 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: CNB4Now
Date: 2003-06-02 23:56
Hello! I'm 17 and have been playing the clarinet for almost 8 years! I started out with playing a Buffet B-12, and last year I bought a Buffet R-13. I'm not planning out buying a new clarinet anytime soon because I just bought one last year.
My question is... Is there a better clarinet? What is the best?
C. N. B.
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Author: Corey
Date: 2003-06-03 00:03
There is no one aboslute best! What you think is the best clarinet may be the clarinet that someone else dislikes. It's an oppinionated question really, some like buffet, some selmer, others leblanc, and yamaha. What you have now should be good unless you are unhappy with it for whatever reason.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-06-03 00:18
The one that permits you to play consistantly in tune with flexibility, nice coloration and response
Next question? ...GBK
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2003-06-03 01:28
C.N.B., IMO, there is always a better clarinet. You may play an R13 belonging to a friend of yours and find that it pleases you more in performance areas that only you can detect.
IMO, GBK and corey are both correct.
First, you have to know exactly what you want and then determine if your clarinet is yielding the kind of sound, response, tuning, etc., that you feel that you need in order to express yourself as you desire.
You may find that there are trade-offs. You may find a more responsive instrument but the sound is not quite what you're looking for. Again, you may find one that has an incredible tone (to your ears), but, is a bit resistive to play or the tuning may be worse than what you already have.
IMO, finding a better clarinet is analogous to finding a better mouthpiece.
My advice is to take a serious look at what you already have and determine what is lacking that makes you even think of looking any further.
As for me...I still like my trusty Vito V40. Why? Because it satisifies my needs.
I hope this helps.
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Author: CNB4Now
Date: 2003-06-03 01:39
Well... the thing is. My B-12 I've had for almost 8 years now. It's being through 4 years of Marching band. And I still like something better about that clarinet then my R-13! Isn't that weird? The reason I asked about a better clarinet... is because I want to have different clarinets... almost like a collection!
C. N. B.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-06-03 02:56
CNB4Now said: ''...is because I want to have different clarinets... almost like a collection!..."
Many of us who play professionally have more than one top line clarinet.
I have 11 R-13's in different keys (Bb, A, Eb, C). All are different in some ways, yet are the same in other ways.
Are any of them "perfect"? Yes -- each was the perfect choice at the time.
That's all that matters...GBK (still looking for #12)
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-06-03 03:45
Well, now, C.N.B. -- for instance... take your average Cadillac....
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2003-06-03 07:01
If I were rich enough to buy any clarinet I like, I would have these ones
(besides my Sellmer 10SII).
A remake of the clarinets made in the era of Mozart or Schuman just like the ones Charles Neidich has. Straight bore and very brilliant tone.
An English bore clarinet like Peter Eaton's('a little' expensive).
A Koktan(spelling?) like the one Leopold Wrach(spelling?) played.
A Wuritzer(expensive).
An Ottomar Hammerschmidt(reasonably priced).
But if I play one of them in a US or Japanese orchestra, my tone would not mix with the rest of the orchestra.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-06-03 12:55
"An adult who wandered into a candy store selected several penny candies he had recalled from his youth. As the clerk put them in bags the adult remarked how much fun he was having buying them and anticipating their enjoyment. The clerk said, "You want to have even more fun, next time come in with just one penny.""
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-06-03 13:36
CNB,
Let me give you a different slant. I have three clarinets. One is a Selmer 9* (plays alomost perfectly in tune, a little old, my most trustworthy clarinet), a LeBlanc Dynamic 2 (a terrific player, the fingers seem to fit better on the keys, but the high register gets very sharp in warm weather and I must use a 68mm barrel), and a Selmer Series 9 with all the extra keys except the low E (a wonderful clarinet except the A 5 is a tad flat and the extra LH Eb/Ab leve gets in the way at times).
So what's the point? I have a total of about $1,000 invested in the whole stable (I made a lot of great buys on eBay in the past 2 years). That's my collection; they are all different and I cherish each one for specific reasons. Maybe that's the way you want to proceed.
HRL
PS I sold off two Master Models this past year. Played one for 20 years but all my currect clarinets play better. This reminds me of a friend's mother that was married and divorced three times. She said "and I loved every one fo them."
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2003-06-03 22:45
The formulae for the best clarinet is:
1.The most expensive one you can afford vs the one you play now.
2. Comparing the ten reasons why your's is no longer to be considered satisfactory.
3. Divided by the time you feel will be necesary to return you to step 1.
Bob A
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-06-03 23:55
god - I remember the days when it was the clarinetist who mattered - not his or her instrument
someone said that here once - can't remember who - but it is totally on target
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Author: CNB4Now
Date: 2003-06-04 00:47
diz...
