 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: classic10
Date: 2010-02-16 04:31
Hi I was wondering about this pro clarinet made in Brazil, called Devon. Have anyone heard about it? Have anyone played it? It costs more than half of the price of a Buffet Prestige I was wondering if it was worth the money.
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/1723/osii11.jpg
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/2740/osii5.jpg
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/5720/osii6.jpg
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/3528/osii1.jpg
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/397/osii2.jpg
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4954/osii3.jpg
http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/4629/osii12.jpg
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/3018/osii7.jpg
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/3435/osii8.jpg
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/4366/osii9.jpg
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/9235/osii10.jpg
I've noticed the wired throat key work they seem quite squared.
Post Edited (2010-02-16 04:35)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-02-16 15:43
I looks beautiful and appears to be a hand made clarinet. The only way you will know how good it is for you would be to try it. Usually special orders can't be returned, or it's a hassle. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: classic10
Date: 2010-02-16 15:52
Are there other interesting hand made clarinets around? Is it worth the trouble of going away from brand name brands?
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Author: winthropguy
Date: 2010-02-17 03:13
That's a good question... would a hand-made clarinet sound any better than, say, a Leblanc or Buffet that's been customized? I'd think the cost alone would probably be astronomical.
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Author: Paul Miller
Date: 2010-02-17 03:49
I finally got fed up with the typical Buffet situation and ordered a set of Schwenk & Seggelke clarinets. They are phenomenal instruments. The cost is pretty high, but not all that much more than you'd pay for a set of Buffet Prestige instruments.
Their craftsmanship is unquestioningly superior to Buffet horns as they put a lot more time into each instrument. The pitch is very even (i.e., the wide 12th problem does not exist), and the A clarinet in particular seems to have none of the typical Buffet problems (i.e., clarion A does not grunt). The tone blends well with Buffet instruments (personally, I think it's much more colorful), but these axes are definitely NOT Buffet horns.
On the other hand, if you can find a REALLY good Buffet R13, it usually only requires a bit of time with a good repairman to set it up properly, and costs much less. Unfortunately, really good Buffets are a rare animal, and to be perfectly honest, they run through their stocks of wood so quickly that it's rare to find a Buffet that remains stable at all. With a lot of the custom makers, they'll take the horn back after it's been played for a year so they can do some tuning revisions to the thing. Part of what you're paying for is a relationship with the maker of the instrument - when you're dealing with a reseller of instruments, you're not going to get that.
The cost for a set of R13 Prestige instruments is around $11,000. The S&S instruments cost me about $13,000.
Worth every penny.
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Author: Woop Woop
Date: 2010-02-17 18:18
Very pretty horn
Reminds me of the Leblanc/Backun range. Actually on closer inspection it looks a LOT like the Leblanc Legacy, which is in most respects, a very good instrument, but has a pretty hefty price tag. The keywork in particular loos very similar to that of the Legacy, which had a really nice soft action. If this Devon clarinet is as good as it looks though... half the price of a Buffet Prestige to me sounds like a bargain.
Question: What kind of wood is this thing made of. To me it doesn't seem like Grenadilla and more like Cocobolo
Woop Woop
Post Edited (2010-02-17 22:57)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2010-02-17 19:24
Looks like Cocobola to me too.
A lot of thougth seems to have been put into the mechanics of this instrument.
However the most important thing are the accoustics e.g. intonation/response/tone.
Buffet, Leblanc, Selmer etc have spent 100+ years trying to get the balance right on their models - with variable results at times.
I would want to test any new design very thoroughly before making any choice.
By the way I would never buy a new model car from ANY manufacturer until they had spent at least a year on the road getting them more right - so OK I'm a natural sceptic (born though out of long and sometimes bitter experience!)
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Author: Woop Woop
Date: 2010-02-17 19:52
hmm. Never seen a clarinet entirely made from cocobolo before
Woop Woop
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Author: classic10
Date: 2010-02-17 21:48
Ok just in case any one is interested here is their website:
In portuguese: www.devon.com.br and using google translation:
http://translate.google.com/#pt|en|www.devon.com.br
I think it is made entirely in cocobolo with cocobolo rings covering the actual rings underneath. This one costs roughly $2.300 (R$4.600) I've e-mailed Devon himself and he told me that this clarinet uses policylindrical bore and undercut tone holes just like the R13. I think I'm going to give it a try! :-)
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Author: Woop Woop
Date: 2010-02-17 22:42
Does anyone know the difference in sound characteristics between Cocobolo and Grenadilla? I've never managed to find out.
