Klarinet Archive - Posting 000218.txt from 1999/02

From: Spiegelthal.Dave@-----.COM
Subj: [kl] Re: Plastic Clarinets (was: Evette Clarinets)
Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 14:06:01 -0500

Frederick Sterns wrote:
<Roger Garrett noted...

>There was a post a year or so ago that discussed a person who works on
>plastic bass clarinets to undercut tone holes and, generally, improve the
>instrument to the same playing quality as a wood instrument. (note - this
>is not another thread on wood vs. anything else!!) - I'll bet there are
>people who, for a nominal charge, could undercut a plasic clarinet to
>improve intonation etc.......then a really good hard rubber mouthpiece and
>a good reed/ligature setup would be great!

...looking at the step just below...I know a very experienced oboe player
who also doubles on all the other double and single reed instruments. She
often uses a plastic clarinet with *only* a good barrel and mouthpiece, and
gets as good a sound as I've ever heard. [I can't comment on how the action
feels in her hands but she hasn't complained!]

Maybe the secret to optimizing the plastic clarinet is merely to be
selective with the barrel, mouthpiece, and reed. Nothing beyond that! Fred
S.>

I've been playing bass clarinet (at an amateur and occasionally semi-pro
level) for almost 25 years, and many of the years I played on decent wooden
instruments (a Noblet, a couple of Leblancs, and a Buffet). Now, being a
family man and therefore severely budget-limited, I play on a recent Vito
7166 plastic instrument. I have a very good Charles Bay mouthpiece and
good reeds, and I would bet that, in a blind listening, few if any
listeners could ever tell I was playing on a plastic instrument. I have no
doubt that, generally speaking, a $4000 wooden Buffet, Leblanc, or Selmer
is a better instrument than my $900 Vito, however, I would bet you that,
with a good mouthpiece/reed/ligature setup, the differences in sound,
intonation, and response are much less than you would expect (and for my
current situation, not worth the extra $3000). Plastic instruments, just
like wooden ones, vary a lot, and a student (or parent) would be wise to
try a bunch of reputable sudent-model plastic instruments, such as Vito,
Buffet/Evette, Yamaha, Selmer/Signet, etc., as well as the wooden ones.
Please don't rule these out from the start (like Carl Schexnayder seems to
be saying).
Dave Spiegelthal

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