 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ron Jr.
Date: 2004-09-07 15:02
I know this has been discussed to death but what is the current opinion on the Buffet R-13 greenlines?
Ron Jr.
Post Edited (2006-03-06 17:56)
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2004-09-07 15:07
I have owned one greenline R-13 that I purchased from Lisa Argiris at International Musical Suppliers a couple of years ago and it was a really great instrument. I sold it and have regretted the sale ever since! It had a wonderful tone and very smooth scale.
As with anything, there are good ones and there are poor ones. Perhaps when you tried those at WWandBW you just didn't come across a good one. I think they have improved since they first came out.
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Author: William
Date: 2004-09-07 15:27
BS--Ditto (almost). A few years ago, I auditioned some Greenlines (at IMS, Lisa'a little store in DesPlaines, IL) vs new RCs, and loved every one of them. Unfortuately, I did not buy one and have (likewise) regretted it ever since. They are certainly worth a try--and my advice to Ron, jr., is, if you do find a "good" one (one that plays well for You), consider strongly the optition of immediate purchase (and avoid that "regret" syndrome).
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-09-07 17:03
I recently bought a Greenline R13 as a backup for environmentally challenging gigs (outdoor concerts, poorly climate-controlled halls, dance band). Here is the frustrating thing -- it is every bit as good, if not better, than my daily driver R13 woody as I've discovered. I'm still having a little difficulty getting over the emotional hump of playing it for sensitive legit work, but there is no rational reason for it. It is an exceptional instrument.
Highly recommended.
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2004-09-07 17:28
I have been playing a RC prestige greenline for about 10 years now.
I was never told it sounded different than wooden ones. And although I am not a great player, I often get complimented on my tone and the different colors I get out of my intrument. I think we have already established on this BBoard that it's not the material of the clarinet that produces the sound, it's the air you put through it. The SHAPE of the bore is much more important than its material.
My motto has always been if you don't like it don't buy it. It might feel different to your hands as it is a bit heavier and smoother, but I don't believe one can HEAR the difference in a blind test.
-S
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-09-07 17:42
Since the Buffet Greenline is not sold in the quantities as the traditional R-13, chances are high that dealers with a large stock of Greenlines will possibly have more exceptional instruments remaining and which have not already been picked over by potential buyers of pro level horns ...GBK
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Author: sdr
Date: 2004-09-07 19:02
I have had a Greenline R13 since January '04 and love it. I play-tested 8 different horns - 2 GL's and 6 wood R13's to find my "keeper." I found one wooden and one GL that both sounded great, but the upkeep and vulnerability to cracks, humidity, heat, etc of the wood was more than I care to deal with.
Any of you who are longtime flyfishers will recognize the chronic Greenline discussion as a replay of the discussions of whether to switch from cane flyrods to graphite. Although there are emotional/aesthetic reasons to have a fondness for traditional materials, well-crafted rods made of modern materials consistently out-perform the traditional rods. The same is true for Greenline clarinets -- take your good GL's and your good wooden clarinets and they will sound equally good but the GL's are impervious to climate and humidity, and will never "blow out."
-sdr
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2004-09-07 19:49
The greatest advantage to the greenline is the toughness of the instrument, especially when playing in various temperatures and out of doors. That's why most people want them in the first place. Also, you don't have to worry about future potential to cracks, etc. that you have with wood.
I found it advantageous to use a wooden mouthpiece (Greg Smith) with mine. It made a huge difference in the tone of the instrument.
As mentioned, there are volumes of discussions on this board in the past concerning tone, wood vs. plastic, etc. There are also volumes upon volumes of discussions of mouthpieces and the nuances of sound quality from them. A great mouthpiece and a great player can make almost any clarinet sound good.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2004-09-07 20:58
Most of what I've heard regarding the Greenlines has been favorable and the one Greenline I got to play (briefly) I liked. One negative I have heard is that the tenons are prone to breaking. This may have just been a problem with some of the early Greenlines and maybe has been corrected. But if I were in the market for one I'd look into it.
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2004-09-07 23:30
I have tried some great great great greenline horns. I'm starting to really wonder if the type of body really makes a difference.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2004-09-08 05:17
I know this instrument's acoustics teacher. She has a PHD and is probably one of the top persons in this field. She has done her own research on many subjects and found many new ideas. She specializes in the shape and material of instruments as well. I was taking her class last year but had to leave in the middle. Next time I see her I will ask her about it, I'm sure she knows this.
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2004-09-08 06:31
I tried three of the first greenline RC's just when they come out, they just didn't work for me... I found them sounding very cold, not sweet warm like a wooden RC. But it could be that the instrument has been improved.
But I know more person's that switched back to wood when they where going to the conservatory, because the instrument didn't have enough resonance....
Maybe if we all switch, the difference would be gone, bye bye cracks
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-09-08 16:07
Tenon breakage was an early and long-since fixed problem. Not a concern if you are buying a new one.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-09-08 17:07
Since the Greenline is lacking a grain,
its good qualities we must explain....
Yes, it's still made from wood
with a sound that is good,
but no cracking to drive you insane.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-09-08 17:20
The sound is so warm and elastic.
The carrying power? Fantastic.
Give one a blow,
And then you will know.
It's not bad for a horn made of plastic ...GBK
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Author: Henry
Date: 2004-09-08 17:55
It IS a Buffet after all!
And not one you buy at the mall.
The Mafia would not allow that;
It would cheapen the image it aims at.
Who knows: I may get one this Fall.
Henry
P.S. Unlikely! Some of you may have been wondering why I have been so quiet, limerick- and otherwise. Well, I haven't been exactly in the right mood. I've been diagnosed with lung cancer and, within the next two weeks I'll be going in for surgery at Sloan-Kettering. I may lose my whole left lung. I hope and pray that, when I get through this, I'll still be able to play my beloved clarinet and alto sax.
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2004-09-08 17:59
Bets wishes to you Henry.
I hope you will recover fast.
-Sylvain
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-09-08 17:59
Henry,
If I may be serious for once in my life..........best of luck to you and may you come through your illness in good shape and blowing up a storm on your horns!
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-09-08 19:08
Brenda,
Thanks, but David a poet, no........
While you've been gone from the BB you've missed some extended threads in which many of us posted in limerick form --- it's one of our latest anti-boredom tricks. Feel free to join in --- no limerick is too awful to post here (so we say...)
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2004-09-08 20:42
Best wishes Henry...
I will light a candle for good luck and hope to here you play the clarinet again!
Best regards,
Eddy
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