Klarinet Archive - Posting 000770.txt from 2000/08

From: "Kloc, Francois" <Francois.Kloc@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Wood and other materials
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 11:11:25 -0400

I thank Francois Kloc for his response. I am not trying to prevent
opinions from being offered, but there have been so many given on this
subject that I was simply hoping for something more authoritative from
the representative of such an important clarinet manufacturer.

Dear Dan,

Off course there is no hard feeling we are grown up people are we, I
will always respect opinion of others even if sometime I fell some
people have an hard time to respect mine. Like I said we can talk for
ever on this subject and may not have the ultimate definite answer, but
is it not what happens at all level in our society? People prove us that
it is safer to us some makes of cars than other but there is still
accident. It healtier to eat some type of food one day and the next they
come out with scientific proof that it can give you cancer or other
sickness etc... my point is that I as a maker doesn't have the ultimate
answer to you question and even if I did prove you that wood is better
than plastic or vis versa would you go ahead and play something you
would not feel comfortable with just because I had scientific proof that
it is better? I don't think so. For your information when I was working
at Loree in France I finished several oboes with upper plastic top joint
for market where the weather was to hard on wood joints. I also made
full plastic oboes in my five years with them I may be finished three.
It was professional instruments for professional players, and I always
asked myself if the plastic was responding the same way as the wood why
other players around the world didn't make the switch? I came to the
conclusion that maybe wood is still a material that give the musicians
more flexibility in their playing, control of the tone colors and so
forth. I tried those instruments when they were finished and found that
it was playing very good but I missed something that I had with my
rosewood oboe. I came to the conclusion that it was only me and my
feeling and that someone else would have no problem with the instrument.
We are starting to have good success with our Green Line both clarinets
and oboes. To give you an idea the last three years I have been here in
the states 95 % of the professional oboes we sold were Green Line,
Symphony player around the United States and Canada are playing on those
now. For the one of you that attended the ICA Michel Arrignon played on
a Festival Green Line and I heard a lot of good comments about his
playing. I think we cannot say that manufactures are afraid of results,
it is not easy to make musical instruments and I am sure you know that
and all manufactures are trying their best at least I can talk about the
one I worked for.

Musically Yours

Francois Kloc
Manager of Woodwinds North America
Boosey & Hawkes Musical Instruments Inc.

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