 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Henry_W
Date: 2004-04-11 08:11
I have seen an ad for an Amati Bass to Eb, as new, for 2000 Euro. This is considerably below the new price, but I have read mixed reviews of Amati instruments.
I will be buying it for my youth band, so it does not need to be a professional-standard instrument, but should not present any major problems for young players.
Can anyone tell me if this seems to be a good deal? If I decide to go for it, it will be a 5-hour drive (from Luxembourg to Neuchatel, Switzerland) to fetch it, so I need to have some idea whether the journey is worth it before I travel!
Thanks for any help.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2004-04-11 14:39
Although I have never played an Amati bass, I have played Amati Bb Clarinets and found them to be excellent. I do own an Amati ACL-602II.
However, great differences are reported among instruments built at various times. Almost everyone concurs that Amati Clarinets made under the old government in Czechoslovakia are generally poorly made. After the privatization of the company, their instruments enjoyed a continuing improvement, and Amati Clarinets made today are deemed by most to be excellent (there are those who disagree -- search Amati in the Bulletin Board archives for other opinions).
Without any other reference point, I would suggest that an instrument marked "Made in Czech Republic" is of recent manufacture and thus most likely to be of good quality. Later ones marked "Made in Czechoslovakia" may also be good but without other knowledge should be examined and tested most carefully before purchase.
Regards,
John
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-04-12 14:11
As I recall, the 600-series Amatis are the new (good) ones, the older 300-series are probably to be avoided. As suggested by Bob A, best to contact Graham Golden (our friendly "local" US distributor) for more info, he's at:
http://www.grahams-music.com/
If you're interested in a review of the current low-C Amati bass, I wrote one about six months (or less) ago, it should be on the BB archives.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2004-04-13 04:55
Currently, Amati uses 300-series numbers for "intermediate" instruments and the 600-series for "professional" Clarinets. The only two bass Clarinet models now available are both 600-series.
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Author: ChrisC
Date: 2004-04-13 13:39
fwiw, I had a hideous experience with a presumably recent Amati low Eb bass acquired through wwbw. I'm willing to believe the praise currently being directed at Amati on this board, but it doesn't line up with my own experiences.
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Author: Henry_W
Date: 2004-04-13 13:54
Please, do elaborate, ChrisC. What specific problems did you have?
It is important for me to get as broad a picture as I can before I commit myself (although I will of course test it before I hand any money over).
And what is wwbw?
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Author: ChrisC
Date: 2004-04-13 18:05
wwbw--Woodwind and Brasswind, a large and reputable dealer in musical instruments, with a website at wwbw.com. My principle problems with the Amati bass included extremely flimsy keywork and an inability to project; ie, to play loudly enough to be heard within a moderate-sized ensemble. The latter problem may have been solveable through experimenation in mouthpiece and reed combination; however, my general experience was so miserable that I just gave up.
By all means, please play test one and post your thoughts; it could be that I got a "bad one" or one that had suffered some irreparable mishap in shipment.
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2004-04-15 03:50
As David recommends, anyone interested should call Graham Golden. I've enjoyed talking to him, and appreciate his discussion of what he does to the Amatis to get them to project better. His price, I guess, is a few hundred bucks more than WWBW, and just from talking with him and from his reputation, it would be worth it to me. Of course, I am not yet a confident bass player, and have not yet played an Amati.
ChrisC, I appreciate your report. What kind of bass do you normally play, and what is your mouthpiece?
Wayne Thompson
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