 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: woodwind650
Date: 2004-07-15 17:29
just bought a bell from Morrie Backun. i now have a cocobolo barrel and bell and what a huge difference they make!!!!! everyone should really check these out if you haven't already.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-07-15 18:32
What kind of difference do they make? Visual? (no doubt.....) Playing-wise? (in what ways? Tone? Intonation? Response?)
So many questions, so little time.......
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2004-07-15 19:13
What kind of clarinet did you put it on?
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2004-07-16 07:30
Aren't these bell's like five hundred dollars? That just sounds like way to much.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-07-16 13:22
These are nicely made, for certain.
The attribution of magical powers to these parallels the sale of precious gems to cover the end of a flute - placebo effects may be powerful!
I would sooner spend this sort of money on a properly tuned Couesnon.
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2004-07-16 15:26
There is a article about Backun and their products in current "The Clarinet".
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-07-16 17:00
Compared to what a string player (or, actually, just about every other instrumentalist in an orchestra) pays for their instrument, $500 is pocket change, and would readily be spent for even a minor improvement. We're a bit spoiled in that a "very nice" instrument for us costs about $2000, around the price of, for example, a "student model" bassoon. Though I guess the quantity of clarinets we need to buy makes up for that.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: woodwind650
Date: 2004-07-16 17:26
The barrel and bell that i own are for my Bb horn, which is a Buffet Festival. Of course, things like overall pitch and tone has improved but the bell does do quite a bit for the performer. Pitch and tone feels much more at ease with all the notes in the lower joint. The obvious are the bottom E/B and F/C, but the notes in the lower joint feel much more open. The bell also enhances your "break" by gliding right over with ease, whether in arppegiation or linear passages.
I was able to play these bells from two different friends of mine before I made my decision. I would agree with Alex. Although $500 does sound like a chunk of change in the clarinet world, others spend way more [ie. a gold plated bocal for bassoonists]. The string and double reed world would have no pity for us. I think it's a great investment. Just check it out.........
"but you don't have to take my word for it" -Levar Burton, Reading Rainbow
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Author: Henry
Date: 2004-07-16 19:20
The Backun Bell is hard to sell
to those who play extremely well.
But others, for whom that's not the case,
engage in this perpetual chase.
It's known as GAS*, or financial hell!
Henry
*Gear Accumulation Syndrome
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-07-16 20:07
With price tags that will make you swoon,
New barrels and bells by Backun.
They claim to fix tuning,
With no cutting or pruning.
The cost? Like 3 weeks in Cancun
I'm not rich like an oil tycoon,
And I hate to be so picayune.
But when friends spend their loot,
It's so hard to refute,
The claims made by Morrie Backun ...GBK
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-07-16 20:23
When a grandiose offer is floated,
the appeal cannot be denied,
but unless by a lottery - bloated
such lucre shall ne'er be mine...
To misquote the greatest peddlers of vaporware (high end audio makers),
"With the cutting edge gear, you're paying for the price."
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Author: woodwind650
Date: 2004-07-17 00:43
there are many players who use these bells that also play extremely well. take a look at the website and you'll see testimonials from luminaries such as Bill Jackson, Russ Dagon, David Shifrin, and Ricardo Morales; just to name a few.
i personally am not an equiment freak. i've used the same set-up for many years and have just recently modified what i'm using.
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Author: Henry
Date: 2004-07-17 02:34
Woodwind, we are just joking! But you make a good point. In fact, only those who already "play extremely well" may notice any difference whatsoever between any old bell and a Backun bell.
Henry
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Author: Keil
Date: 2004-07-17 02:42
I'm ready to jump on the backun bandwagon just as soon as a try a few. My question is, with the myriad selection how in the world does one narrow it down without visiting them and going through the whole lot? Does one generally get a barrel to match the bell or vice-a-versa? Personally i'm looking forward to their custom made clarinets? Maybe theirs is the future. One day you won't be able to get a job unless Backun is the name over which you swoon.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-07-17 12:58
With Selmer and the firm Buffet
brought experience I would say
the bell and barrel are part
of an idea from the start
What was then an R- Thirteen
becomes something in between
if you change your bell
then who out there can tell?
