 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2002-11-05 01:45
Georgia it would help to know what research you have done on your own. For example, if you use the "Search" option and type in "New Clarinet", you will find 633 entries which may not all apply to what you want, but it will start you toward asking informed questions rather than a blanket request for recommendations. All of us have recommendtions usually tied to our wallets. Please help us help you.
Bob A
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Author: Fred
Date: 2002-11-05 02:06
Georgia, there are phenomenal players playing each of the four "standard" major brands - Buffet, Leblanc, Selmer, and Yamaha. You can be guided by the "feels right / sounds right" method and buy the one you like best; or, you can take the path of least resistance and buy what most players end up getting - a Buffet R13 or Festival.
It's hard to type while I'm ducking for cover, but let me explain that just a bit. Buffets are widely accepted. You may not think that's fair, but it's still true. If you buy one (and I mean a good one carefully selected by someone that knows what to look for), there's hardly a clarinet teacher or conductor in the U.S. that will challenge the instrument you play on. If you buy one of the others, you may need to prove to others that it is "just as good as a Buffet" (or that you're as good as the Buffet player). Didn't say it was fair . . . it isn't. But I do believe there is a bias to overcome with other brands. I believe that wall is beginning to crumble, but it's still there.
That being said, may I ask you a question? What are your intentions with regard to clarinet? If you are playing for your own enjoyment and don't intend to major in clarinet, then you could easily get whatever you like the best. If you are going to compete for performance positions or study with teachers that have strong biases, you might want to consider going with the Buffet flow until you are well enough established that people know you and could care less about what you are playing on.
This is either a pragmatic (polite word) or cowardly (rude word) way of making a decision. I expect that I'll be accused of both. Incidently, you may find that the Buffet satisfies your requirements better than any clarinet on the market. It didn't get to be #1 by being a lousy clarinet. The Buffet tone can be truly remarkable.
I play an R13. If I were buying tomorrow, I'd go out to see if Yamaha or Leblanc could change my mind. I do not play seriously enough for it to matter, so I'd get whatever "felt right / sounded right".
Good luck with your decision.
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Author: d
Date: 2002-11-05 05:56
If you want something darker sounding, try the Peter Eaton clarinets, I just bought a pair. They beat any other make of clarinet out there, better sound, intonation, projection, even range, etc. Most people in the states are reluctant to try a British clarinet, but i tell you the International model is well worth it.
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Author: Stéphane
Date: 2002-11-05 12:33
In the darker, mellower sound category, you might want to try a Selmer too. And don't forget that you can get that darker sound with the m/p-ligature combination.
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Author: Amanda Rupp
Date: 2002-11-05 12:55
My clarinet professor is a Selmer artist and our newest graduate student just switched over from Buffet to Selmer. His clarinets have gorgeous tone and are incredibly sweet. But, at the same time, almost the entire rest of the clarinet studio plays Buffet (as do I). I'm using the standard R13, although we've got one girl with a new set of Greenlines that are surprisingly dark and never will crack. We've also got one other grad student on Prestige, but those'll really break the bank.
A personal note, when I was shopping, R13s were not only the best sounding for me, but they were also the most reasonable for professional clarinets. Selmers, Yamahas, and especially LeBlancs (Opus) can get remarkable higher than Buffets.
To each is own though. I can't make a suggestion. Many of the world's top players have switched from brand to brand at some point in their careers for various reasons. Try everything, pick out what feels and sounds best to you. Get advice from a teacher (band director or private) and make sure you have other clarinet players listen to you try the horns. That always helps.
Good Clarineting.
A.
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Author: SteveT
Date: 2002-11-05 15:08
Having recently been through the process of buying a new Bb, I read most of the posts on this board about buying a new clarinet. Unfortunately, there is no unanimity of agreement that one particular brand or model is "THE" clarinet to buy. If I had to summarize my review of the posts on this board, for what is it worth (which may not be much), the summary would be as follows:
1. Since a majority of the U.S. players seem to play Buffet, Buffet gets the majority of the attention in recommendations for a new clarinet to buy on this board. The Festival seems to be the "hot" model now, but some still prefer the R-13, which is less expensive than the Festival. The RC is used more commonly in Europe than in the U.S. The Prestiges seem to get fewer recommendations than the other models, in part because they are so much more expensive than the R-13s or the Festivals.
2. After Buffet, Leblanc seems to get more recommendations than any other brand. The models mentioned most are the Opus (more expensive) and the Concerto (less expensive).
3. In terms of mentions on this board, Selmer seems to be third behind Buffet and Leblanc. The Selmer Signature has been mentioned favorably on several occasions, and it is designed to have a "darker" sound.
4. In terms of the posts on this board, Yamahas seem to recieve less attention than Buffets, Leblancs and Selmers, although some people think very highly of the Yamaha clarinets.
5. If you have the money and are not afraid to try something other than the four major brands, the Rossi clarinets are very highly regarded; I didn't see anything negative about them on this board.
In my searh for a new horn, I tried Buffet R-13 Prestiges and Festivals, Leblanc Opuses, and Selmer Signatures. The Selmer was a great horn, but, in order to play it, I felt that I would have had to change my mouthpiece and reed set up, which is something that I preferred to do; the sound was also a little dark for my taste. (If you do try out the Signature, be sure to try the Selmer mouthpiece that comes with it; using this Selmer mouthpiece makes the horn considerably less resistant.) I have also heard that the new Selmer Odyssee (which is less expensive than the Signature) is a fine instrument, but I did not try any of those. The Leblanc Opus is a fine instrument, and I felt it was comparable to the Buffets. Having played an R-13 for thirty years, I ended up going with a Buffet Festival that I bought from Tom Ridenour at Brook Mays, who did some cutomization on it.
I hope this was of help to you, and my main advice is to try as many instruments as you can. We are lucky to have so many good clarinets to choose from.
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Author: james
Date: 2002-11-05 17:28
This question always comes up and you will probably get a billion different brand names thrown at you but seriously... I saw go for the Buffet R-13. When you find a truely good one, there is nothing like it. I made "the switch" to leblanc and switched back to buffet. It seems like alot of people jump around on alot of different brands but more than just some of them seem to come back to buffet.
I will be the first to admit though, buffet clarinets have some annoying problems, such as the throat notes can be flat, High F can be flat.. But these are things that you can deal with. I would rather deal with this than 20 cent sharp throat notes and having to deal with out any flexability. As someone else has pointed out, the R-13 is probably the cheapest out of the professional line. Get a buffet! I should caution you, go through a huge quantity of them becuase its is very easy to get a not so good r13... good luck!
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-11-08 03:01
Georgia - your clarinet teacher (assuming he/she is a professional clarinetist solely and not a flutist who plays clarinet, for example) is a good place to start when thinking of purchase your first pro-model.
Try them all out with him/her there ... good luck, sounds very exciting. I remember when I got my first pro-clarinet it was like I'd won lotto (Aussie for lottery)
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Author: jayna
Date: 2003-01-22 16:57
Both Selmer and Buffet have been collecting dust since we found Peter Eaton.
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