 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sherrietanner
Date: 2004-01-03 19:59
Hello, I'm new to your forum, so please be gentle. I'm from New York, but dads work sent him to London when I was a teen and here we are! I did study the Bb Clarinet both in NYC and here till I graduated from University. This was four years ago and I'm ready to start once again. Where is my old horn? I gave my Selmer to my cousin when she took up lessions last year in the states. I love the sound of Benny Goodman and I really prefer Jazz & Pop to play, although I'm very much a classic music "nut". So, I'm in the market for a great (OK, somewhat great) Clarinet, be it a Buffet or a Selmer or maybe a Howarth? I did love my Selmer, it was my Uncles CT made in the 50's..I think. Question, if cost is not in play, which brand (model) should I begin testing for my kind of music? I would also be quite intrested in learning what you guys play and why? Happy 2004 and thank you, Sherrie
Sherrie
Post Edited (2004-01-03 20:02)
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Author: clarinetmama
Date: 2004-01-03 23:10
There are a number of posts on this board about which instruments we all play. You could look that up by doing a search.
On a practical note, my first question would be how much money do you want to spend? You said money not being an object, I vote for a Rossi.
I own several clarinets....2 Rossis, a bass Buffet, and an Eb Buffet. A Leblanc A. You will see I am not totally brand loyal. Personally I love the Rossis....but they are custom made and cost around $3,700-$3,950.
I have several other clarinets that are more of an historic nature. I have one that is less commonly known that I like and have been very happy with. It is my "outdoor" clarinet. It is wood...SML....or a Mariquax (pardon the lousy French spelling). Bought it on ebay. I have had good there. But others may say to avoid that route.
Whatever you decide I wish you luck. And try a lot of them...I did a blind test with mine. Do you have a friend who can help?
Jean
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Author: Haegar
Date: 2004-01-03 23:33
Perhaps you check clarinets from Peter Eaton (http://www.eatonclarinets.freeserve.co.uk/), he his in the london "area" and I read some posts on other boards that he made really good clarinets.
Furthermore there are some famous very small companies here in Germany making custom clarinets (no not only "german"/oehler-system), if money is really not an issue.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-01-04 00:50
Hard to top the sound and feel of a well-tuned Selmer Centered Tone.
Pacquito D'Rivera plays on one, and he could choose ANY instrument.
These are also relative bargains, secondhand.
Howarth stocks secondhand, as does Pete Eaton's.
I would also recommend <www.saxshop.nl> for a larger search.
******
With the exception of the secondhand gear offered by regulars of this board (for instance John Butler and Dave Spiegelthal - there are others)
anticipate a trip to the repair shop in addition to your purchase price.
If you pay a premium at your LOCAL shop, you may be more satisfied in the long run with their service.
Me? If I could afford the dosh, I would buy a nice B&H 1010 or Imperial.
With a proper mouthpiece, they're gems...
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-01-04 02:05
Synonomous,
I saw Paquito playing a Rossi about four months ago. And he's listed as a Rossi artist on their website. He probably switched.
Sherrie,
As you can see you're going to get a WIDE variety of answers. Any of the big four (Selmer, Leblanc, Yamaha, Buffet) pro models are very good and are played by many. I also like to consider Amati as a strong contendor (especially for the money). Also you have (as mentioned) the custom clarinet makers such as Peter Eaton, Fox, Howarth, Rossi, Patricola, Ripamonti, etc. And (I haven't seen it mentioned yet) people will probably suggest finding a great clarinet of any of the big four mentioned above, then sending it to a very good technician to get it as good as possible (very often the name Brannen comes up here as well as Tom Ridenour, Spiegelthal, Naylor, John Butler, Grabner, Alphin, etc.)
Lots of stuff to think about, isn't it? Well, since you don't have 300 years to try out all these combinations, just find one that appeals to you. Read about the different pro models, each come with slightly different options, weigh how much money you're really willing to spend, and that will still leave you with plenty. Then just go try out various ones that you've "narrowed it down to."
Alexi
PS - Then comes the almighty debate of mouthpieces which can affect a clarinet in a very dramatic way. But let's not get started on that.
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2004-01-04 06:45
I have the Peter Eaton wide bore Elite's and love them, but wide bore clarinets restrict your ability to experiment with different mouthpieces as they have to be matched for intonation purposes. There are wide bore compatible mouthpieces out there eg second hand 1010 and 926 mp's, Peter Eaton and a few more. Given that you might add an A clar in the future (of another brand possibly) narrow bore might be your best bet, for m/p compatibility.
1010's and 926's make a great sound but have been fraught with intonation problems - ironed out by PE's Elites.
(PE makes a lovely NB "the International") ........................RT
I'm not on commission - just a pleased customer !!
