 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: stellaroja
Date: 2004-08-16 05:28
I am a 14 year old who has been playing for five years. I have a Bufett E11 and have had it since fourth grade. Im starting to think, and my private teacher agrees, that it might be a good time to upgrade. Although the Bufett R13 is an obvious choice I was thinking that branching out might be a good idea. After some research the LeBlanc 1191S Opus II Professional Clarinet. I was hoping that maybe somebody that has played on both clarinets could tell me which one they like better, or the differences between the two.
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-08-16 05:44
... your question is totally subjective so you're only going to get someone else's opinion (whether it's the truth or not is kind of irrelevant) ... believe me, no two people on this BB agree on any one thing for more than a microsecond.
If your teacher agrees you need a new instrument, take him/her with you and go test drive a few until you find one you feel comfortable with.
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Author: SGTClarinet_7
Date: 2004-08-16 11:01
I agree with Diz. I've played on both, and I prefer Buffet. Just my opinion though. Have somebody knowledgeable with you to listen to you play both and have them help you decide. Also, do the same with mouthpieces.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2004-08-16 11:10
What you need to understand is that if you go buy a clarinet (name your brand) off the shelf, it may be truly great, it may be awful, or it may be somewhere in between. They usually all sell for the same price. Which do you want?
Ask your teacher to help you evaluate individual instruments rather than just brands.
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Author: William
Date: 2004-08-16 15:28
I play both Buffet R13s and LeBlanc Concertos and there are things I like about each. The Concertos have an abolute "seamless" scale from bottom to top with little "break" between B4 & C5 or C6 to C#6. Pianissimo transitions between these notes are quite easily performed. On the R13s, a little more breath control is necessary between the registers. Tuning is much easier on the Concertos in the higher registers than on the R13s and the Concerto A is particularily better in tune in the C6 to G6 range than the R13 A and, IMHO, is the superior A instrument. R13s can be played in tune but it just (again) takes more breath/embouchure control--expecially on my Buffet A. As for sound, when I am playing my Buffets, they seem to have more "presence" and projection capabilities. But when I compare recordings of each, both my Buffets and Concertos seem equal in terms of musical expression and projection with only a slight difference in the basic respective sounds--Buffet being brighter or more "french" and the LeBlanc being somewhat more mellow and dark (or, as my daughter says, "woodier").
Since the Concerto and Opus models are accoustical twins, they both sound and play the same. The big difference with the Opus II is some newer key design features which may or may not be "better" and the extra Eb/Ab lever which I highly recommend for younger clarinetists to have and learn to use. If you choose a Buffet, you should consider a "Prestige" model because they have the extra Eb/Ab lever. None of my soprano clarinets have that extra key, but my new Buffet Prestige low C bass does, and I really like it--and if I were rich enough, I would "upgrade" all of my clarinets to include that extra feature as well.
Bottom line for me is that I like both the Buffet and the LeBlanc sounds, but choose to play Concertos for my serious concert performances because they are easier to control in terms of intonation and register changes (important in legato passages) and maintain tonal focus from pp to FF levels. But, regarless of wheither I am playing Buffet or LeBlanc, everyone always compliments me on my "sound", so I usually choose--at my old age--to take the easier path and play LeBlanc.
I recommend, audition as many clarinets as you can and pick the model that plays best for you. Get the extra Eb/Ab lever if you can afford it. Good luck.
FYI, I play in a "pretty good" regional professional symphony orchestra (paying gig) as well as many wind ensembles, concert bands, theater shows and jazz groups (saxes and flute).
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-08-16 15:42
diz, afraid I can't agree that we disagree here....
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-08-17 15:51
Your considering an expensive purchase that may offer only marginal gains.
The E11 is a good, stable design with few intonation problems.
Were I to consider a Buffet, I would recommend the RC most highly.
The Concerto is a lovely instrument, at hundreds of dollars LESS than the Opus (which offers a fancy inlaid placque and alternate Eb key).
If you like the LeBlanc sound, consider the Ridenour TR147, as tweaked by the designer. These are in hard rubber and WON'T CRACK.
They're also a good deal less money.
While we're mentioning options, take a long look at second hand horns.
If they tune well, feel nice in your hands, and have a good sound - why not?
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Author: John_May
Date: 2004-08-17 16:16
How lucky you were to start out on an E11... at any rate, I agree with the stated reccommendation of the RC due wholly to personal bias
However, the only way to really be certain is to try a few horns to see which you prefer. As for the left hand Eb lever, I'm of two minds about it. I have one on my clarinet, and use it all the time; it's extraordinarily convenient. Unfortunately, I'm addicted to it. This means that I have issues playing on Clarinets that don't have one, because I always go to hit the key and miss, with invariably disastrous results. So in the one sense, it's very helpful, but in the long run, you might find that it limits what Clarinets you're able to easily play... I've never pursued the possibility of an Eb lever custom-added to a horn, but I'm sure it's most likely not such a good idea
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-08-17 17:43
"These are in hard rubber and WON'T CRACK." I suppose you have a definition of crack with which I'm not familiar. I doubt that TR would endorse that as a guarantee. I do hope that eventually the fiction that plastic will not crack gets annihilated on this BB. Unlike wood, when plastic cracks it's usually a complete brittle fracture break. If you truly believe that plastic won't crack then you are probably one who believes that lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place. Good luck.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-08-17 18:36
BobD,
Not to defend any marketing claims --- but I believe what's meant is that hard rubber or plastic won't crack due to ENVIRONMENTAL changes (temperature and especially humidity) as will wood --- this much is true. Now, if dropped, or smashed, or dipped in liquid nitrogen then hit with a hammer........plastic or hard rubber certainly will fracture.
Hope this helps.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-08-17 22:31
Thanks Dave, but "no", it doesn't help my attytude about claims that plastic doesn't crack. "What's meant" isn't usually what most readers interpret IMHO. "doesn't crack" is polite denial of a fact. "The king isn't naked, he just doesn't have any clothes on."
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