Like I said it's more like a collection. They will be more for show. I love my R-13, and I'm happy playing that. I will probably buy another clarinet in a few years... and that is why I posted the question. The clarinet isn't to make me look good if that is what your trying to say. I am doing just fine with the clarinets I have now. I have accomplished a lot so far. I just love clarinets, and I would actually like to learn more about the instrument, like history etc. And when I get out of college and so on I would like to collect clarinets. Is that a problem?
C. N. B.
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Author: cyso_clarinetist
Date: 2003-06-04 01:08
For myself.. I feel the R-13 is the best clarinet. Everyone has different preferences but heres how it goes but for the most part there are more buffet players than any other brand of clarinet.
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Author: Benni
Date: 2003-06-04 16:32
"For myself.. I feel the R-13 is the best clarinet. Everyone has different preferences but heres how it goes but for the most part there are more buffet players than any other brand of clarinet."
How did I know this was coming? Now where's the frustrated smiley that's running away screaming . . . ?
-------------------------------------------
Anyway, I'll go ahead and put something constructive here now . . .
It seems that from all the posts so far, among "collectors" there are two trends: collect many different makes/models of clarinet, or collect lots of the same make/model and appreciate the nuances. I guess it's almost like a music collector who prefers collecting as many different tunes as they can vs. one who collects as many different takes of the same tune as they can. Neither is wrong, it's just what you prefer.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-06-04 16:35
Benni wrote:
> "For myself.. I feel the R-13 is the best clarinet. Everyone
> has different preferences but heres how it goes but for the
> most part there are more buffet players than any other brand of
> clarinet."
>
> How did I know this was coming? Now where's the frustrated
> smiley that's running away screaming . . . ?
>
> -------------------------------------------
>
> Anyway, I'll go ahead and put something constructive here now .
> . .
And this wasn't constructive? It's the truth (in professional circles) ...
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-06-04 19:49
What's best? Well, what do you demand of it? Many think the Ferrari to be the best motor vehicle. However, when invading other lands, the US Army's M-1 Abrams Tank seems to do the job quite well, likely far better than a Ferrari.
The instrument I play most is a Vito V-40. Fifty bucks through eBay. I have several much more valuable instruments, but I do not choose to play them in venues where the Vito gets its exercise. If I were a Symphonic player, the Vito would probably go stale in its case, unless playing outdoors became a requirement.
I go now, perhaps to lunch at McDonald's. More people dine there than with any other restaurant company on Earth, you know. Of course, that doesn't make it the best, as many of those are not professional eaters.
Old Russian proverb: "The Best is the enemy of Good Enough."
Regards,
John
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-06-04 20:26
John...I loved your last post. Thanks for making me smile...GBK 
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Author: RM
Date: 2003-06-04 20:31
I agree with Mr. Dow, choose what plays best for you. I think too many people play on Buffet for the wrong reasons. Young players are easily duped into buying Buffets because their teacher tells them too. Or, there are the countless pros and semi pros that preach the "This is a Buffet World" story.
To be honest, I think all this is a load of ####. I have heard people in a section of Buffets that dont blend at all with each other, and then I have heard sections of all sorts of differtent kinds of clarinets blend perfectly well. There is too much of this "you need to play on this blah blah" going around and not enough individual searching being accomplished.
People need to make up their own mind and find an instrument that plays well for them, and stop going with the main stream, you may find some surprising results.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-06-04 20:41
RM wrote:
> I agree with Mr. Dow, choose what plays best for you. I think
> too many people play on Buffet for the wrong reasons. Young
> players are easily duped into buying Buffets because their
> teacher tells them too.
Perhaps the teacher has looked long and hard into this and feels Buffet are best. Should the teacher not encourage the student to buy what they feel is best?
> Or, there are the countless pros and
> semi pros that preach the "This is a Buffet World" story.
> To be honest, I think all this is a load of ####.
So, they're all wrong?
> People need to make up their own mind and find an instrument
> that plays well for them, and stop going with the main stream,
> you may find some surprising results.
So, not buying a Buffet is the right thing for everyone to do?
That's just as much hogwash as saying the opposite. If you truly believe that people should buy what sounds good to them, then you should not be talking against any maker. You're guilty of not following your own advice.
Perhaps the mainstream is right.
Perhaps they're not.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-06-04 21:00
There is no good answer to your question as posed....IMHO.
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Author: CNB4Now
Date: 2003-06-05 17:36
My very first instrument was Buffet. And no one actually told my mom to buy a certain maker. My mom bought whatever was at the store. I have tried playing countless other clarinets. I sort of like how my 2 buffets sound. I recently was playing a Yamaha something or other, and I hated it. I felt almost as if I was a beginner clarinetist all over again. I think I might just stick with Buffet. Because honestly... even when I hold both my clarinets, I feel comfortable. lol, I've held and played other clarinets, and they just don't feel right for me. So... this posses another question... Is there a higher model Buffet than the R-13?
C. N. B.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-06-05 17:51
CNB4Now wrote:
> Is there a higher model
> Buffet than the R-13?
There are more expensive models. But I don't think I'd call them "higher" models.
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