Klarinet Archive - Posting 000389.txt from 2004/02

From: mginesi@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] Bass Clarinets
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 19:31:48 -0500

well, while we are talking about bass clarinets....
[and in a partial commercial message ...]

don't overlook the value of a good used instrument...many are abused but some are marvelous...

and for you folks who may never have seen an albert system bass clarinet....take a look at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3705866589&category=10182&sspagename=STRK%3AMESSE%3AIT&rd=1

i thought you might get a kick out of this.

michael
> My two cents, FWIW...
>
> On Mon, 23 Feb 2004, Kevin Fay wrote:
>
> > 1) Cheap Out?
> >
> > If I buy a servicable student-level horn - say, a Bundy or Vito - I fear
> > that I will end up buying two bass clarinets, this first one and the low-C
> > professional model that I'll ultimately end up with. (I am doomed this way,
> > since I think I'll need the range to low C for intended use, and this is the
>
> Sounds like you answered your own question here. *smirk*
>
> > 2) Low C?
> > seems like very good advice for that intended audience. While my intended
> > use is (or at least includes) orchestral literature, though, I'm not in the
> > professional audition-taking mode; my expected use is primarily in the pit
>
> You may yet find use for a low C in a pit. If you're a good transposer
> (which sadly, I cannot say I am...a deficiency that will likely not be
> rectified until after I graduate again), you may get called in to fill in
> an actual Tuba/String Bass part. The best option of course is a
> contra-alto, but rather than buying that, you can still do pretty good
> range wise with a Low C.
>
> > 3) Mouthpiece?
> > start, however, is the bass clarinet equivalent of Clark Fobes' Debut -
> > serviceable and cheap, one that may not be optimal long-term but will work.
>
> Roger Garrett's mouthpieces are relatively cheap (comparable in price to a
> Hite, perhaps even a little less), and I like the results I get with it.
> Walt G's stuff is pretty tasty, too, I hear, and I look forward to adding
> one of his pieces to my mouthpiece set. (Then finish off the set with a
> Fobes. With a Garrett, a Grabner, and a Fobes, I could probably play with
> a broken jaw and still have a setup that sounds great!)
>
> > 4) Brand?
> > a) I get the impression that Leblancs aren't as good in this space of
> > the market. Differ? Worth trying as well, or not bother?
>
> Don't bother. From what I'm aware (which could very well be wrong),
> LeBlanc hasn't bothered to update or improve their harmony clarinet line
> since the '70s. If Ford was still selling Pintos and Mavericks today,
> instead of Mazda6s and Volvo S40s, would you be buying from them? *grin*
>
> > b) Anyone ever try the Yamaha professional model? I heard John Yeh play
> > one, sounded terrific - but he likely would sound as good on a garden hose
>
> The Yamahas seem to be an interesting anomoly...while there are minute
> (yet distinct) differences between the Selmer and Buffet (details of which
> can be found at
> http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Logs/2002/03/000746.txt ), it seems to
> me that the general consensus is that they're both fantastic horns. If
> you can't have one, you can still be VERY happy with the other. This does
> not seem to be the case with the Yamaha...while some players are VERY
> satisfied with it (players who would be almost as happy playing a Selmer
> or a Buffet), there are players who find it just quirky enough that they
> CAN'T live with it. I, for one, have not played one, but my continued
> activity on the Yahoo Bass Clarinet listserv has seen many reports in this
> manner. The long and short of it, I suppose, is just...try it, compare
> it...you may like it, you may not.
>
> But you can't go wrong with a Buffet. ^_^ (Or a Selmer.)
>
> HTH
>
> J. Shouryu Nohe
> Grad Assistant, New Mexico State University
> "I think we have a ghost in our house." - Kaycee Nicole
> "I should probably be playing Buffet." - Steve Moore
>
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