Klarinet Archive - Posting 000549.txt from 2002/01

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Brand New Barrel Design From Vancouver
Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 23:57:36 -0500

Audrey Travis posted:

<<<I'm really glad to be able to pass on some good news to everyone about
some gorgeous sounding and quite innovative barrels being made here in
Vancouver by one of our local creative geniuses, Morrie Backun. . . . His
barrels have a double taper, and are handcrafted from cocabolla, grenadilla,
kingwood and rosewood.>>>

Good news travels fast. "Me too" posts are typically passé, but Morrie
deserves the kudos so I'll pile on.

Morrie overhauled my set of Buffet R-13s last month. Put a nice silver
plate on the Bb keys, plays like new. With the Chadash barrel, plays
*almost* as nice as the new Yamaha I bought this last summer. I'm a happy
man.

. . . but the real surprise was the A. I bought this clarinet from the
estate of Rachel Welke, who used to play in the Seattle Symphony. It's
about as old as I am. It's always been a fussy horn, with some foul notes,
and I never found a barrel that worked for it. Almost sold it for scrap,
but a number of people have scolded me that this was a great vintage etc.
and that I should keep it.

Well, Morrie unfuzzed the notes, and reamed out the 66 mm Bb Buffet barrel
to work with it. Wow! - great tone throughout, and the needle on the tuner
doesn't budge up and down the scale.

I now have a great set of Buffets. Morrie is the *great* repair artist that
I've been looking for; can't recommend him enough. With the favorable
exchange rate (Morrie's in Canada), his work is both fantastic and
inexpensive!

Morrie's worked quite a bit on the barrels with Wes Foster of the Vancouver
Symphony. I had the honor of being in Morrie's shop as Wes was trying some
of the ornate barrels. They both look and sound very pretty indeed.

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