 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Michelle
Date: 2008-08-18 05:59
I would like to purchase a C Clarinet but I am having trouble finding many options. I'd love to try the Lyrique C but it's a bit over my budget. I'm intrigued by the Forte C but it doesn't appear to be in stock anywhere, which apparently leaves me with the Amati C. I don't mind used, but I don't see one in the classifieds here and I haven't seen too many of decent quality on the auction site.
I'd like to have it ready to play in the next couple of weeks, for a show in mid-September. Does anyone have any opinions or experience on C Clarinets? Any suggestions on brand, or where to find one? I read some of the archived posts but didn't find a recent, relevant post.
Thanks...
Michelle
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Author: redwine
Date: 2008-08-18 11:14
Hello,
If you want the Forte, you should get it straight from the Doctor!
Ben Redwine, DMA
owner, RJ Music Group
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Selmer Paris artist
www.rjmusicgroup.com
www.redwinejazz.com
www.reedwizard.com
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2008-08-18 13:48
(Disclaimer- I sell Forte' C Clarinets)
The web site address is: http://www.doctorsprod.com
L.Omar Henderson, alias The Doctor
Post Edited (2008-08-18 13:50)
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2008-08-18 14:13
I own the forte and like it. You can hear me play it on this track:
bach.mp3
My only complaint is a keywork design issue: a pad cup that is in the way of my middle finger on the top joint.
If you can afford it, order both the Ridenour and Forte for trials and keep the one you like best.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
Post Edited (2008-08-18 14:35)
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Author: William
Date: 2008-08-18 14:29
Nice playing, Sylvain.
For the record, I like my Buffet E11 C clarinet and do not find any issues with the keywork, other than it needs to be played more to loosen up the action. Still kind of new & tight.
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2008-08-18 16:56
Forte.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: lj
Date: 2008-08-18 22:52
I'm very happy with the Forté I ordered from Dr. Henderson. It was also an absolute pleasure to deal with him as well as with Ben Redwine, who made the mouthpiece I ordered through the same site, as listed above in the Doctor's post. My Bb is a Lyrique, which I'm also very happy with--it sounds better than the R13 I used to have. I'm confident that the Lyrique C would be great too, but the combination of the cost and the good reviews led me to the Forté.
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2008-08-19 23:07
I have an Amati C that was purchased new a few years ago for $525. It plays OK but I understand from Graham Golden it can be made a lot better with a little work. I really like the Amati, it's wood with nice silver plated key work.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2008-08-21 02:08
To add to the chorus: I have a Rossi C that was ordered directly from Luis Rossi.
Currently we're preparing the Schubert Trio for violin, cello and piano but replacing the violin with the C clarinet. It's a relatively new purchase and until now it hadn't been used for larger works. For a couple weeks I played it exclusively in order to get used to the sound of a C and train my fingers to the smaller size of the C. It's a different voice from the Bb of course but I've come to love it.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-08-21 14:51
Hello Brenda,
If you read the original post you'll find: "I'd love to try the Lyrique C but it's a bit over my budget."
If the Lyrique is too expensive I'm certain the Rossi is out of the question, even if it's a superior instrument. Would love to hear a recording of the Trio though!
James
Gnothi Seauton
Post Edited (2008-08-21 14:52)
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2008-08-21 15:57
Likewise, the Patricola CL-7, even the "ordinary" grenadilla model, which I play, would also be out of your budget, as would even the intermediate Leblancs and certainly the R13C -- unless you can find a used one. All good clarinets.
Steve Epstein
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Author: Michelle
Date: 2008-08-23 06:19
I was trying to establish a budget that matched the pay I would get from the gig. I will certainly keep my eyes open and try to get a good clarinet. I'd actually rather borrow/rent for a month and just see how I liked it, but I haven't found one anywhere ... they just aren't very available used!
The Forte has the most recommendations, I'll probably go there, but the Amati is several hundred dollars less, and being unsure of how much or little I'll play it in the future I'm debating on the ~$300 difference. I'd love to say I'll play it for church or piano scores, but even that's minimal playing time at best, so can I justify the extra cash or not? Therein lies the debate in my mind
Thanks again for the recommendations ... they are very much appreciated.
Michelle
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-08-23 07:19
>> so can I justify the extra cash or not? Therein lies the debate in my mind
I haven't tried the Forte, but I have a feeling you get a lot of recommendations for it not only because of the instrument, but also because of the maker/seller. Omar Henderson not only sells/makes the Forte but also many products for clarinets, some are especially good IMO (like his natural cork grease for example). He also posts here on the forum to help others. All of this gives a very good impression of him and he seems very trustworthy, which I think is at least one reason people would like to buy from him. OTOH Amati gives the impression of "just another company". This of course has nothing to do with the instruments themselves which I have no experience with.
Whether the price difference is worth depends on the instruments. I recently checked a couple of Amati student model clarinets (Bb), and then understood why they are cheaper than other student models (at least in USA websites, prices locally a re bit different). I have a detailed review for my website. There were many problems (but had a pretty good sound). So I'd say the price difference is worth it if the Amati C clarinet also has these problems, and the Forte doesn't. Amati has several C clarinets but I don't know if they are all the same (other than wood/plastic and silver/nickel), or how they compare in quality to Amati Bb clarinets.
