 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Carolyn
Date: 1999-03-18 17:42
Hi all,
I'm finally going shopping for a new clarinet, most likely an R-13, but I will try other models, too.(This is in place of my current Yamaha 34) I'm really excited, even though I love my Yamaha. Anyway:
Although my teacher will be accompanying me, I was wondering if there are a few things in particular that I should listen for/look for to compare the different clarinets.
Also, the first place I'm shopping at is asking about $1800 for an R-13. Is this a reasonable New York price?
Carolyn
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-03-18 18:31
Looks like you are going to have some fun for a while, and with an expert to help you. You are on the right track.
A couple of things to take with you on your search for your pro clarinet include:
1. Your favorite mp/reed/lig setup
2. An inexpensive chromatic tuner (to verify correct intonation for every playable note on the horn)
3. All of the experience and expertise you can bring (having your instructor with you is great)
4. Your own critical ears an fingers
5. A willingness to walk away the first few times if you are not totally elated with your selection
$1800 is about par for the full retail price of a new R-13. Try to find a better price for the same thing from mail order or bulk discount houses. Also keep in mind the need for certified maintenance techs to help you with adjustments and break-in of the horn. I personally purchased what I call a premium pro-grade horn (Buffet Festival) for a pretty good price - and from a retail chain. So, go out there, have some fun checking out lots of horns, and then decide what works best for you.
Remember, there are some very good horns out there. The top four brands deserve to be checked out. They include Buffet, LeBlanc, Selmer, and Yamaha. Also, if you have the opportunity to check out a Rossi, a Peter Eaton, or one of the other hand-made horns (even though they are much more expensive), go for it. It's fun to try lots of horns. Plus, it's a good idea to find out how well your concept of an "ideal" horn matches the rest of the market. Personally, I'd jump at the chance of checking out a Rossi, just to see how it compares against my Buffet Festival.
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Author: Kevin Bowman
Date: 1999-03-18 19:48
$1800 for an R-13 is WW&BW's quoted price for nickle plate keys. IMO, this is a good price - hard to find that cheap anywhere else. The silver-plate keys are $100 more but don't let that influence your choice. Find the BEST clarinet you can and ignore what the keys are coated with - I'd pay the extra $100 if the BEST clarinet I found happened to have silver keys.
Since your instructor is going with you, make sure he/she plays each clarinet too - and you listen critically. But this should be secondary to what you feel about the horn as you play it. If you come across two horns that play/feel the same have your instructor play and use your ears to decide which one is better.
The tuner is valuable, as paul stated. But more important are how the intervals sound - especially the 12ths. Use the tuner to discover and rule out clarinets with *gross* tuning problems - then use your ears to choose between fine tuning differences. No clarinet is perfectly in tune and you'll end up adjusting for various pitch anomolies - so pick the horn that *easier* to adjust.
Good Luck - I'll be going through this same process in a couple of months to pick an R13-A to match my wonderful Bb.
One more note about using the tuner - Don't look at it! As you play notes on a particular instrument, have someone else look at the tuner and record deviations from "ideal" pitch. And be aware that the start of a note is always sharp, so play long tones and record the deviation only after the pitch has settled (about 1 or 2 seconds). If you keep these good records (along with each clarinet's serial number) you can use them to get a fairly objective view of each instrument's tuning characteristics.
Kevin Bowman
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Author: Albert
Date: 1999-03-18 20:52
Hmmm... the WW gave me a $1650 quote. Maybe they're just don't have a lot in stock.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-03-18 22:40
Prices on the R13 vary day by day, depending on the dealer's inventory. $1650 is a very good price, $1800 a good price, and $2000 from most "local" music stores is probably close to reality for many people.
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