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Author: jo.clarinet
Date: 2004-01-04 12:47
I too have a Peter Eaton Elite, which is a delight to play and has a lovely tone - I wouldn't swop it for anything! I also recently bought an Imperial 926 from ebay as my 'back-up' Bb, and I'd highly recommend those too. The A clarinet I got, also through ebay, is a Buffet E13 - it's nice but different. I don't think I've been able to get the very best out of it yet as I haven't got a proper mpc for it!
Good luck in your clarinet search! 
Joanna Brown
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Author: RM
Date: 2004-01-04 19:28
I will also say that Peter Eaton clarinets are incredible instruments. His large bore Elite is great, just like the old 1010s, but with corrected pitch. Eatons small bore International model is unbelievable, in my opinion and some of my colleagues the finest small bore clarinet available. It wipes the floor with any Buffet, pitch is MUCH better, sound, even scale, etc. Check them out, Woodwind Brasswind has them on approval. For those of you who are skeptical about trying a British clarinet, dont be, the Internationals are well within the realm of acceptability, if anything they will help your playing. In the words of the late Jack Brymer, they are "The finest clarinets in the world".
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-01-04 20:16
FYI - The Rossi is also a large bore instrument - for $3500 and some delay.
My point is that a quality instrument like your CT will serve for YEARS at a fraction of the dreamland cost for these!
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-01-04 22:45
Syn Botch,
She gave away and no longer has her CT. (Unfortunately![[frown]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie2.gif) )
And seriously, don't discredit used instruments. It may be tough to find a selection of used instruments to try, but they are a great value and can probably be sold back for almost exactly what you paid for them should you need to in the future. And have someone who's very adept at clarinet help you choose. Especially since you haven't played in a while you may think that a horn is "excellent" while someone who's been around the block a few times will know that it's "good, but you can easily do better".
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-01-04 22:59
I was speaking of Sherrie. Which (perhaps wrongly) I assumed to be female. Bad assumption on my part.
Alexi
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Author: Jimmy
Date: 2004-01-05 01:40
if you are planning on getting a very nice rest of your life clarinet (around $300), then your prefreance will be the deciding factor and not how good the horn is. do you want a bright sound for solo jazz or klezmer (larger bore, stands out more and not as good for lots of blending in quintets and orcestras etc.) or a smaller bore (most used in classical music). I have found that buffets have smaller bore while lablanc tends to have bigger ones. of course german clarinets have the biggest bores but that is a whole diffrent ballgame.
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Author: graham
Date: 2004-01-05 08:41
Hmmmm......... money may be no object but it would be a pity to waste it buying something that is new, excellent, but not for you. 1010s and 926s pop up in and around London on the second hand market frequently at around £1000 - £1200 for a pair. Look at the lists at Howarth's and Myatt's. It could be a wise investment to see what these are like over an extended period of playing (including in groups) before deciding to spend on, say, the Eaton Elite and the Rossi wide bore. I see that Rossi has now launched a 15 mm bore instrument based on the Albert. If money was no object to me I would definitely be trying that, and it would not surprise me if the Selmer you refered to has some similarities to it. But a pair of Rossi's can be as high as £8000 (I believe).
If I were looking (not) I would be trialing the Rossi Albert and French bores, and the wider bore Howarth.
Also try the Hammersmidsts in the second hand list at Howarth's. I don't know why they have more than one pair of these obscure instruments in at the moment, but they were probably the model played by the great Bernard Walton, and if so, that's quite a recommendation.
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Author: sherrietanner
Date: 2004-01-06 21:28
Hello, She? Yep, just took a good look in the mirror! Thank you all for your help....gee, almost too much. I'm going to start with the local shops and try out the Howarth and Peter Eaton. Then on to the Selmer Paris Signature (looks real nice) and maybe the Bufffet. It seems that everyone owns a Buffet, I choose to be the "antibuffet"! Not that I don't recognize that it's the leading Clarinet out there in musicland, I just don't like showing up at the dance wearing a smart red dress, that 90% of the other woman have on. Oh, and I didn't exactly give my cousin the horn, I made a short term loan. I'm no fool, I want that CT back when the kid gets out of High School. When I say that cost is not in play, let's face it most professions and hobbyists spend a small fortune on their "stuff". I use public transportation (saves a lot of money) and while searching for a job [in my field], I'm a model and it pays very well. Just can't do it for the rest of my life. Now back to the subject, the Clarinet, I want a brand new one, cause I played on my Uncles for over eight years. I starting reading posts written here since 1999 and I must say that this is quite an intellectual bunch of musicians. I'm really amazed at all of the material, most of which is very helpful. You guys are the best. Sherrie
Sherrie
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-01-06 21:38
Quote:
When I say that cost is not in play, let's face it most professions and hobbyists spend a small fortune on their "stuff". So true. Sometimes I feel we don't have a right to gripe about our costs for this same reason.