Please let Sense must be your guide
But behind the bell you cannot hide!
You play the way you play
That is what I mean to say
With respect to those who choose
To spend your cash to use...
A gadget one can't refuse
David Dow
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-07-17 16:27
If you don't visit the shop personally, this is what they do (or at least what they're doing for me, don't quote me on store policy)... They take down all the specific information about your clarinet... dimensions, mouthpiece, how it plays, what kind of sound you want, etc. They then send you one to try out. You have up to a month to try it. If you like it, keep it. If not, you mail it back, and say what you'd like different, and they'll send another to see if it fits you better. You can keep sending them back (pay for shipping) until you get one you like.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Ed
Date: 2004-07-17 18:41
Be sure when returning them you pay for tracking and insurance. A couple of years back, I tried some and returned them because they didn't work for me. For whatever reason, Backun's shop had no record of the return, whether it was their error or the mail. So, I ended up paying for a lovely pair of barrels. As they say, penny wise and pound foolish.
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2004-07-19 04:40
There maybe a billion things wrong with my clarinets that I assume are myself but either way I don''t fix them with buying new gear. Perhaps these bells can bring benifits but I can bring the improvement from myself as I am sure many others can to.
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Author: Todd W.
Date: 2004-07-19 21:11
I read this board most ev'ry day
And one thing for certain I'll say:
Let just one poster rhyme
And it's riposte-ing time,
With a limerick signed, GBK.
swoon/Cancun/tycoon/picayune -- Bravo!
Todd W.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-07-19 23:45
Todd W:
You don't have to be Daniel Boone,
To scout out some rhymes for Backun.
I take pencil or pen,
Snack on rock cornish hen,
And write by the light of the moon ...GBK
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Author: Henry
Date: 2004-07-20 00:04
Backun is pronounced like raccoon?
Where have I lived: on the moon?
I wish I had known that before.
The fact I didn't know I deplore.
I totally feel out of tune!
Henry
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2004-07-20 00:18
With all the rhyming with Backun
How did everyone miss Bassoon?
It must be that good 'ol Morrie.....
Oh well, I guess that's another story....
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-07-20 14:40
....who could not hold a tune in a bucket!
But one day, a typhoon! blew in bells from Backun,
and his old bell? well he had to chuck it!
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Author: Henry
Date: 2004-07-20 16:45
Morrie must now feel amused,
in stitches, tears, or much abused!
Yet, free ads are always welcome,
since they make you actually sell some.
But if you end this thread, you're excused!
Henry
Post Edited (2004-07-20 17:57)
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Author: Igloo Bob
Date: 2004-07-22 09:39
I attempted to write this question in poetry, but failed. Anyway, how much did each cost you seperately (the barrel and bell), for Woodwind650 or anyone else, since no prices are listed and indeed, it seems to be priced on a case by case basis. Still, it would be nice to get a ballpark range. I'm assuming the bell for Bass will probably run a bit more expensive than for Soprano.
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Author: woodwind650
Date: 2004-07-22 16:33
igloo bob:
the bells run about $700 Canadian, so depending on the exchange rate, they're a little over $600 American. The barrels are a little over $200 American.
I spoke to Morrie about the bass bells, but i don't remember him saying how much they were going to cost. I would think they'd be in the range of $1000 Canadian, but don't quote me on that one. it's just an educated guess.
I'm soooooooo glad i started this post. It's brought out the most sensitive poetry from some fine clarinetists : )
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Author: Todd W.
Date: 2004-07-22 20:14
woodwind650 -- ". . . sensitive poetry . . .", yes, but also some good info about the Backun products. Of course, you provided most of that. Thank you, really.
And now:
Would-be bards on this board abound.
And we seek that Shakespearean "sound."
But our meter and rhyme
Are oft less than sublime.
Could a "Baermann" for poets be found?
Sorry. Todd W.
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