 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris J
Date: 2009-03-17 09:13
I got curious to know which clarinets Buddy DeFranco has used over time, and have struggled to find any information at all.
There are Leblanc LL adverts that say he used those products in the 60s, but I wonder what his main instruments really were.
Chris
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Author: ned
Date: 2009-03-18 00:31
Quoting the Yamaha website: ''Buddy is one of Yamaha's most notable performing artists. Mr. DeFranco is one of the most influential jazz artists in history.....,''
Seems to be a curious mix of formality and informality with reference to the performer being alternately named as ''Buddy DeFranco'' (full name, correctly) then ''Buddy'', and then, in the next sentence as ''Mr. DeFranco'' - then again as ''Buddy".
Further to this, DeFranco (as I shall refer to him) is quoted as saying ''the intonation top to bottom is quite good, and very even.'' The use of the words ''quite good'' seem to be a rather less than enthusiastic declaration of the merits of the intonation of his instrument.
If I were a top-line artist and had a sponsor (presumably Yamaha gives DeFranco a YCL-SEV in return for a good rap) I guess I'd be a bit more effusive than saying something is quite good. If that's the best description of the intonation of this model, I'd probably hand it back to the manufacturer.
Hey, maybe I've misconstrued this...................maybe it's my reading of the English prose relating to interpersonal formalities and the descriptors of quality the copy writer has used.
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Author: Chris J
Date: 2009-03-18 11:00
Hhmmm - damned by faint praise!...
Hardly an effusive review of his instrument.
So he was a Leblanc artist in the 60s and a Yamaha artist since 1985.
Judging by what he said, I wonder what he plays when he gets home...
I agree that the constant changes in how he is referred to in the article is not good copy. It seems to have been the only way the writer could avoid repetition, but not a good solution.
Chris
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2009-03-18 21:16
I quoting the full comment here...from the page above...
"My Yamaha Custom clarinet "covers all the bases"! It is free blowing, the intonation top to bottom is quite good, and very even. It has a full, rich tone, and a very comfortable key mechanism."
How much more a compliment do you want?
Mr. DeFranco is playing the V model clarinet...
David Dow
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Author: Chris J
Date: 2009-03-18 21:31
I take your point, but an instrument with intonation that is quite good and best described as covering the bases doesn't necessarily make you want to rush out and buy one....
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Author: Michael E. Shultz
Date: 2009-03-18 22:46
Perhaps Buddy DeFranco is just trying to give an accurate review. In a world full of too good to be true claims, I much prefer Buddy's statements. He does not make the impossible claim that Yamahas have perfect intonation.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
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Author: ned
Date: 2009-03-19 00:23
Michael Schultz writes: ''Perhaps Buddy DeFranco is just trying to give an accurate review.''
Fair enough.......nothing wrong with honesty. Did he return the clarinet to Yamaha I wonder?
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2009-03-20 01:34
No clarinet is perfect..it just don't exist..the clarinet like all instruments is a compromise in design. Imagine trying to project in a large hall with an instrument that is only 32 inches long and a bore that is ideal for the clarion register but too small for a truly volumous low chalumeau. That is why alot of what the clarinet is about is in the playing...or should I say the manner of going about playing the instrument...?
David Dow
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