 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-01-29 03:38
I bought a Bb silver R-13 today, after trying about 20 horns. This included the greenline and the Tosca.
Although the Tosca is top of the line it sounded a shade brighter and fuller, which was fine for me and it projected very well. It was pretty exciting to play.The horn simply played great. The key work was also very precise and the tuning was decent, but you would probably need a repairman to fine tune 2 or 3 slightly stuffy notes, or perhaps make a barrel change, which could perhaps fix this very minor issue. If I felt I would be doing a lot of recordings and solo appearances I'd buy this animal. It was a treat to play.
I didn't have time to really test the greenline, but I can say the horns seen to have less taper inside the bore. The sound was fine and the 12ths at the lower end of the horn were dead on. The Moenig 65mm barrel really mellowed out the horn, which was already very mellow. I'd love to play this horn with something like the Mozart Clarinet Quintet or one of the quintets out there, because of the sound. I also noticed that when tonguing the middle register that thug you sometimes get just before the note comes out was great. No or very little thugs were detected, pretty much better than the wood R-13's.
The barrel that came with the Bb horns were not impressive, so I switched to the Hans Moenig and that was a wonderful change. I don't have any of the handmade barrels so I really can't say anything. I was a bit annoyed that I couldn't find a nickel plated horn, so I had to fork over about another $400 or so for the silver.
Well I hope this helps anyone interested in moving up to a pro horn or replacing their old horns. Compared to my 1975 R-13 most of the differences were the sound and easier articulation. Also the even resistance throughout the horn. Feel free in emailing me if you have questions.
Lastly there are a few great pro players that make runs to Buffet in Florida and they pick out some of the horns that are the cream of the crop. Based on what I played today, I would strongly suggest having this done, because every horn I played was different and none of them played the same.
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Author: bethmhil
Date: 2012-01-29 05:37
Good for you! Glad you found a good horn. It can be such an exhausting process. I went to Woodwind-Brasswind in Fall of 2010 just to compare my 60's era R13 to some different models, and actually ended up buying a Tosca. The bore was considerably larger than I was used to and definitely took some getting used to. I played on practically every Tosca they had, and the one that I bought just simply sang compared to everything else. So much color in the tone, and projected beautifully, as you said.
Barrels can make a very big difference indeed-- I needed something just a hair shorter than the 65mm barrel the clarinet came with. My teacher gave me a Taplin-Weir 64.5mm barrel, and not only did it help raise my pitch just enough, but it also added much more consistency in the overall intonation of the instrument and even darkened the tone a little-- something I didn't think could happen!
I hope you have the same great experience with your wonderful new R13 as I have had with my beloved Tosca!
BMH
Illinois State University, BME and BM Performance
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2012-01-29 15:32
No two are alike, I surmise, which as been my experience with many makes and models, and also, that very, very few are of artist quality. Try (many) before buy.
richard smith
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Author: William
Date: 2012-01-29 15:52
I "second" the suggestion for having a pro preselect instruments for you to try. When I decided to acquire a bass clarinet, I opted for Lisa Canning who had seven Buffet 1193-2's that were pre-selected from the Buffet facility (then in Libertyville, Ill) for me to try. They were all slightly different, but all great--and I think I picked the one "best" for me. FWIW, Lisa told me that Larry Combs (then principal clarinetist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) also bought a bass from that same lot of 1193-2's. A little more expensive, but I've never regretted her help. It's absolutely the best musical experience to play a wonderful instrument.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-01-30 00:44
Well I almost did hire someone back east, but I'm not sure if I can say their names on this worldwide site. If anyone sends me an email I'll surely try to hook you up or have the selected stores call you. I just need permission from these pros and the stores, as we know a lot of people don't want their names put all over the worldwide net. This also includes the stores.
If I didn't find this one silver clarinet that plays so well I would have looked into someone picking out a horn for me.
Some of your worries about picking out a horn is make sure you have about 5 hours, perhaps more. These new horns need to be played on, then you go to the next horn and so forth. They change a lot during your test trials, because they've never really been played on.
This is why it's often good to hire a pro. They know how to test horns and pick out the horns that really haven't been played on yet know which horns will be great.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2012-01-30 04:07
Hi Bob!
Good to hear of your new instrument. I tried about a dozen R-13s at the Buffet place in Sun Valley about 2005 and found that they were all different. They also seemed to change a little as they were warmed up. I also believe that any one of them could be worked on acoustically and mechanically to make it a fine instrument. It makes sense to me to replace the factory pads on new Buffets as well which I did myself as well as the other adjustments.
The Buffet persons were very helpful and this instrument I bought at a very low cost is doing very good service in replacing my 1971 Buffet Limited Edition R-13 which I bought as new, old stock in 1992.
The Tosca I tried was fine but I found that the extra low key seemed to get in the way of my big little finger a bit. And it was a lot more money.
Wes Brown
Redondo Beach, CA
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-02-04 04:51
Sounds fantastic David. You may wish to get some orders and pick out horns for others.
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