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Back to Yamaha

Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-08-24 01:27

After a straight week strictly playing the R-13 and being convinced that despite its deficits, it presents the best compromise of what is possible in a clarinet, I switched back to my Yamaha CSV for this week. I haven't played the Yamaha for a week because the Buffet just came back from the shop and the Yamaha had a wiggly thumb rest. Today I fixed the thumb rest using a suggestion coming from this board. I partially filled the hole with a few drops of crazy glue, let it dry and then the screws seemed to hook up nicely.

When I played the Yamaha with a B46 mpc the tested scale was awfully sharp except for the lowest E which was flat (strange, on the Buffet the low F is the flat one and the E is on the money). I put a Yamaha 4CM mpc on and the entire chromatic became dead on except for the low E again. (Can a mouthpiece alter the entire scale 5 to 7 cents? -wow).

Now for the tone and response. Well, after a week of only playing the Buffet, suddenly I noticed a powerful beaming tubular wood sound with little tendency for the tone to fluctuate pitch. Suddenly the added resistance of the Yamaha didn't seem to bother me. The throat A bears a striking tonal resemblance to the clarion B above it. The altissimo C and D were not abrasive or piercing and the overall feeling was round with a touch of brilliance. My ears have been tested by an audiologist who said that for a man of almost 60 I show almost no signs of diminished sensitivity so I'm not attracted to the Yamaha for it's pronounced extra treble qualities.

I originally told my wife that I bought two professional instruments only to compare each and decide which one to sell. (Either one could easily be sold for what I paid). Now I convinced I'll have to sell something else or work a little overtime. I love them both. (Buffet - Warm and rich and hard to control. Yamaha -beaming and tubular and entirely reliable).

Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com

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