 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarguy
Date: 2005-12-04 22:09
I am looking for some input on Clark Fobes' Barrels, either from people here who have played them or who have tried them. Give me some of your general thoughts on tuning, 12ths, response, tone, projection and how they compare to some of the other barrels out there. Thanks.
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-12-04 22:21
Only got to try one out for like 5 minutes this week. The immediate reaction was that it narrowed the 12th's quite a bit on my R13 which was a great thing. The tone and projection seemed fine. I'm going to be ordering one of these barrels soon. It works extremely well with his mouthpieces. I tried the barrel with an OM* and my tuning was very good.
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Author: woodwind650
Date: 2005-12-04 23:43
i'm currently using clark's barrels on my leblanc Opus II. i would agree with carrie. the intonation and projection is great. response feels good too. carey bell, principle clarinet in the SF Opera uses them and says nothing but good things about them for his set-up.
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Author: Ron
Date: 2005-12-24 14:18
I purchased one of Clark's barrels size 66 during the past year. I have a fairly vintage R13 made in 1972. All I can say is that the barrell is great and the improvement was immediate. The barrel immediately improved the smoothness between registers and projection of the sound. Don't hesitate to purchase one of these barrels.
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-12-24 18:41
I finally decided to purchase a Fobes barrel. My clarinet plays slightly flat in some throat tones, and the upper register is sharper than the lower. So, I ordered a 65 mm barrel and it should arrive at the beginning of January! I'm excited. These barrels really do help and they sound great with his mp's too.
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Author: susieray
Date: 2005-12-24 19:54
I'm using a 66mm Fobes barrel on my 1956 R13 Bb and I would agree with all the good comments above. I plan on getting one for my Buffet A soon!
Sue
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Author: Aussie Nick
Date: 2005-12-25 14:38
I first bought a Rosewood barrel which I was using for a while but in the end came to the conclusion that it was inhibiting the ability of my sound to cut through the orchestra. It helps make a very centred sweet sound, but a little too smallish. I then tried a couple of the black grenadilla (I think?) ones and chose one. I find it a big improvement on my rosewood one, which was fine but in the end didn't suit my needs. Both however i found better than your average stock Buffet barrel in terms of 12ths and evenness.
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2005-12-26 06:33
I tried one of his barrels with my Borbeck custom model 13 on my Buffet E13. I thought it was terrible. My intonation was amazing, but the tone felt miniscule and thin. After my experience with Clark's Nova mouthpiece, which lasted me for several years, I had high hopes for the barrel, but I was disappointed.
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Author: Rivers
Date: 2005-12-26 16:38
I have a Fobes 66mm (for A) I use on my R-13A. When used in combination with Greg Smith Chev 1++ mpc....it is the best setup I have on any other clarinet that I own....intonation is right on...and tone and focus is exceptional
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Author: timtin66
Date: 2005-12-28 19:10
Being an novice I decided to try one to see if it would really change things, and even I see a difference in my tone, and playing.
Just get one.
Tim T.
Timothy Tinnirello
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2006-01-01 22:07
I got my 65 mm grenadilla Fobes barrel yesterday from WWBW. Here's an overview on it:
1. Wood is beautiful. Lovely barrel.
2. It fixed a lot of my intonation problems on my R13. First, my throat E and F were about 20 cents flat and now they are perfectly in tune and the notes around them are in tune too. My altissimo F and F# and maybe the E too were pretty flat, but now they are perfectly in tune.
3. I didn't see very much improvement in the 12ths, maybe a little, but the other intonation issues it fixed are already worth it.
4. My throat tones had been sort of airy when playing softly, but now they sound full at any dynamic.
So, overall I give this barrel a 9 out of 10. I wish it would lower my 12ths a little more. My old stock Buffet barrel I give about a 4 out of 10. So it's a big improvement.
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Author: hartt
Date: 2006-01-02 05:13
hi clarguy
i've used one of clark's bbls for a few yrs now (and his cf+ mp)
over time, i've had several convos with clark and i'll share this:
his A bbl is a straight taper while the Bb bbl has 3 tapers (1 on top and 2 on bottom).
the rosewood material tends to give a 'lighter' sound than the grenadilla.
the outside of the bbls are coated with a special urathane finish that is used in hardwood furniture finishes.
now from me.....several yrs ago, clark made me a couple of bbls. i use an A bbl for both A and Bb...(that's an interesting reverse) it simply just works better for me. i also use a fobes on my eefer and C and his eefer extension. several players, after trying mine (despite tuning issues), have changed to a fobes rosewood bbl (and mp). more open sound yet not bright, focused and warm.
interestingly, i need a 64mm, as i play flat on all my R13 Bb's. Yet, the same bbl presents no tuning issues on my R13 A's. so...like any bbl, try several even if the same mm and material
also of interest that i and others have noted is that clark's bbls do not have a 'sweet' spot. rotating the bbl does not seem to influence the sound.
clark has a web site and can also be contacted via email but he no longer sells direct to JQPublic and his phone # in not available on his site.
hope i haven't added to any confusion
dennis
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2006-01-02 23:06
Also, after playing on it for a couple of days, I've noticed that it has opened up my tone more. That is a major plus!
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