I'm intruiged about "cocobolo rings covering the actual rings underneath", what would the purpose of that be then?
Woop Woop
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2010-02-17 22:44
Just looked at their site.
One of the R$4600 and the R$5600 models appear to have an F correction key almost identical to that on the Buffet Tosca !!
They also seem to offer to fit this type of mechanism to other clarinets in their "services" section
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Author: classic10
Date: 2010-02-17 22:52
So it gives you the impression to be ring less, but in fact the rings are hidden. I think it is just for appearance and extra work to produce it.
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Author: Woop Woop
Date: 2010-02-17 22:59
Yeah, because I thought the whole point of ringless was that it reduced constriction of sound and vibration or something, so really the cocobolo rings are just for aesthetics? Ive found that ringless can sometimes play havoc with tuning though, because of the expansion of wood that you get... I haven't really tested that out fully though. Anyone out there who has?
Woop Woop
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Author: classic10
Date: 2010-02-17 23:03
I wonder if the ring less barrelrs and bells from Backum and other brands actually have a hidden rings. It would make a lot of sense since the stress on the joints is still the same. Any one know the answer for this?
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Author: Woop Woop
Date: 2010-02-17 23:14
I think we need to establish what we are calling ringless. Is ringless the
absence of metal rings (which could mean the presence of wooden rings) or just the absence of rings full stop.
Regarding Backun and his barrels, I have a feeling they don't have metal rings under them. I have no idea, but they feel a lot lighter than normal ringed barrels, then again, the wood itself feels less dense. Backun's barrells, Fatboy, ringless and traditional have different characteristics. Fatboy and ringless are "ringless" in the true sense of the term as in they don't have visible rings. The traditional has rings, but I am pretty sure they are actually wooden, not ringed covered with wood. I find that these ringless or wood-ringed or simply "non-metal ringed" barrels have a tendency to be quite flat when cold and go really sharp when warm, especially with stage lighting etc.
Woop Woop
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Author: luca1
Date: 2011-08-17 15:06
The new issue of The Clarinet Volume 38 #3, has an article about these Brazilian makers and the various woods that they are using. Let us know if anyone gets one!!
http://www.devon.com.br/
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Author: Devon & Burgani
Date: 2012-11-08 10:16
Hello my name is Odivan
and I am the company Devon & manufacturer of clarinets Burgani
Brazilian professionals.
Our clarinets are made with Brazilian woods and also with African Grenadilha.
The design of our clarinets was developed by Sergio Burgani which is the first clarinet OSESP, (the most important of Brazil) and me.
Today we have 12 Brazilian orchestras that play with our clarinets, and several Brazilian professionals have adopted our clarinets.
We have a person in the U.S. who can take our instruments for demonstration.
If the person who buys dislike of the instrument can be returned provided that the instrument has not been damaged.
We have pictures on facebook.
Address: Devon and clarinets Burgani
more information send email to devon@devon.com.br.
Fabricante de clarinetes Profissionais Brasileiros feitos com madeiras Brasileiras
Manufacturer of Professional clarinets made with Brazilian Brazilian woods
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Author: Wes
Date: 2012-11-09 04:40
After deciding I wanted an R13 Prestige, I looked around and was able to purchase one new at a store in Europe for $3540, including shipping. It was shipped quickly with no duty and I like it a lot, owning three other R13s. It would cost that for a local purchase of a regular silver plated R13. It is the best clarinet I've ever played and quite well in tune, not needing undercutting to fix the left hand low register notes E and F, or a special barrel for the upper register left hand.
It needed some setup work, lowering rings and lightening springs, mostly. It has been used every day for the last six months although I don't take it on outdoor activities, leaving that for my well worn 2005 R13. The top tenon swelled slightly as it was played in, but I sanded the tenon slightly near the body shoulder, fixing that. All my R13s have done that, but I don't mind.
The Devon clarinet looks great and could be a real bargain, especially when you compare clarinet costs with oboe, flute, and bassoon costs.
Sales taxes are going up per the recent election, by the way, increasing the cost of local clarinet purchases slightly.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-11-11 21:51
I don't know if anyone has access to an image of the thumb key, but I'd really like to see what Devon has done to this region of the clarinet........odd that with all the above photos, this was not covered.
.....................Paul Aviles
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