Klarinet Archive - Posting 000124.txt from 2000/05

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] My new clarinets
Date: Wed, 3 May 2000 17:35:09 -0400

At 10:42 AM 5/2/2000 -0700, Kevin Fay wrote:
>. . . and Bill Hausmann commented:
>
><<<If you mean clarinets that play the SAME as the R-13, you will have to
>stick with Yamaha, Jupiter, and anyone else who is making R-13 COPIES.
>Selmer and Leblanc, among others, have similar quality instruments in the
>same price range, but they play distictively like Selmers, Leblancs, etc.>>>
>
>2 points:
>
>First, you should check out the Yamaha line. The instruments are comparable
>to the European manufactureres in quality, both of sound and construction.
>How much they cost is a function of (a) cost to produce, (b) currency
>fluctuations and (c) the amount of profit that the distribution chain will
>require. Depending on current market conditions, the "street price" for a
>Yamaha could be much higher (as in years past) or lower than the Buffets.
>As I noted in another post, the defining factor in my very recent purchase
>of a Yamaha YCL72CS in A was that it played virtually identically to a
>Buffet Festival that I lusted after, and was sold for an incredibly
>attractive price. (Incidentally, it was also purchased from an authorized
>dealer, and is not "grey market") So be a smart shopper!
>
>Second point -- many more instruments on the market are "Buffet copies" than
>you would think. At one level, of course, all of these horns are a "Buffet
>copy," since Messrs. Klose and Buffet were the genesis of the "Boehm" system
>clarinet. What's bandied about here, however, is much more likely to be R.
>Caree's invention of the polycylindrical bore. Yamaha modeled Buffet, sure
>-- but if you took a micrometer to Leblanc's Opus/Concerto/Infinite, you'd
>see the same thing. The primary difference for the Opus is the register key
>placement, which (you guessed it!) is one of the design variables for the
>Buffet Festival and the clarinet that I just bought. Leblanc's own catalog
>gushes on about the advantages of polycylindrical design -- see
>http://www.gleblanc.com/gleblanc/welframe.html.
>
>The Selmer 10-G also is advertised as having a polycylindrical bore: see
>http://www.selmer.com/htdox/clar4.htm. I recall reading an article by A.G.
>in the Clarinet, moreover, where he stated that the clarinet was an attempt
>to produce the equivalent of a Moennig-modifed R-13. So it's a copy, too.
>
>Both Selmer & Leblanc offer other bore styles, too (reverse cone
>construction) -- and so does Buffet, at least in that the RC has a reversed
>cone in the lower joint.
>
>The upshot here really isn't who copied who (although Francois Kloc can note
>with justifiable pride that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery) --
>but that you can probably get a really fine clarinet from any of the listed
>makers. I was very impressed with all of the clarinets I tried. The
>quality control amongst the makers is at an all-time high. Other niche
>makers (Patricola, Rossi, Eaton, Howarth) make clarinets on the high end,
>too, and should not be discounted in your search; we do indeed live in a
>happy time.
>
>In the end, it's just a tube. How you play it is much more important than
>what you play on. With all of the options available, however, getting a
>good clarinet to play on shouldn't be that big a problem.
>
No disrespect to Yamaha intended. They make a darned fine clarinet, but it
is clearly modeled to play in the style of a Buffet. Every Selmer clarinet
I have ever played, from plastic Bundy to Signature, sounds like a SELMER
and not like a Buffet. This can be good or bad, depending on your
particular likes/dislikes. Leblancs, including Vitos and Noblets, also
share characteristics in common. Yamaha clarinet characteristics just tend
to more closely mimic Buffets than the others, and your point about
imitation and flattery may well be significant. How these characteristics
interact with the particular player's fingers, ears, and style, as well as
wallet, will determine their ultimate choice.

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://homepages.go.com/~zoot14/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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