Klarinet Archive - Posting 000322.txt from 2001/10

From: MVinquist@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Opperman Barrels
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2001 06:58:36 -0400

Tom Henson asks about Richard Stoltzman's barrels. As Ed Wojtowicz says,
they're made by Kalmen Opperman, Stoltzman's teacher. The reddish wood is
rosewood, which he uses most of the time. The darker brown wood is probably
cocus, which he also uses from time to time. His cocus wood barrels do not
have metal rings at the end, but instead have a thicker bands of wood left
when he turns the exterior on a lathe. The dot is mother of pearl, and it's
there for a reason -- to mark the position at which the barrel plays best.

I play on an Opperman mouthpiece and barrels and also on Buffet R-13s he has
tuned and voiced. I think there's nothing better, or even close.

However, even though he's in the New York phone book, you can't just call him
up and order one. He says he makes each barrel to work best on your
particular clarinet and mouthpiece, and the bore varies according to the
particular year the instrument was made. You really have to come to his New
York and sit in his studio and let him set things up for you and the
particular way you play. The barrel on eBay will undoubtedly work better
than a stock Buffet barrel, but it won't be the same as one made specifically
for your instrument.

He's now in his 80s and in poor health, so he limits his work mostly to his
students and former students. However, if you convince him you're serious,
he may make a barrel for you.

He charges $200 for a mouthpiece and $200 for a barrel, and worth every penny.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

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