 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jeffreyc
Date: 2005-06-12 17:30
All,
I'm in the market for a new set of clarinets and am curious about the recommendations of professional players on the list.
I'm a freelance player, and have been playing a Buffet R-13 for 25 years. My last new clarinets were a set of Chadash instruments that ultimately didn't work well for me and were just recently sold.
There are so many brands / makes of instruments now. So at the risk of starting a flame war about who likes what, I'm interested in your opinions.
Also, I may elect to travel to a large music store with a large selection of instruments so that I can do some more research on brands. Anyone have suggestions for stores with that sort of selection in the continental US?
Thanks,
Jeffreyc
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-06-12 18:13
jeffreyc wrote:
> I'm a freelance player, and have been playing a Buffet R-13 for
> 25 years.
So, why change now? ...GBK
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-06-12 19:13
Go to the Woodwind and Brasswind. Huge selection. The site is www.wwbw.com. It's also a huge store that you can go visit and try out everything.
You may want to know this, but GBK has 14 R13's so he may be a little biased. lol. Although I do agree that you may want to stick with the same kind of clarinet.
I wrote this on another thread:
"Try both and also Leblanc and Yamaha. Try everything and keep an open mind. Look for good tone, intonation, key placement, wood quality, price, etc. Also, research research research. Go to www.wwbw.com and check out the specs and reviews of every model and maybe even write a list of specs on each as a reference guide. Find the ones that will fit in your price range and that have the qualities that you are looking for. If you don't need an Eb lever, don't get one, etc.
Try them all out!!!!!!!! Also, check the BBoard search engine on each of the models that you are curious in. I'm currently ready to buy a new clarinet and have been researching galore. WWBW and the BBoard search engine are the most helpful to me. Also, go to the manufactures site and check out more in depth specs on the certain models that intrigue you-often they are very detailed and may even show pictures of the cases, etc. "
I'll be getting to try out lots of clarinets and products this week, so hopefully I can tell you about each of them and give you a review. Good luck!
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Author: Tyler
Date: 2005-06-12 20:19
Try: Selmer Signature, Leblanc Concerto II, Buffet R13 Prestige/Festival/Vintage R13 etc., Rossi, Peter Eaton, and anything else you can find that you can afford and sound good on. Make sure that you have a reasonable mouthpiece/reed/ligature set-up to test with, as well. And test new horns thoroughly in everyday-playing settings.
Here is my stereotyping of some of the clarinets which I have listed: Selmer Signature: "Dark", even tone, decent intonation, heavy and resistant
Buffet R13: sweet tone, good projection, sometimes unstable tuning, medium resistance
Leblanc Concerto II: very even tone and tuning, slightly lower resistance than R13 (at least in my limited experience)
The Peter Eaton is an English horn I believe, and the Rossi I think is Australian.
Hope I've been of some help. Good luck on your search!
-Tyler
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2005-06-12 20:25
Jeffrey and Carrie,
Try not to miss the opportunity to test run Peter Eaton Internationals (narrow) or Elites(wide) You may not want to look much further. We Eaton users are something of a minority compared with Buff users, but I suspect we're all pretty delighted, from what I read here and elsewhere.
P.E. is a sponsor here.
BobT
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-06-12 20:26
Tyler wrote:
> The Peter Eaton is an English horn I believe,
No..it's a clarinet ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
> and the Rossi I
> think is Australian.
The Rossi clarinet is made in Chile ...GBK
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2005-06-12 20:26
Tyler wrote:
> and the Rossi I
> think is Australian.
Wrong continent, not even close. It's better not to guess, especially since it's so easy to find out (google is your friend).
Chilean.
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Author: crnichols
Date: 2005-06-12 20:50
I agree with Carrie, the Woodwind and Brasswind has an enormous selection. From what I understand they also have a store in NYC now too, and if you had the money for Chadash clarinets, you must have the money for a plane ticket there... Just a little joke. Guy puts a lot of hard work into his products, and if they work well for you, it's worth it (as with anything I think). Especially since we're used to paying like 3000 or less for a new Bb clarinet, when a bassoonist has to pay 5 to 10 times that for an instrument. Anyway, also, there are conventions also, and you might have the opportunity to try instruments that not even WWBW carries. I was at the Music Messe in Frankfurt, Germany (I'm stationed over here in Bamberg) and had the opportunity to try everything major manufacturers make, and lots of minor ones too. Patricola, Buffet, Selmer, Yamaha, Howarth, and some I don't remember... There were also certain manufacturers that weren't there. If Leblanc had a stand, I couldn't find it... Anyways, it was a great experience. Also, some people are in love with the Wurlitzer Boehm system clarinets, I personally haven't tried them (which is dumb since I live in Germany). Personally, my two cents on Buffet clarinets that I tried at the Music Messe...well, I wasn't impressed. Except for the RC models, there was something intriguing about them. I also enjoyed playing the Patricola Rosewood clarinets. But that's just me, good luck on the journey you're embarking on!
Christopher Nichols
1st Infantry Division Band
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-06-12 20:57
crnichols wrote:
> I agree with Carrie, the Woodwind and Brasswind has an enormous
> selection. From what I understand they also have a store in
> NYC now too
The WW/BW store in New York closed in September, 2002 ...GBK
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-06-12 21:05
Kinda curious.....In what way did the Chadash horns "not work out" ?
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-06-12 23:31
Bob49t:
I've actually been wanting to try an Eaton for a couple of years now. They seem like awesome clarinets of a very high quality. The only problem is that I'm on a stricter budget (2,500 max) so I can't go for ultra extravagent. I would buy a used Eaton but I'm not allowed to use Ebay and for various other reasons. I would looooooooove to try one out though if I got the chance. Who knows, maybe my next next clarinet will finally be my sought after Eaton?
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