Author: clarnibass
Date: 2011-03-11 06:00
>> The only way any manufacturer can get better is by learning the good and bad of their product - accurately - once it gets into consumer's hands. <<
Yes, I can add that Omar seemed interested in reading my detailed review. Some makers are not so interested (if they bother to reply at all).
To add something positive, some things on the Forte were better than I've seen on some of the more expensive professional models. For example the fit of the tenons, even of the replacement shorter barrel that I got seperate from the clarinet.
>> One should just keep in mind what market a specific clarinet is sold in/for. When it's for the US and UK (with A=440) then I'd expect it to play flat in an "elevated" (pardon the pun) country with A=442. <<
We play 440, 441 and 442 here. The intonation issues were much more significant than that. With the shorter barrel it was impossible to play as sharp as 440, struggling even after warming up, with a big part of the range. Other than that the intonation throughout the range was a serious issue.
>> Many hundreds of Forte' C clarinets have been sold and Claribass is only the second reported cracking issue reported to me <<
Yeah, I (though my username is actually clarnibass) don't feel the cracking was much of an issue, no big deal, it can happen with any clarinet really. That's why I didn't even mention it in my first post. I only felt necessary to mention it later to clarify what was misunderstood in the post by Alseg.
>> A review of any one instrument usually cannot be generalized to the whole line <<
Of course, but problems with any one instrument can't be dismissed either.
>> Regarding the low throat tones, I had a shorter barrel made <<
What length is it? I will consider making or buying a shorter barrel though price was part of the reason I bought the Forte so investing hundreds(?) more wasn't my plan.
>> There is a hole in the bell on the Forte C clarinet which I had tripled in size to bring up the B. <<
What do you mean by "tripled"? Triple the diameter? That would make it the size of a normal low key tone hole and essentially will make it the tone hole for E/B. IME unless a bell vent hole is actually big enough to be a full tone hole, the note will be stuffy at some point of enlaring it. If it is so large to be a real tone hole, is the E/B not too sharp at all? I guess I can always refill it and make it smaller again, or fill and drill the hole in another location (BTW if I remember this vent hole is undercut so it may be worth undercutting the enlarged hole too, FWIW).
>> The long C's pitch... On the Forte C clarinet this tonehole is bizarrely small... as though the makers of this instrument got the requisite size of the lowest tonehole wrong. <<
According to Omar the Forte is made to specs and has a different tone hole configuration. Obvioulsy they chose to keep this tone hole size on the Forte or it was specificailly made this way for the design of the Forte. It is strange, since the note is so flat. I will probably enlarge it, eventually.
However on mine intonation issues are bit more than just those two lower notes and throat notes.
>> I'm thinking about sanding off a mm or so from the shorter barrel to fix the problem. <<
I will consider shortening one of the barrels. Any suggestions from the barrel makers on how to do that with this very short barrel with the outside taper? I can hold a Bb barrel with a barrel holder but not this C barrel. Between centers is boviously not an option for shortening. If I have to make a special holder I will probably not bother.
Post Edited (2011-03-11 06:08)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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