Klarinet Archive - Posting 000085.txt from 2005/11
From: X-MailScanner-madprof@-----.net
Subj: [kl] Hanson T-6 BTR Review
Date: Mon, 07 Nov 2005 11:51:43 -0500
Hi all,
I just got back from the UK.
I finally got a new clarinet. An ex-display model compressed-
grenadilla / composite Hanson T-6. As far as I know, there has not
been any kind of review of the higher level Hanson instruments on
this forum, so here is mine:
The clarinet is beautiful. Smooth and shiny as the best of plastic
instruments (bore and outside), but with unstained grenadilla
colouring. The keys were all well laid out and elegant. It included a
detachable alternate Eb key, and all of the left pinky leaver keys
contain rollers at the end (I'm slightly doubtful of the actual
increase in smoothness of these), but apparently it makes the action
smoother. There are no flat bladed springs anywhere on the
instrument. They use normal pin type springs, and coil springs. The
pads are only slightly odd looking bit, as they are yellow (except
for cork for register and c#/g#). This is not such a big deal. I
asked them about this, and they said it is so they can tell easily
which pads they put on, and which have been replaced by other people,
later.
When I tried playing it, I was blown away. Lovely sound. The lowest
notes are much richer and fuller than on any of the other clarinets I
had tried (Buffet RC & R13 & R13 Greenline, and a Howarth's pro-level
ebonite, and my B&H Regent), and the tuning seemed to be bang on
right the way up to altissimo. G and above. Except... for the throat
A and Ab notes. They were WAY off-scale sharp. More than 50 cents
sharp, when I checked with a tuner. The throat G was slightly sharp,
but easily manageable with "resonance" fingerings.
Anyway. The guys at Hanson are all really friendly. The day after my
new clarinet arrived, I heard a strange click, and the throat A key
stopped springing down. I examined it, and saw that one of the coil
springs had popped out. Before actually dismantling the instrument, I
bethought myself to phone them in case by doing so I was invalidating
the warranty, or something. It was about 8pm, but Alistair was still
there working, and before I mentioned that I knew what I was doing,
offered to walk me through it on the phone! He was quite apologetic,
this never having happened before. Anyway. The coil springs are very
nice, in some ways, but when putting them back on after taking a key
off, be careful! Some of them have to be aligned the right way around
inside their sockets, so that when they compress, or expand, they do
so in the correct direction, to stop them from touching other pads!
Thanks to Alistair, I got it all sorted though. No problems since (4
weeks ago).
A few weeks after that, I was able to go and visit them up in
Marsden, and spent the afternoon at the workshop, learning about
clarinets, how they make them, and practising stripping down and
rebuilding an old flood worn clarinet. Alistair also fixed the two
sharp throat notes for me, with some tiny stuck in rubber patches,
that sorted them out fine, and I can now play them well in tune. They
also lowered the register key a bit for me, rounded off the cork pad
on it, and so on.
Unfortunately, I forgot to mention to them a slightly low cork on the
left-pinky C/F key, and _very_ slightly low crowsfoot/lowE/B cork.
But I can stick a tiny bit of paper in there to fix it when I have
time. Not a big deal though.
Anyway. since then, I have been extremely happy with it, and heartily
recommend Hanson clarinets.
(Btw, I am currently playing this instrument with a Vandoren 5RV
mouthpiece, Rovner "Dark" cloth lig, and a Vandoren Optimum lig, and
No. 3 Rico Grand Concert Select Evolution reeds.)
Dan
PS - I posted the full saga of my clarinet experience on my blog
later today, including more info about the other clarinets I tried
out. Should I post it to the list too, for posterity? http://
brummieatsea.blogspot.com/
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