 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DLE
Date: 2001-03-05 11:26
Yes, the time has arrived (Now that I have the money, more or less) to get a new B-flat and A clarinet. I've had my eye on the Buffet R-13 for sometime now, but am not ruling out other options.....
My main question is on sets. I made some enquires last week, and it seems that B-Flat and A R-13's are sold separately in the UK, but no longer as a set of 2. Instead, should I get them separate (Possibly different makes), and buy a separate flashy clari case for the both of them?
Also, just how good is the Buffet mouthpiece? I knew people in the past who could never do without them, and others that turn to selmer, or even expensive glass mothpieces! What should I do?? What are your collective experiences on the best mouthpiece, when getting a new instrument.
I would appreciate any advice. For once, this post is actually about a topic that is very important to me.
Thanks.
DLE.
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Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 2001-03-05 11:49
Here' my 10p's worth. When you buy a clarinet, you should try a few out and get the one that seems right to you. The chances of both clarinets in a set being exactly right for you are small, so most people prefer to pick a Bb and an A separately.
You should pick them both from the same manufacturer and the same model if possible: for example, both Buffet, both R13. There are slight differences in the positioning of the keywork between different manufacturers which are hardly noticeable once you get used to them, but might confuse if you are constantly swapping between clarinets. I found that the right little finger keys on my Buffet were very slightly different from my student model Leblanc Vito: the difference was only a few millimetres, but I kept missing the keys at the start.
It is generally accepted that the mouthpiece that comes with Buffet clarinets is rubbish. The first thing you should do is get a decent mouthpiece. Everybody has their own preference. I recommend the Vandoren B45 as a good middle of the road mouthpiece. You will use one mouthpiece between the two clarinets.
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Author: Anji
Date: 2001-03-05 12:25
Congrats on your impending adoption!
I think you have chosen a nice series of horns, that hold their value well (I presume you will purchase new?) and should be very reliable.
Perhaps this is the right track, to audition your new pets independently and see if they will play well together.
If you have an agent that could preselect them based on temperment, all the better.
Some of the Stateside vendors (listed under friends and sponsors of Sneezy) will assist in the selection, but it maybe a bit expensive to ship to the UK.
I'm with Eoin, the stock mouthpieces are likely unfinished plastic, and maybe virtually unplayable.
The Vandoren B45 is a very open tip, and may not be the best match for an advancing player. Something in the "middle of the road" with a tip opening closer to 1.00 to 1.10mm might give more flexibility in reed choice.
Lastly, there are often sets for sale on the classified board. These have typically been through a selection process, much as you have described.
anji
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Author: Gene Wie
Date: 2001-03-06 10:23
A conductor and clarinetist I played for once said to me: "Find a matched set of the two best individual clarinets you can find."
So, what exactly does that mean?
Selling clarinets in a set is a gimmick (at least, those instruments that have not been selected and played by someone already who used them together because of their "similar" qualities). Really what you need to do is to go out, play as many instruments as you can reasonably handle, and select the best of each Bb and A that suit you. It's taken me seven years to finally arrive at two instruments (both R13's)I am satisfied with, both in feel and sound, working on a limited budget.
The mouthpiece that comes with the Buffet instruments is filler. They do not wish to increase the cost of their product by adding an expensive mouthpiece that someone buying a pro model will probably not use. At the same time, not including one just seems....wrong somehow. =)
As for going with Buffet...at least here in Southern CA (which is *not* representative of the entire US) it's tough to find any other brand, period. Stores just do not stock appreciable quantities of Leblanc and Selmer horns. The Yamahas are somewhat easier to find (and they're carried in the megastores like Mars Music) but other than that....Buffet it is. I'm sure your situation in the UK is somewhat better, being much nearer to the source of all that instrument manufacture....
Good luck!
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Author: eilidh
Date: 2001-03-07 21:46
i take it that as you live in bucks you have tried john myatts woodwind and brass?
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