 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Vubble3
Date: 2012-02-14 04:40
i own a cocobolo moba barrel and I am borrowing my friend's grenadilla traditional barrel.
the traditional barrel has a very focused sound and pretty open.
the moba barrel is less focused but the sound is little more open and flowy and colorful but seriously, not much difference. What does color really mean?
the problem is i might've spent too much on a moba compared to the traditional barrel my friend bought for a hundred bucks on wwbw. com.
What do you guys think about the Moba barrel over traditional or vice versa?
Buffet Bb R13 A RC Prestige
buffet chadash and moennig barrels
Lomax classic lig
b40 lyre
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2012-02-14 11:40
I haven't tried a moba, but what I can tell you for sure is that there is no such thing as a standard sound from a traditional barrel: you can take two Buffet barrels that allegedly have the same specification and they can really sound quite different. When you expand to allow for A or Bb barrels (both of which can actually work fine on either clarinet) and R13 or RC type, to say nothing of Chadash/Moennig variations, the range of possible sounds expands still further. It really surprised me to find that such subtle changes in barrel had this big an effect.
So I'm sure your cocobolo barrel sounds different - but I'd be interested to see if anyone has done enough experimentation to prove that such equipment delivers a sound that is outside the range of variation you would get with standard barrels in any case. I hope the answer is that they don't offer anything extra, since for my taste they don't look very nice: I prefer a blackwood barrel that blends with the overall style of the instrument rather than clashing with it - but clearly views on this vary.
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2012-02-14 13:19
Measure the internal profile of the two barrels and it will be apparent. The measurements are rather different!!
The difference is in the way that they perform is....well, ... It is the same as the difference between hitting a golf ball with a Callaway driver vs. a Taylor Made driver. OR the difference between 110cm Atomic cruising skis and the 110cm K2's, OR the feel of firing a Fabriquie Nationale Herstal semiauto. vs. a Colt model 1911 of the same caliber.
OR....OK, you get the picture, I hope.
contact me offline if you want more precise info.
disclaimer.....I make and sell clarinet barrels, ( and will trade for a .45ACP model 1911)
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
Post Edited (2012-02-14 19:09)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2012-02-14 14:11
My experience in comparing Morrie Backun's barrels with more traditional (e.g. Buffet-style) barrels is pretty much as you've described. But the difference isn't limited to comparison with Moba cocobolo barrels. I hear the same sound qualities as well in his grenadilla barrels that I've tried. IMHO it has more to do with their physical design than the wood itself - the location of wood mass, bore measurements (both actual exit widths and the degree of taper), etc..
Which kind of result you prefer is entirely a personal choice. Everyone here on the BB probably has a preference. In my own opinion there are certain projection problems that need to be compensated for in the Moba style barrel. It certainly isn't that they can't project, but I find it can be more difficult with so much cover on the sound.
Your mileage (and others') may radically differ.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2012-02-14 21:23
When it comes to a barrel, any barrel, it's very much like trying out mouthpieces, no two are alike. You could try five of the same make and model and they'll all be different so you should always try several before deciding. It also depends on the clarinet and mouthpiece you play on. One barrel will play great on clarinet A and not so much on clarinet B, the same with mouthpiece A and mouthpiece B.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2012-02-15 16:12
I'll also trade an Alseg barrel for a (perfect) 1911 ACP (because there's a profit to be made).
Bob Phillips
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-02-16 18:07
It's amazing how much a barrel can change a clarinet. I have 4 barrels, all buffets, and 1 moenig. The Hans M barrel is 65mm's and is a tiny bit more resistant. The actual buffet barrels have a few notes, mainly a few 12ths below the throat tones that are off.
I have to adjust the moenig barrel a tiny bit. The reverse taper is off so I have to figure out where.
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Author: CocoboloKid
Date: 2012-02-16 23:09
I think some responders have misinterpreted the original question...he is not asking about a Moba vs. a "traditional" (stock) clarinet barrel, he is questioning the difference between the Moba vs. the (now discontinued) Backun Traditional barrel, which was the original Backun barrel with the wooden rings at either end, now retired (along with the original ringless) in favor of the Moba and the Fatboy.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2012-02-17 00:06
CocoboloKid wrote:
> I think some responders have misinterpreted the original
> question...he is not asking about a Moba vs. a "traditional"
> (stock) clarinet barrel, he is questioning the difference
> between the Moba vs. the (now discontinued) Backun Traditional
> barrel, which was the original Backun barrel with the wooden
> rings at either end, now retired (along with the original
> ringless) in favor of the Moba and the Fatboy.
I for one definitely read Moba to mean Morrie Backun, which would then also apply to the Backun "traditional" barrel. So, Peter (Vubble3), if you did mean what CocoboloKid is suggesting, I for one certainly did misinterpret your question.
My recollection from trying a number of Backun barrels including both fatboys and his traditional-shaped ones in both cocobolo and grenadilla is that the difference was not so great as the difference between any of Morrie's barrels and, say, a Moennig or Chadash Buffet-style barrel. I think they were all rounder, more covered sounding with less "bite" than others outside the Backun line, and my comment that it becomes a matter of individual preference still stands.
From my perspective, the clearer and less covered the sound, the easier it is to be heard clearly in an ensemble texture when you need to be. But then, your preference will be formed at least partially by the kind of playing you do and the ensembles you play in. Blending into a concert band clarinet section can require something different from playing a first part in an orchestra. Playing in a smallish classical orchestra may need a different kind of sound quality from playing in a large orchestra that plays a lot of big Romantic repertoire. If you play in a lot of different settings it might be that you'd want more than one barrel available.
Karl
Post Edited (2012-02-17 00:11)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2012-02-17 00:06
(This for some reason duplicated my post above, which my browser somehow sent twice.)
Karl
Post Edited (2012-02-17 00:08)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2012-02-17 11:08
Discussions of barrels should probably be done over a glass of Port and some good cheese. This one and the other recent one are tending to remind me of the recent documentary about the team attempting to duplicate the barrel performance of the original British Dambuster. It's not as simple as it may seem.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2012-02-17 14:04
BobD, I agree.
But Vubble3 is on a Quest. As I recall, he might not be age appropriate for the Port......so it is Coca Cola Classic vs. New CocaCola.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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