 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Theclarinerd
Date: 2021-05-08 08:40
I am curious on everyone's opinion on what I should buy for a bass clarinet. What I am looking at is either a Kessler 2nd gen. Bass clarinet or a Royal Polaris. The Kessler because it is herald as an expectional instrument for its price at 2,500 dollars. The Royal is a copycat of the Buffet Prestige low C at 6,800. The question more or less is is should I get the cheap one to get a horn in my life or wait and save for the Royal. I have played on the Buffet in college but other than that I have been out of playing bass for about three years now.
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Author: davidjsc
Date: 2021-05-12 09:15
Why not a Leblanc? I bought a second-hand student model for $850 CDN last year and it plays like a dream. I can only imagine what the better models would be like.
DSC
~~ Alto Clarinet; Bass Clarinet; B-flat and C Boehm Clarinets; Albert C Clarinet; Oboe ~~
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2021-05-12 17:11
I think either would be better than Leblanc, they're okay but the single register vent really holds them back. The 430 I was especially displeased with, nothing like the vintage models which themselves are nothing like the Selmers or Buffets from that era.
Kessler vs Royal is a very hard choice. My Fiancé owns a Kessler Midnight Model and it is a great instrument. I used to think that all Chinese basses were the same but this instrument proved me wrong. It doesn't have the problem with the left hand D key that other Chinese basses have and it feels really well built compared to the Ridenour I used to own. I would say it plays to the same level as my vintage Selmer 33.
On the other hand, I'm friends with a fairly well know bass clarinetists who is currently trying out both Royal models and is very impressed with them. To quote him "they’re good. Like, really good" and I've heard the same from other players. From what he says it's also not a copy of the Buffet 1193, but rather something that was designed from the ground up.
Personally I would get the Kessler now and save up. They have great resale value so you can sell it a few years down the road for a little less than you paid and get the Royal then. It would be way cheaper than renting. The only better alternative is if you can borrow an instrument for that time.
-Jdbassplayer.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2021-05-13 09:49
>> From what he says it's also not a copy of the Buffet 1193, but rather something that was designed from the ground up. <<
It's not possible to tell any difference in tone holes or bore from photos. There are a lot of small differences in the keys, but on the whole, it is still more or less a copy of a Buffet. Not as much as the Uebel bass, but still pretty much the same with slight changes. Definitely based on it rather than designed "from the ground up". Not that it's a bad thing, the Buffet has excellent keys, possibly the best of all current basses.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2021-05-13 19:52
Hi Theclarinetnerd,
I did things a little differently but then, this is back several years before the new fleet of Asian basses appeared on the market. I was in the market for an upgrade instrument.
My quest started with one assumption: I did not often need the lower three notes of a Low C bass in the wind ensembles I was playing. Indeed, we were playing Level 5 and 6 band music but when performing classic band music from the 1940-80s (pretty much the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Mark Hindsley Songbooks) going to Low Eb sufficed. I did have a very fine old Selmer Model 32 Series 9 Bass as my primary but planned to use that as a backup instrument.
After picking out a new Selmer 65 Prelude at the factory several years ago it was time to think about the next phase of my plan, waiting until the marketplace offered a superior Asian Low C bass for a fair price. Last December, my wife gifted me with an all-black Low C Expressivo bass of Asian lineage from Meridian Winds. It plays great; ergonomics are superb and the intonation is exceptional.
The final move in the plan was to sell off the old Series 9 Selmer which I did a few months ago and that let me regift my wife with about 65% of what she spent on the all-Black Christmas bass from Meridian (Happy Wife, Happy Life).
All of my performing groups are slowly returning and I've been practicing for them and a couple of quartets as well. The instrument of choice for all groups is still the Selmer Model 65 unless there is a compelling reason to use the Low C bass. The Selmer just plays too well.
So, some might say I took a road less-traveled but in the end, I have two new and very fine bass clarinets for about the same price I would have spent way back when for a Selmer 67 to Low C.
Theclarinetnerd, don't rush into this. Consider several options.
Hank
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2021-05-17 19:12
I haven't played the Royal Polaris, but I would love to someday. I did have a chance to play the Kessler low C back in late 2019 (feels like a lifetime ago!) and was very impressed by it, especially for the money. jdbassplayer's advice seems very solid to me.
I am very accustomed to my old Selmer Model 33 that I've had customized to my liking and may never give up that instrument, but playing that Kessler for the better part of an hour, I had a hard time really saying that it was holding me back at all. I think my Selmer sounds better, but I didn't have the chance to play them back to back since I was in Vegas for a business trip and didn't bring my bass clarinet with me, just a mouthpiece.
It was clear that the Kessler is quite a good instrument, at least in initial quality. Others can speak to how well it holds adjustment and what it's been like to own, but in good adjustment, it seems to be an excellent instrument.
As for whether you should save for the more expensive instrument, I think it really comes down to how big a difference that $4,300 is for you to save up. If that's a couple of months of saving and the money isn't a big deal, then I would say just play both and see if you like the Polaris more. If that's a few years of saving and the Kessler is accessible to you now, then just get the Kessler and see if you can try a Polaris later to see if you want to save up for it. In that price range, you can often find used Selmers and Buffets as well, so you will have options that, in my opinion, are worth exploring.
Not playing until you've saved up for the dream instrument inevitably means you won't be ready for the dream instrument when you get it, though.
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