Nitai
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Author: donald
Date: 2008-08-23 08:08
I haven't been very impressed with the Amati student C clarinets some of my students play, and wouldn't play a gig on them myself, personally.
dn
Post Edited (2008-08-23 08:09)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-08-23 08:53
I have an Amati C (cheapest model) and after some tweaks and fine-tuning with the keywork I consider it "good enough" for what I'm using it for. As everywhere, the choice of the mouthpiece plays a critical role in the whole setup, and the Amati is no exception.
All in all, if you combine "raw price" and "customization", you end up with a similar price tag as the Forté. Apparently, everyone's cooking with water, and you get what you pay for.
--
Ben
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2008-08-23 19:12
To make the decision you can use ask yourself questions that help make a lot of decisions: Ask yourself, "A year from now, would I be happy with my decision or wish I paid the little extra for a higher quality model?" "Five years from now, would I be glad that I made this decision (about a purchase, a quality house repair, a choice in education, a life-style change)? Or would I be kicking myself for not doing it back then?"
Years ago one of my neighbors worked for a company that did high quality kitchen renovations. On the side of his truck was the saying, "Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten."
Consultation with others, as you've done now, is a good way of having better insight into things and then you can balance your own needs with your own budget.
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2008-08-24 01:14
Don't forget that Buffet makes an E11 C clarinet, which is both fun to play and affordable.
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-08-24 06:40
>> I have an Amati C (cheapest model) and after some tweaks
>> and fine-tuning with the keywork I consider it "good enough"
>> for what I'm using it for.
The Amati student instruments I've checked would also be good enough for what some people need them, even without any "tweaks", but they still have problems that might mean other instruments are better and worth paying extra. Here is a list of (some) problems I found on the Amati student clarinets, and I'm wondering if the Forte (which I understand is physically made by Amati, but a different design... am I right?) has any of them too. I'm not sure all of these apply to the C clarinet.
The following problems were on both instruments I checked (one plastic, one wood).
- Bad design/build of some keys, epsecially key arms. Some keys feel too flexible and some are especially hard to adjust, and don't move where they should. Especially bad are the critical E/B and F/C keys.
- The C/G tone hole is further down compared with just about any clarinet, making the position of the 3rd finger not so comfortable. Strange especially considering this is a student instrument.
- Lower banana key (B/F# trill key) doesn't open enough.
- Springs slide directly on the body, which can create bumps. This happened on one of the clarinets on the critical throat A key.
- ALL key corks were natural cork, which doesn't give the best accuracy or feel to the keys.
- The throat G# adjusting screw was just for show, since there was a big key cork under it and opening and closing the screw didn't change anything.
- There was a lot of glue around pads, which doesn't affect playing but just doesn't look good. Some pads didn't completely seal but that's not rare for many other instruments.
There were also problems I found only on the wood model.
- The middle tenon and socket weren't accurate, with the tenon not getting all the way into the socket.
- Many pads were torn and/or ruined too soon and this probably happened from relatively sharp tone hole edges.
Some of these problems are easy to fix, and some could take a while. I guess it depends if they bother you, how much you want to invest, etc. OTOH the clarinets had a pretty nice sound, even before fixing anything. I thought the stock mouthpiece wasn't good.
Post Edited (2008-08-24 09:19)
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2008-08-24 14:32
A thread like this one would be consulted by many people looking to purchase a C clarinet. So even though the original poster wasn't looking for anything but a smaller-budget clarinet, others would appreciate knowing of the many brands available. It appears that there's been a nice range of brands commented on so far, helpful to many readers besides just the original poster.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-08-24 14:50
Nitai,
Thanks for the rundown on the Amati. I hope that The Doctor has a chance to peruse this and respond on how his Forte differs from the Amati in construction.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2008-08-24 18:50
(Disclaimer - I am seller of the Forte' C clarinet)
We took the Amati wooden C clarinet as the starting point and the Forte' C is custom made by Amati to our specifications and quality control standards and checks. We moved the position of tone holes to improve intonation problems that we found on the Amati C and altered the configuration of the bore. The bell is Grenadilla wood and not cocobolo as on the Amati. We also specified finishing specifications which include smoothing tone hole seating area for pads. We custom designed two new barrel tapers for the two included barrels. The pads are upgraded Italian leather pads. The G# screw is adjustable.
In addition we have included the signature Forte' features which include the bridge key sunken into the body of the clarinet which completely avoids jamming the bridge key if the rings on the upper joint are not depressed when assembling - no jam bridge key. Silver plated keywork. Ergonomic changes to the register key and A keys for easier playing. The B-E connecting rod has an extra post and support to keep the regulation of the lower keys tighter and there is an extra support piece for the top trill key. The Forte' C has a passive bell vent and TRAC (Tuned Resonance Acoustic Chamber) groove inside the bell which has been discussed at length in other threads. The Forte' instruments come with an adjustable thumb rest secured with 4 screws for sturdiness. The instrument comes with a custom ballistic nylon case with carry strap, handle and large zippered accessory pocket. No mouthpiece is provided however a discounted custom made hard rubber Gennusa mouthpiece for the Forte' C is offered with the purchase. All of the pads and springs are standard shop items and other parts are available quickly from our facility here in the U.S..
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
Post Edited (2008-08-24 18:52)
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