 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2007-01-14 01:24
I just received my Cadenza late yesterday and given our 15F weather let it sit over night to warm up. I've been tooting it today and all I can say is WOW. First it came from Kessler/Backun/Leblanc perfectly regulated. I did not need to bend a spring/key, file a cork, seat a pad or turn a screw. As a player of a Leblanc LL and a Dynamique it feels just like Leblancs are supposed to feel. The tone is a bit more centered then my older instruments given the smaller bore diameter, ~14.5 mm vs ~14.8 and I'm blown away by the clarity of the throat tones. Tuning seems to good over the entire range, no clinkers were noted. My current Backun mouthpiece works perfectly with the horn.
Dave Kessler was a pleasure to deal with, had them in stock and quoted an excellent price which included free shipping, two Backun barrels, a box of regular cut Gonzalez reeds, a silver plated Bonade ligature and silver plated mouthpiece cap. There is nothing "cheap" about this horn and it certainly reflects Morrie Backun's desire for quality workmanship and appealing esthetics. The quality of the wood appears to be as good as that of my 50 year old Leblancs.
This is "A" horn, not an inexpensive substitute for the R13. With the money saved you can buy yourself a Backun mouthpiece, a good ligature, a pile of Gonzalez reeds and still have enough left over for a few cases of beer.
I guess I should mention what I don't like. The case is for teenagers, one of those zippered back pack things, I'm 63 and it doesn't turn my crank. There is no way to attach a neck strap to the very comfortable adjustable thumb rest and they could have spent an extra 5 cents for a silver plated metal knob, that hunk of black plastic spoils the whole "quality" effect.
Valentino pads were used and it is marked "MADE IN USA", America is back in the high end clarinet business thanks to a Canadian (I'm a dual citizen and like the sound of that). The mouthpiece will get tried one fine day. Now if Leblanc would just make one in the key of A so I could retire the Symphonie II.
Since writing this I got a little note from Morrie saying that he didn't care for the thumb rest either and there is a new esthetically pleasing one with neck strap ring coming out soon. Also, he designed the mouthpiece, I'll at least try it now, and that all these horns go to his shop in Vancouver for voicing.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: Wannes
Date: 2007-01-14 07:47
How would you value this clarinet compared to an Buffet E13 or a RC (maybe a Festival?)? I'm searching for a new clarinet, and it seems the Leblanc Cadenza and the Buffet R-13 aren't very usual here. Most players play a Buffet E13, RC, Festival or Tosca.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2007-01-14 15:02
The Cadenza would not be very common ANYWHERE, as it is a brand new instrument. You should try one if the oopportunity presents itself. It's quite a nice clarinet. The keywork is quite good, too. It feels very secure and natural when you lay your fingers on one for the first time.
Jeff
Post Edited (2007-01-14 15:04)
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Author: Asain
Date: 2007-01-24 01:55
It seems everyone is enjoying their cadenzas!
I have one also and I absolutely love it. I agree with you on the thumb rest. I have mine a bit high, so it hurts my thumb because it touches the little ridges (try it) I also use a neckstrap, but since there is not a ring, I have to use the dreaded leather attachment.
Question. Is your throat E and Eb a bit fuzzy? Mine are just SLIGHTLY buzzy for some reason. All other notes are crystal clear.
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2007-01-24 17:25
Attachment: neckstrapring.jpg (55k)
Asain, I can see nothing wrong with my E4 or Eb4. I would say that F4 is the weakest note in that area but it's certainly not buzzy.
Here is a picture of what I made for a neckstrap ring. It's a piece of plastic coated giant sized paperclip
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2007-02-07 12:04
I finally got around to trying the mouthpiece that was provided with this clarinet. Not quite up to my full fledged Backun but a very good mouthpiece that Morrie designed. I will certainly keep it for a spare or to loan to students in need of something decent. I also let my teacher try it, he too normally plays a Backun mouthpiece, and he thought it was pretty good. He also played the clarinet for the first time and found no fault with it. What I am enjoying the most about this instrument is that the notes above C6 play in tune, I always had to be careful with them on the older Leblancs.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: Tony Beck
Date: 2007-02-07 13:22
Asain, try going softer on your reeds by a half step or so. I had the same problem with fuzzy E4 and especially Eb4. Backing off the reed completely cured it.
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