Klarinet Archive - Posting 000371.txt from 1999/11

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Beginner's Equipment
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 17:06:42 -0500

Audrey,

It was I who said, "Stay away from Artley's, Armstrongs...." etc.
I agree with what many have posted. Here is my take on student instruments, my
opinions:

Bundy--nice big tone. Fairly even in quality and resistance. Tuning is only
fair. Keywork, as mentioned, is cast. Some key pieces are quite thinly cut and
don't hold up well when bumped. C#/G# comes to mind. Keys are very uncomfortable
for small, medium or large hands. Keywork is sloppily cut with a lot of play. In
this regard, they are not well finished. Student mouthpiece stinks.

Vito--very hard, forged keys, probably the sturdiest of any student model
clarinet. Keys are very well fit and cut to the posts. Tuning is so-so, but can
be set up to play quite well in tune. Upper joint is cut very short to help the
beginner play up to pitch. Shortening the instrument from its original design
only aggravates tuning problems. Vito is a large bore design. Large bore
instruments change pitch dramatically at different dynamic levels. They really
climb and go sharp when played softly. Mouthpiece that is currently coming with
them (Vito II) is horrible, horrrible, horrrrrrible! Pads on Vitos are very thin
skinned, tend to tear, swell and distort. The factory never uses enough glue,
either. They tend to fall out. An original pad job on a Vito will probably not
last the expected two to four years.

Yamaha--Softer keywork than the Vito, but sturdy enough. Small bore design.
Sweet tone, though probably not as even in resistance as some others. Stays
better in tune at different dynamic levels. Has a good scale on it and it is not
made as sharp as some. Comes with a good quality, but conservative, hard rubber
mouthpiece. Yamahas are the only clarinet that I know of that come with a good
mouthpiece.

Buffet B-12--Haven't tried any in resent years. They are made in Germany by
Schribner, which is one of the Boosey Hawks-Buffet companies. Keywork is
comfortable but bends easier than some other brands. Don't know about how good
of a mouthpiece they put on the horn.

UMI, AKA--Artley, Conn, Armstrong. Horrible tuning, especially in the throat
tone area. C#/G# is a stinker too--very sharp. Bad mouthpiece, but their bad
mouthpiece is the only mouthpiece that helps the poor tuning of this instrument.
I've also had many repairs come to me because the posts tend to raise out of the
body and come loose. I hate them with a purple passion. I hate to teach any
private students who have them too.

Many people have very good things to say about the Fobes and Hite mouthpieces. I
haven't tried the Fobes, but would recommend you do. I sell Tom Ridenour's
Encore mouthpiece. It is a good quality mouthpiece that fits into this same
price range. Comes with a good, flat table and a good facing. Plays well in
tune.

B-45's--I realize many people play and like them. I'm not a fan of them. I think
they are hard to play (very resistant), have a very bright tone and many of them
play very badly out of tune. This, I have documented with tuning charts over the
years.

Don't know about anything current that Selmer is making.

Reed strength--this will vary from mouthpiece to mouthpiece. For most
mouthpieces, I wouldn't have the students play on anything softer than a 2 1/2.
If you're using Mitchell Lurie, I would go about one full numbered strength
harder. Stay away from Rico. They aren't a bargain because most of them don't
play.

Please understand, these are my OPINIONS and I am quite outspoken in some areas.
Others will have their opinions. They might agree with mine or be very opposed
to mine. That's OK. What's important is to sift through all of them, treat
everything with a grain of salt, and then go do some testing of your own.

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