 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-05-16 17:21
Attachment: rg1.jpg (79k)
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Attachment: rg5.jpg (124k)
Recently I stumbled over a new model over at Hanson's, the RG-1. As I am in the process of thinking about a new outdoor instrument, I was intrigued about a plastic-yet-not-plastic instrument with silver plated keys. Anyhow, it was a new model, it had an introductory price, and I got a tax return. Ka-ching!, deal.
Now, what did I get for a bit less than £300 (shipped, w/o taxes and customs fees)? I'd like to stress that this is a new product and I consider myself as an early adopter, so there may be (or may be not) minor differences with a later-series instrument.
The clarinet came in a standard case, not some backpack as you might think from looking at the web site picture. Nice for me, as I put it in my own backpack anyway, along with music stand, sheets, glasses, you name it.
Visual inspection was eventless, the throat A had a bit of play and their pads open not as much as usual - maybe the A touchpiece stopper cork is too thick? I left it at that, just tightened the A adjustment screw a bit to reduce the play.
Corks were sanded accurately, just a wee bit of grease and everything holds together nicely, no wobble, no red face while assembling.
I did not bother to use the accompanying mouthpiece (La Voz), I took my Fobes Debut and lo and behold, no wobble either. (a constant source of chagrin as apparently not two barrels have the same I.D. on the mouthpiece side. But this time it worked)
Playing revealed - nothing. It just played as if I had it in my hands for weeks or months. No leaks, no Gorilla Grip (tm) required, no issues with the ring heights, it played out of the box up and down with ease.
Tuning - this is an A=440 instrument, and at that setting the tuner would stay mostly with the needle in the middle - three cents here, five cents there, no nasty surprises with "sore" notes. Even the (subjectively) low venting on the throat keys had no effect, maybe a faint hiss, but no flatness.
For continental Europeans with A=442 - consider using a fresh reed every so often. Amazing what a fresh reed can do for your pitch. Nonetheless it'd be nice if Hanson would offer an ever-so-slightly shorter (the stock one is 65mm) barrel. Or maybe I was just too shy to ask, who knows.
Resistance - this is a student instrument, per the web site. It is very easy to play, with a nice backpressure, no "lost motion", but no red face either. I did not perceive any big difference between registers, it is a rather uniform experience. Clamp on and play.
Sound - I'm not going to annoy you with a load of buzzwords. I liked it. For a proper evaluation, I'd probably have to listen to someone, and even then I wouldn't know whether it's the mouthpiece, the player or the instrument.
Keywork - silver plated. According to the web site, it's "antimony silver" plated which I understand is "hard silver" or "restaurant silver" or so; it's some silver alloy that is harder than pure silver, it keeps its nice "grip", but theoretically it should be more resistant to tarnishing and so on. Some cutlery manufacturers use the same alloy for their flatware. I'll see how this performs in the future. Else the keywork is quite stiff and responsive. LH spatulas have pins, not levers. Adjustable thumb rest with strap ring, cork pads on register and C#/G# keys.
Construction - the body is (said to be) made of some grenadilla/resin mix, it's difficult to tell from merely looking at the instrument. There is the familiar "plastic clarinet keywork noise", eg when you close the upper joint rings and open the hand on the lower joint, there's that slap when the bridge mechanism hits the body. I couldn't identify the bumper material, but something softer might be nice.
Labelling - the body says "SE" (the name of their intermediate line), and there are no serial numbers. I don't know if this is due to it being a new product, or if that's how it is supposed to be. Some kind of serial number would be nice for schools or other entities maintaining some inventory system. I just mention it...
I also have no idea how I am supposed to know that the material is something better/different - it looks like plastic, then again it does not, there is some tint with the light at the right angle, then it looks like brushed ABS. Oh well.
Packing quirks - the instrument came with two Vandoren reeds, a #1.5 Bb and a #2.5 Eb reed, cork grease, but no swab.
All in all a neat product. Solid workmanship, playable out of the box, good keywork and ergonomics.
Is it better than your standard plastic Yamaha or Buffet? Damned if I knew.
But, there's a five year warranty on parts and labour, and they promise to take it back at full value should you ever want to upgrade to a higher-end model. And Hanson's are FSC certified, something I consider when buying wood.
--
Ben
Post Edited (2012-05-17 11:59)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-05-16 17:57
Looks pretty well made; cork pads (or cork like synthetic) and an adjustable thumbrest..............should be pretty nice.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: BobD
Date: 2012-05-17 11:33
Good straightforward review for a bashful guy,Ben. But....did you mean to say LH?
Bob Draznik
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-05-17 11:56
Thanks Bob - I edited a bit, hopefully in a clarifying manner.
--
Ben
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-05-25 09:16
(duplicate, please delete)
--
Ben
Post Edited (2012-05-25 09:55)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-05-25 09:53
Attachment: CradleArm.jpg (73k)
Update: I now played it rather intensely during the last week, in three rehearsals with three different groups. The main contestants within the clarinet section were Buffet RCs and RC Prestiges.
My fears re being too flat were unfounded; after a 5 minute warmup the instrument was nicely in tune with the rest of the section.
There were two or three passages where only two or three of us had to play in unison, and the RG-1 was a very good match for the two prestiges, pitch, timbre and volume-wise. I totally forgot about the key noise, either it has eased up, or it's just noticeable in a quiet practice room.
For fun, we swapped instruments (but not mouthpieces) between pieces, and the difference between a Prestige and the RG-1 was a) weight (the Hanson being a tad lighter) and b) spring tension (Hanson having a stiffer action). But the key layout was very close, including the ring height.
(Before someone asks, no, the Hanson doesn't have an aux Eb lever)
Speaking of "stiff action", I noticed that the nibs with the spring cradles are rather long - about 5mm vs ~1..2mm on other instruments. This makes for a longer lever arm, theoretically allowing for a thinner spring which might be easier to adjust. Maybe not, what do I know. There must be a reason they did it this way, I guess...
So, I think I bought a fine instrument, especially considering it's less than $500 including shipping. I like the silverplated keywork, I like the sound and the ease of playing. I'll just add a padded thumb rest, but that's about it re modifications.
--
Ben
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