 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jeff
Date: 2001-01-22 17:00
Hi, I am curious whether there are any respectable plastic clarinets ard apart from the Buffet Greenline. One which can actually produce a tone comparable to wooden clarinets.Good key work and intonation. Where are all the plastic clarinets which have good workmanship?
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-01-22 18:20
I hear good things about the Yamaha's, and I suppose that if I were in the market for a plastic horn that's where I'd look first. But I haven't heard anyone accuse them of having pro horn quality in their plastic models. Much has been said about materials not mattering, but thus far the manufacturers haven't perceived a market for an upscale plastic horn. I'm not sure they are correct about that, but there may be room for only one . . . not one from each of the big 4. Of course, I don't include the Greenline in this category . . it is strictly a pro horn competing in the wood category.
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Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-01-22 18:44
Fred is right on the money. Also, plastic Vitos (especially the newer ones) are decent STUDENT instruments. The Buffet Greenline, strictly speaking, is not plastic --- it's machined from a billet of compressed grenadilla powder and epoxy resin, and it's a professional-level clarinet, otherwise identical to the solid grenadilla R-13 (and has a similar price tag). An apples-to-oranges comparison.
As far as "why aren't there professional-quality plastic clarinets", as I've opined before --- it's strictly a matter of perception and marketing (NOT physics or acoustics). People believe that wood sounds better than plastic, therefore people will pay top dollar for a wood clarinet, but would not pay anywhere near that much for a plastic clarinet, no matter how carefully-made. And since material costs for grenadilla are only a small fraction of the cost of a good clarinet, and the machining of wood is no more difficult (and is possibly even easier) than working with plastic, then there is no economic reason for manufacturers to make high-end clarinets out of plastic. As has been pointed out many times, plastic oboes and bassoons (which are more prone to wood-cracking than clarinets) have been made and sold at the professional level for years. But the clarinet manufacturers, in contrast, have thus far been unable to break through the mindset that "wood sounds better". So for now, no professional plastic clarinets.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-01-22 23:50
Not exactly "no professional plastic clarinets" - Howarth makes one. From the Howarth web site http://www.howarth.uk.com/howclpr.htm:
"Howarth clarinets and barrels are also available in Anatone© with silver plated keys. Anatone© is a specially developed high density polymer with exceptional acoustic qualities. There is no price supplement for this option."
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Author: Anji
Date: 2001-01-23 02:09
To further agree with this string, I have a local listening experience to bear this out.
There's a local klezmer player that produces brilliant tone with his plastic, metal and wooden horns. They all have strengths and weaknesses. He would play his metal horn more but the works are getting loose with age and the clacking is audible within quiet passages. He concentrates on the tone, and makes adjustments as needed.
I buy wooden horns for the fit and finish of the package. If the plastic Vitos had good mechanics, and better attention during assembly I would try one out.
Why on earth would you spend huge bucks on a new horn, anyway?
At least with the Greenline, you can be fairly sure your tuning will be standard for Buffet. The resale value will probably be similar to the rest of their line.
Me, I would shop for a late 50's, early 60's horn and spend the balance on reeds.
Okay, reeds and something for my wife.
anji
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Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-01-23 15:07
Mark,
Thanks for the Howarth plastic clarinet info --- I stand corrected! I wonder, though, how many of these they actually sell (especially compared to the wood version)? The numbers might be interesting............
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-01-23 17:34
I just want to add that a US patent was issued, 3,127,806 in 1964 [I believe] , "Polypropylene Bassoon" to Fox and having seen two of them, they appeared to be satisfactory even tho the joints, in greater length and thinner? wall , seemed somewhat flexible. There are of course many polyolefin compositions so that prob. some of the more dense, inflexible poly[copoly]propylenes etc [Howarth?] will be suitable "thermoplastics".. I believe that "thermoset" polymers [the Resonites?] would be better from the standpoint of machining, assuming that a polycylindrical or tapered-conical bore was desired [as is common in the better wood cl's]. This would require the mfgr's to research and change their procedures, IMHO. Problems?? Don
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