 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Adam
Date: 2002-10-20 02:03
I am currently a senior in high school. My sophomore year I switched from percussion to clarinet on a whim. It was the best decision I could have made at the time. I was horrible at first but I learned really quickly and eventually defeated our first chair player in district auditions. I had to work really hard and practice a lot to get where I am...
anyway, I read a lot of postings here about how Buffet R13 where the best clarinet out there. So when I went to buy a new horn for college I had my heart set on an R13. I went to a music store in my city and tried two of them. I hated it. I found the tone very bland and the response was off a bit. The guy who was working happened to be a clarinet player. He brought me a Yamaha YCL 64. He said it was a discontinued model and was a good deal. Along with that he brought a Leblanc Sonata and another Buffet- a festival. Out of all the choices I went with the Yamaha YCL 64. I love it. The response was great, very easy to tune. The tone was a major step up from my selmer plastic horn. It just seemed more resonant. That whole thing taught me that you cant go by what people say is the best. You have to figure it out for yourself.
I have one question. . . I play a traditional Vandoren size 4 reed. . .has anyone tried a v12? I am interested in trying one out.
Anyone else play a yamaha?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Kinder
Date: 2002-10-20 02:42
You just can't judge a book by its cover - or judge an entire line of clarinets by 2 individual clarinets. I've always loved Buffet - but everyone has their preferences. "To each his own."
As for the V.12 reeds, I find them more playable than the traditional Vandoren reeds. They are a little bit softer (IMHO) than the trad - so if you use a 4 trad, get 4 1/2 V.12.
You may want to think about getting a new mouthpiece with a slightly wider tip opening. I just moved from a Vandoren M13 to a Vandoren M13 lyre so I can get more life out of a box of reeds. The tip is just perfect on the lyre vs the standard M13
Congrats on getting a good horn! Yamaha's are great horns (but I prefer Buffet!)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jez
Date: 2002-10-20 07:37
Hi Adam
I too prefer Yamaha to Buffet, The old 64 was a fine instrument and I hope I'm not too late to find a good deal on one.
I think they've replaced it with the 650. I don't know what changes they've made, can anyone tell us?
I don't know why the instrument makers have to keep tinkering with their designs. I bet the new 650 will not feel any better than the 64. My favourite Yamaha is the original Custom which was discontinued years ago. The newer models seem to me to be no improvement so I'm having a hard job to find replacements for instruments that have now had a lot of use.
jez
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2002-10-20 08:08
"...I don't know why the instrument makers have to keep tinkering with their designs..."
What??? You didn't prefer the Selmer Mark VII tenor sax to the Selmer Mark VI?
That's ok - no one else did either...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-10-20 12:15
It was tinkering with an older design that produced a better design. Tinkering improved flute embouchure area design so much that all old ones are pretty well obsolete.
A lot of tinkering produces negative results, but we certainly rejoice when we get a good one. (We all expect our vehicles to drip no oil now. :-)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clare
Date: 2002-10-20 15:58
Adam - As everyone says, it's all down to personal preference. But I agree about Yamahas. If you get as much joy out of yours as I have out of my old Yamaha Customs, you'll be a happy bunny. (And, having read the rest of these posts, I'm thankful I'm an amateur and my clarinets don't get as much use as Jez's, so I'm not having to worry about having to replace them!).
Jez - If you're really trying to get one, Howarths are still selling the YCL 64s according to their website, and John Myatt's has a YCL 64 A on special offer (reduced because discontinued) but have otherwise switched to the 650s. As for the improvements, the Yamaha website claims these are "significant", and the subsequent blurb says that they have an Eb lever and similar specifications to the SEV model. Which, I guess, means that those of us who preferred the old Custom to the new types, will probably prefer the 64 to the 650. Hey ho.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: diz
Date: 2002-10-21 02:35
Adam wrote
"I read a lot of postings here about how Buffet R13 where the best clarinet out there"
Since when??
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Aa
Date: 2002-10-22 07:55
I just thought I'd mention great reeds. The guy who was advertising in the classifieds mentioned the Gonzalez F. O. F. reeds, and after buying a box of ten, with 9 of them playing consistently, I have to mention them, or I'll burst. The reed cane my reeds were made from was aged since 1998 (most reed makers don't age their cane or reeds very well), and they played just beautifully. I get this full, rich, respondant sound, and the bottom of the reed is nice and flat as it should be. I found 'em at www.daviecane.com. Anyhow, you have to check it out or go to Clarinet Hell, where there is squawking and gnashing of embouchures.
Also, David Pino recommended in "Clarinet and Clarinet Playing" that for a ligature, a wide, black shoelace works fine, and better than those that are just made. It of course is a cry from the old German method of using string, but it is a good tip. Just cut off one of the plastic ends of the shoestring, start wrapping from that end, then tuck the end with the plastic left on under after you run out of shoestring. That's also yielded good results.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
