Klarinet Archive - Posting 000684.txt from 2002/11

From: "Forest E. Aten Jr." <forestaten@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] GreenLine clarinets
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 23:58:32 -0500

Joe,

I'm sure that these kinds of double blind experiments have been going on at
the universities for years. ;-) And in practice rooms and studios too...
As far as professionals being able to pick out the Greenline from the
experiment....not a way, in my opinion. On the set I own, I can't even
*feel* a difference in quality....and that would be more noticeable to a
professional than a fractional difference in sound. (you have that from one
clarinet to another...anyway)
Petitioning professional players for their opinions is certainly worth your
time....but even then, you have to sort out what information you receive.
Even in the professional community, you will find/have a diverse population
of players and working conditions. Add to that, same players will use
different equipment for different situations. The hall used for opera in
Dallas has over 3600 seats. The stage is huge....and the pit is...well, the
pits. Most of our pit is under the stage...with a huge concrete boundary
wall on the hall side. The clarinets I play in this pit are powerful...and
bright (sorry Dan). They sound great in this environment. I would never use
this particular set of clarinets in a chamber recital. I have different
clarinets for that setting.
Most of the Buffet clarinets that I have played/evaluated in the past 6 or 7
years have been in fairly good shape right from the distribution point. I'm
sure some get by the quality control inspection...but for the most part
Buffet has been doing a very good job in this effort. Kloc has made a huge
difference in quality since his move to the U.S. I do know that many
professional players find a good clarinet repair/acoustician person and have
additional work done on their instruments just to make things easier. This
is especially true with regard to intonation issues. (more
should....hahahaha)
I have played many Greenline clarinets these past several years and I find
them all to be as good or better than the regular wooden counterparts. I do
see the same variability from instrument to instrument that I see in the
wood versions. I don't think that there is a way to keep this from
happening...and, as I mentioned in my earlier post, it is probably a good
thing.
In the end, I really don't care about the material. I always select the best
instrument at the time....from whatever material. I do like the fact that I
can pull out my Greenlines in any condition and not worry about them
cracking. Orchestra pits are generally not kind to clarinets or oboes.

Regards,

Forest

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joseph H. Fasel" <jhf@-----.gov>
Subject: Re: [kl] GreenLine clarinets

> Forest,
>
> Thanks for your reply. I think you're probably right about these
> minute manufacturing differences, yet I still wonder. It seems to
> me that the sorts of things technicians do in undercutting or filling
> tone holes--for fairly subtle effects--would be somewhat grosser than
> what I would expect machining tolerances to be. I could suggest an
> experiment: Get Francois Kloc to tweak several Greenlines of the
> same model, not messing with the body but just adjusting the action,
> checking all the pads, and so forth. Then have several professional
> clarinetists see if they can identify individual instruments in a
> double-blind environment.
>
> Cheers,
> --Joe
>
> On 2002.11.14 09:34 Forest E. Aten Jr. wrote:
> > Joe,
> >
> > Even microns make a big difference.
> > Bore, tone holes....vents in both thumb and register key holes. Many
> > variables.
> > Simple things such as when the clarinet bore was cut in the life of the
> > bit......can make a huge difference.
> >
> > Forest
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Joseph H. Fasel" <jhf@-----.gov>
> > To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 10:26 AM
> > Subject: Re: [kl] GreenLine clarinets
> >
> >
> > > I'm just wondering: I understand that the Greenline material is
supposed
> > > to be much more uniform and stable than solid wood. If that's the
case,
> > > why is it still necessary to pick a clarinet from among a selection?
> > > Why aren't the instruments nearly identical? Maybe the bodies are
quite
> > > consistent but the adjustment and regulation varies?
> Joseph H. Fasel, Ph.D. email: jhf@-----.gov
> Decision Modeling and Analysis phone: +1 505 667 7158
> University of California fax: +1 505 667 2960
> Los Alamos National Laboratory post: D-7 MS F609; Los Alamos, NM
87545
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>

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