I do have a right though because I'm a college student with no help from mommy or daddy and I'm not a music performance major so I can't splurge quite yet until I get in my non-clarinet related field.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: sherrietanner
Date: 2004-01-07 01:17
Alexi, When I was in school, I'm talking jr. high - university, I was lucky that my Uncle played the Clarinet and had so many of them ( Selmer CT's) that he was able to spare one for me. My parents called the horn a "hand me up"! Now that I have some money I want to purchase one on my own...maybe two. Do you think the Buffet crowd will put a hit out on me? Happy 2004, Sherrie
Sherrie
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-01-07 02:29
If they do decide to go after you, I'll surely be next.
Unfortunately on my end I'm the only musician in both sides of the family. Except for one third cousin down in florida who plays keyboard and sax. So no second hand freebies for me. I'm sure that some time in the future I'll end up with a "professional" model (quotations because there really isn't any definition for a pro model, except that someone who is a pro somewhere uses it). But it's not gonna be anytime soon.
Good luck on your search and do let us know what was decided at the end of it all.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Rev. Avery
Date: 2004-01-07 20:54
Hanson in England is making some very good clarinets. It might be worth checking into them.
http://www.hanson-music.co.uk/
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-01-07 21:48
Sherrie -
The first thing you listen to in a new horn -- more important than everything else combined -- is intonation. An out of tune instrument is worthless, no matter how good it is otherwise. Surprisingly, even the best and highest priced clarinets vary greatly from one example to the next.
Here is a good thread on how to go about it.
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=41632&t=41584
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: sherrietanner
Date: 2004-01-08 07:15
Hello Mr. Shaw, Thank you for leading me to that "intonation" thread, very informative. Since I've been doing quite a bit of reading of past posts, your name always comes up with solid advice. I plan to start my hunt next week and I'm getting some "elder" help. My mother has a friend who...has a friend, that not only plays the horn, but teaches as well. I did a little backround check with my old instructor [not clarinet] who found out that she knows her stuff. We met and not only is she going to help me choose the instrument , I plan to start lessons again.... with her. I loved my Selmer CT and the "Goodman" style, I hope to find a new clarinet with at least some of the best of the CT and newer inovations. I've read here and on other sites that it's hard to find a Buffet in tune, but it's loved with a passion. I still have a thing about the Selmer Paris and really hope the Signature and I get along. My luck, my "new" friend will be pro-Buffet, let's see. Once again thank you so much.
Sherrie
Post Edited (2004-01-08 07:17)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-01-08 07:41
The chances of your new friend being pro-buffet are fairly high. There seem to be a lot out there. The instructor at my college is EXTREMELY pro-buffet. To the point where he accepted the fact that I was willing to test out selmers and yamahas, all the while telling me, "Selmer is great. They are very close to buffet." And "Yamaha's are very good too. You know where they got their model from? Buffet." Etc. etc. Which I find odd since his primary teacher (anthony gigliotti) helped develop the selmer 10G.
Don't be fooled by brand name or "level" of instrument. One selmer signature may not play as nice as a selmer 10SII. And perhaps there is a selmer recital that blows them both away. It's frustrating to try many clarinets, but by all means TAKE YOUR TIME! The extra month(s) you take in narrowing down and choosing will be worth it in the long run.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: sherrietanner
Date: 2004-01-08 17:57
Hi Alexi, I just had a telephone chat with my "clarinet elder", guess what? She owns Buffets and Selmers and Eatons! I've yet to visit her place, somewhere in Chelsea I think. There is one catch, she is a classical player and thinker, and me...Jazz. So, here goes a new question, will she still be able to help me choose and also teach? The woman is in her early sixties and was trained in europe. I know that good ongoing lessions are important, but if I want to play Benny and she likes Wolfgang... I'm going to see if she'll let me checkout her personal instruments, is that a no no? Oh, who is this "doctor" that is mentioned on the forum? Time to go out for supper. Take care..
Sherrie
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-01-08 18:29
Sherrie,
I couldn't tell you about the differences between teaching/learning jazz except that I happen to be fortunate in finding a teacher that actively participates in both genres, as well as is an excellent sax player (which I also want to learn).
As far as letting you use their horn, some teachers will, and some teachers won't. The instructor I was working with in college wouldn't. They were too much in value and he didn't trust many people with it. He was of a "better safe than sorry" mentality (which I can't blame him playing Chadash modified set of Buffet R13 Prestiges). I'd be a little leary of letting people try that too.
So don't be "offended" if she doesn't let you play them or offer to let you play them. She may, she may not, but it's nothing against you personally.
Alexi
PS - If you're ever in the area of Northern Jersey send me an email. I promise to let you try mine (if that's any consolation!)
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2004-01-08 19:17)
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