Klarinet Archive - Posting 000298.txt from 1999/04

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Wood/plastic, etc...
Date: Mon, 5 Apr 1999 13:11:14 -0400

The debate about wood vs plastic is as old as, well, the time that
clarinets have been made of plastics.

Here is what I would like to see: I would like all of the major clarinet
makers, Buffet, Selmer, Leblanc and Yamaha make a couple of dozen
clarinets out of plastic. These instruments, as near as they can be
made, should represent their finest models with as exacting a set of
tolerances as they try to maintain with their best wooden clarinet
making efforts. The bores would be the same, again, as close as they
could be done in plastic, and would be poly cylindrical (if that is what
their flagship instrument is), would have the same formula used for tone
hole size, placement and undercutting (if done) as their best
instruments. They would have keys fit by their best key fitters, would
be padded by the same best padders that do their best wooden
instruments, would be regulated and final finished with the same time
and attention paid to them as their wooden counterparts.

At this point, they could tour through countries, trade shows,
conventions, etc. and be evaluated next to wooden versions of the same.

To the best of my knowledge, this has never been done. As it stands now,
we're still talking apples and oranges. I for one, would love to play
Leblanc's or Buffet's best instruments made with plastic bodies.

Such an experiment would be most interesting.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Richard Bush
Wind Instrument Repair
"Helping wind players play their best since 1970"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org