 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: JamesOrlandoGarcia
Date: 2012-03-25 18:36
I was at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic when I half seriously stopped at the Yamaha booth to try their clarinets. I picked up the CSGIIH-L which felt light like a toy and started playing it. I was completely blown away at what I was experiencing. I had never played clarinets ever where I felt like the response, tone and intonation just clicked the way they did.
Fast track a few months later and I received that Bb that I played at Midwest and a matching A clarinet. For clarification, these are CSGII’s with Hamilton plating which is a combination of gold and nickel and they have the low e/f correction mechanism.
I know when we talk about gear as a group of clarinet fans we talk about sound and these clarinets have it. However for those of us who play orchestral and chamber music to a high degree, our primary concern is intonation because our fellow wind and string players won’t care how beautiful our sound is if we cannot play in tune. The CSGII’s peg green on the tuner at 440 like I have never experienced before and playing them in an orchestral setting, they have the flexibility to adjust to any unique tuning structure that is required. The low e/f makes playing spots in Mozart, Weber, and Brahms are a whole new experience. So now playing with solid intonation isn’t a gymnastics feat any longer which makes playing that much more fun.
The tone quality is breathtaking. I was told that these clarinets were modeled
after a German bore design but modified to work with french style mouthpieces. I feel like I finally sound like myself for the first time in my entire clarinet life. The sound is uniquely me. Somewhat “Germanic” but it is flexible. I’m playing the solo in Blue Shades tonight and these horns allow me to produce the jazzy sound I need without a hitch but I could play Brahms 3 with a completely different sound right on the spot. My point is that the CSGII’s work in any setting and do it as if it were just designed for that setting alone.
Pricing! 4k for the Bb and 4.5k for the A with the hamilton keys. That is about 2k less per horn than the comparatively priced Buffet Tosca. Also these horns come with with a very high quality set up of leather, synthetic and cork pads. These is no need for an overhaul like there is with Buffet clarinets. Yamaha really struck gold here. Yamaha who makes absolutely everything including motor bikes, managed to make a set of clarinets that I feel were hand made just for me. Envision what you dream clarinets would be like and how they would respond and feel. I’ve found that from Yamaha and it feels amazing.
Try these clarinets out. Even if you aren't in the market, you may find yourself ready to sell your old clarinets as quickly as I did for a set of these. I prefer the gold (hamilton) plating but I'd recommend trying both iterations because it does effect how the clarinets play.
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Author: ayrib
Date: 2012-03-25 23:01
Hi James,
Glad to hear you are happy with your purchase.
You seem to be on cloud 9 with your new clarinet (s)
It's wonderful when you gel with your instrument.
Yamaha are a good company and I have the Yamaha 650 and I am delighted with it.
I also have one of their Clavinova's which I am currently selling and once it goes I will be looking to upgrade to either your Clarinet or maybe take a look at The Selmer's particulary The Privilege model.
Can I ask if you tried the other clarinets like The Selmer's and Leblancs and Buffets before you decided on Yamaha. I would be interested to know as I hopefully in the near future will be upgrading.
I think it is great to have a clarinet which is flexible in that you can play Jazz or change to Classical to suit your needs.
Nice to read a post where a member is happy and contented with his purchase.
After all picking the right clarinet can be as difficult as picking a new car.
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Author: JamesOrlandoGarcia
Date: 2012-03-26 02:30
Hi Ayrib,
I tried nearly every professional model clarinet that is available out there. I wrote a post about my experience at Midwest trying clarinets. Buffet clarinets were the worst. Horrible intonation, voicing, and response. I played a set of Buffet r-13s that were fantastic but none of the new horns available played anywhere close to my horns.
I didn't care for the Selmer Privilege in the least. There was something about it that just didn't gel for me. I was quite fond of the Selmer Signatures. They were consistently flat but that was probably more due to my Vandoren 13 series mouthpiece. With a regular series, the pitch was just fine. Leblanc isn't making much these days. I tried Backun's clarinets and they were really quite stellar.
The CSGII's just seemed to have everything I was looking for in terms of their character in addition to the outstanding intonation, voicing and response. In addition to being among the best, they were cheaper by a huge margin.
Yamaha's other professional model clarinets are really nice too. The 650 and SEV are more french traditional than the CSG series is. The Bells and whistles of the CSGII are great but you should strongly consider trying any CSG you can get your hands on.
I have absolutely no regrets about buying these clarinets.
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Author: S.H.J.
Date: 2012-03-26 03:54
Hey James, just curious - do you play on a 13 Series mouthpiece with these new CSGs? If so, did you have get a shorter barrel, or does it tune well with just the stock barrel?
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Author: JamesOrlandoGarcia
Date: 2012-03-26 04:13
The CSGII's came with two barrels for each of the clarinets. With the M3013 the pitch is right where I need it. I'm not flat however I barely need to pull out during rehearsal. I use the longer Bb barrel and the shorter A barrel. I'd change mouthpieces with these clarinets before changing barrels if pitch was an issue.
I've always struggled in the past to stay at 440. When I was using a Richard Hawkins mouthpiece and r-13s I swear my pitch was at 444 and even with the 13 series I would still hover around 441 on my r13s.
I know some people would probably end up playing consistently flat if they were using a 13 series mouthpiece on any horn. Solution? Get the traditional series instead. Every emboucher, set of teeth and oral cavity are different.
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Author: clarinet76
Date: 2012-03-26 08:36
Hi James, Thank you very much for the review.
I have one question: What does the E/F correction key feel like?
Does it interrupt the playing in any way when you don't use it?
Thanks!
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Author: JamesOrlandoGarcia
Date: 2012-03-26 08:45
It doesn't interfere with my playing at all. It is perfectly out of the way yet is there when you need it. Off subject but I feel the same about auxiliary eb key as well. It's the best design of the key I've seen.
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