 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: TinyE
Date: 2005-09-27 20:08
Hi guys!
First off, nice to meet you all. How is everyone?
I recently have been toying with idea of buying a bass clarinet. I am thinking that it may be nice to have one to expand any playing opportunities since only so many people own one. I started thinking about this when the local community orchestra announced that they needed a bass clarinetist, but that the person must have their own instrument. Though right now I'm sort of just wasting time (graduated last year, working in a restaurant in Athens, GA saving money, etc), my future plans include graduate school (music of course), and then taking auditions to try and get a playing job somewhere. Should I just suck it up and blow a huge chunk of money (that I really don't have- yay for credit!) on a good instrument now, given the direction I want to go in? I originally was just looking for an eBay cheapie- just something that plays, but was thinking that owning a nice bass clarinet could be good down the road. Just looking for opinions! Thanks!
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2005-09-27 21:17
Depends on your budget.
The pluses for a quality bass clarinet include (1) that you plan on going to music grad school and (2) that the instrument should last you a long time if you take care of it.
If your budget won't allow it at the moment, you might go with a well-cared-for older pro model or a high-quality student instrument. Again, since a well-cared-for instrument should last a long time, an older pro model could be a less expensive alternative for the short term. You might want to avoid school instruments. Refurbished university instruments might not be so bad.
Just the opinions of a non-pro.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-09-27 21:58
Hi, Tiny, welcome - My not having severe financial restraints [a retiree] allowed me to hunt for MY bass cl., so I "passed thru" a good half-dozen various plastics [student] and woods [pro or "semi"] . I have been very happy with my [low Eb] Selmer 33 [wood] of 1960-70 vintage, which has the "double register keying structure" to "clean-up" the clarion B to E notes. It is all I need for comm. band and small orch playing, going for the Low C bass gets very expensive for the added 3 notes. The quite new [plastic, but well above the "student" variety] bass cls by Tom Ridenour, to Eb AND low C, which I have tried out , deserve consideration as well. Dave Spiegelthal and Walt Grabner and others of our bass players, please chime in with your advice, thots and opinions. Another B C resource is the YahooGroups "New Bass Clarinet" site, nearly as good as this BBoard ! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Mike Blinn
Date: 2005-09-28 00:13
There are good deals to be had. I purchased a Vito bass clarinet on eBay for $500 on their "Buy it Now' feature. The horn turned out to be in very good shape, needing only a spring replaced by my tech. Looks good too.
I added a new Woodwind Co. mouthpiece and Rovner lig. So far I have about $625 invested.
I have now played ten concerts with it, and since my community band plays mostly outdoors during the summer, I prefer a 'plastic' clarinet which is less influenced by the weather.
So far, I have not seen any notes lower than Eflat in the band literature.
Mike Blinn
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Author: ClariBone
Date: 2005-09-28 01:00
As with any insturment, if you are straped for cash by all means purchase a used horn. You could very well get a used pro-model bass clarinet for a lot less than a new one (factoring in the repair cost as most used instruments will need a "tune-up" plus a decent mouthpiece/ligature). Ebay is always an option, but I would rather play the instrument first, especially if it is used!!! Will this orchestra be playing outside any?? If so, you might want to check out Tom Ridenour's Bass Clarinets (Arioso??). Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I will chime in with their first-hand opinion of the Arioso bass!! Happy Hunting!!
Clayton
*Edited for Spelling*
Post Edited (2005-09-28 01:02)
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Author: Sonic12040
Date: 2005-09-28 01:21
Chances are if you are considering it for the first time you will want a bass that goes down to the E-flat. A couple of band pieces go below, such as Hoedown, Wind in the Willows (the solo in movement two at the end), and I think Savannah River Holiday but it is not overly important for a first buy unless you plan to use it professionally and will keep it for a long time. Also, don't forget to choose an instrument that has a consistent tone all the way up and down the range of the instrument. Lastly, the instrument itself shouldn't provide much resistance to your air.
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2005-09-28 02:17
I play on a low Eb plastic Bundy that I bought from my local music store. One of the store employees was selling it for around $650. He had used it professionally (doubling on it as a saxophonist) for years and finally decided that he could justify getting a better horn. It's not great, but it works. It's not a pro horn, but if you know what you're doing it can do what you need it to, although it's a little shaky in the upper clarion.
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Author: Iacuras
Date: 2005-09-28 20:05
I bought a brand new Vito to Low-Eb off of Ebay for $1000, using the BUY IT NOW feature, a little over a year ago. All it's needed since then is one new pad (about a $5 repair). I also bought a new Vandoren Mouthpiece to go with it ($120). So over all about $1125 for a great instrument that works well enough for me to make principle in my High School's Wind Ensemble, which is considered one of the best in the state.
Steve
"If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon."
"If you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly."
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Author: BelgianClarinet
Date: 2005-09-28 21:51
It was an old dream of mine to play Bass clarinet (I simple adore the sound), but I never had the occasion, until last year.
I call it my 'mid life' crises, but I didn't by the motor bike, but a Buffet Prestige 1193 down to low C, brand new, and incredibly nice.
Really hope most people can make these kind of dreams come through !!
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2005-09-28 23:16
If you are going or want to play in a symphony orchestra then you will need a bass to low C. I picked up a 10 year old Buffet Prestige last November and it is a joy to play using a Grabner CX-BB mouthpiece. I've also tried an Amati to low C and it seemed to be OK but definitely not of the same quality as the Buffet. If you get an Amati contact Graham at grahams-music@comcast.net
about undercutting the tone holes and tuning it up.
I bought a run of the mill wooden Conn bass off of eBay to start my adventure in bassland and given the head aches of getting to it play correctly should have not bothered.
And last but not least when you get a bass go find a bass teacher for at least a couple of hours. Just because you can play the soprano well doesn't mean you have a clue what to do with a bass. When I finally went I was told that my reed was too soft, I held it wrong, I didn't stuff it in my mouth far enough, I wasn't breathing properly, I wasn't tonguing properly, I didn't wrap my lips around it properly, the only thing she liked was my fingering technique.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: TinyE
Date: 2005-09-29 05:53
Thanks for all the opinions, guys! I haven't decided entirely what I will be doing about my bass situation, but I have decided that I will be skipping the 'cheapie' route and looking for either a used pro model or going ahead with a new one. I do have a lot of experience playing bass as a doubler from my high school and undergrad years, but I just always used either a university instrument or a friend's- both Buffets with the low C. I don't feel that I'd be happy playing something that is an obvious step down. I do plan on going for orchestra jobs of some sort in the future.
So, with that in mind, does anyone have any good sources for used pro-model bass clarinets? The market where I am is slim at best... no (higher-grade) used clarinets being sold here, though I could find you a guitar in 2 seconds flat. Once again, thanks a lot!
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-09-29 06:18
Most important is you try the clarinet before you buy it. I would not buy it online at all, but if you do, don't buy it online unless you can return it for a full refund.
By the way, what is your budget?
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Author: TinyE
Date: 2005-09-29 16:40
My budget depends on a few different things- if I am buying from an individual and have to pay cash at once, it's not much at all- about $1200. But the downfall of that is that then I drain my savings. If I can use a credit card (yay for debt!!) it's closer to $3500. And I know that some stores like WW&BW offer their own financing and payment plans, so in that case, I'd be able to do monthly payments of about $120 or so. It's all up in the air really. I need a sugar-daddy. Or a winning lottery ticket. Or another job.
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