrie and me because you disagree......

....geez!

> Do your own research. Try at
> least 3 instruments of each variety.

How bout the 15 I tried this past August? And the several Selmers beyond
that?

Use a good mouthpiece if you have one.

I have a Kanter, a Bay, and at least three Sayres refaced (which I
currently use). Again....geez....

> Use a tuner and use a tape recorder to evaluate sound.

Thanks for the advice.......but I will pass.

But here is some for you.....try to drop the condescending
attitude......you will probably get further!

Roger Garrett