 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Mario
Date: 1999-04-15 12:17
Hello Folks:
That's it! I just did it. I placed an order for an "A" American Bore Rosewood Rossi. This fine instrument will complement my existing "Bb" Rossi of the same type. No need to say I am just delighted with my Rossi. I am looking forward expanding my repertoire by adding this "A". I am told that 40% of the clarinet repertoire is actually written for the "A", especially when the clarinet plays with strings as in chamber music and orchestral music (strings like sharps while clarinets prefer flats). My first objective: to develop the Brahms trio with a couple of advanced amateur friends.
I am interested in starting a Rossi Users Group to exchange ideas on how to exploit the capabilities of this sublime instrument. Special fingerings, solutions to technical problems, specific approach to maintenance, etc.
If anybody is interested, please leave me a e-mail or post to this thread.
Sante!
Mario Poirier
PS: Charles Bay tells me that his new upcoming one body clarinet (still one year away from Release 1) will be even better than the Rossi. I love competition in the top end of the market. I can't wait to see this new instrument and compare.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Fan
Date: 1999-04-19 03:23
How different is the AMerican bore compare
to French bore? How can you match the color
of rose wood to black mouthpieces?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mario
Date: 1999-04-19 13:17
As far as I can tell by reading Mr. Rossi's literature, the French bore is actually bigger than the American one. The American bore is close to the R13 bore (polycylindrical in particular). The terminology can get a little bit confusing at time.
The Rossi comes with 4 bores (American, French, English and Viena - ranked from smaller bore to bigger).
Mouthpiece-wise, I use a wooden mouthpiece (Charles Bay MOM). The mouthpiece is actually brownish. Nonwhistanding the fact that one selects a moutpiece for the sound first, my mouthpiece and the Eddie Daniel #2 ligature I use (black fabric with golden adjusting screw) make for a pretty set-up on the medium brown of rosewood.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: paul
Date: 1999-04-19 21:58
From what I've seen, I believe that the Rossi clarinet is a gorgeous work of art. I seriously doubt that anyone would question this statement after seeing even a picture of one.
I would assume that the American bore Rossi sounds pretty much like a Buffet R-13 in general tone and of course, with beautiful intonation, too.
Do you have any experience comparing your Rossi clarinet to one of the more commonly available pro-grade horns? If so, even though I know you would be biased towards Rossi (who wouldn't be??) can you tell us how the Rossi compares to say, a Buffet R-13, a LeBlanc Opus, a Selmer 10, and/or a Yamaha of equal grade?
...and if I ever get a chance, I'd love to test play a Rossi versus my Buffet Festival, even as an adult novice. It would be like test driving a rival's Formula-1 race car on the Indy test track.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mario
Date: 1999-04-20 12:36
I can share here my experience.
Just before buying my Rossi, I had an R13 professionally maintained with all the usual bells and whistles (proper padding for upper body, Chaddash/Moening barrels - Kloc's adjustments,etc.). My old R13 played as well as any R13 I had seen. I used it for 10 years
Before owning my R13, I had a pro-grade Selmer (do not remember the number - believe Series 9). My R13 was a definite improvement on my Selmer.
I also played extensively on a recent Howarth (a friend's clarinet).
In Columbus last Summer, I spent a lot of time trying different horns. I was impressed by the new Buffet Elite and by the Wurlitzer.
But I fell in love instantly with the Rossi. It was an amazing experience to start playing with this horn. My first experience was instant joy. This has not stopped since.
All my musician friends have noticed a dramatic improvement in mind sound. It is more than just a better tone. The tone is of a different qualitative nature. Rossi sounds like Rossi - a very refined clarinet sound.
Some other testimonials:
My local clarinet maintenance pro (Pascal Veraquin - a first rate technician recommended by Francois Kloc himself) was immediately impressed when he adjusted my new instrument. He had never seens anything like that before. "Amazing" were his words.
But the best "kudos" was from a retired gentleman former principal clarinetist with the Quebec Symphony and now and active Chamber music artist at 70. "I could have build a whole life with this instrument." Coming from somebody with 60 years of experience on the clarinet, that was by far the nicest thing anybody ever said about my instrument.
I am subjective and biased? Maybe, but my Rossi is doing wonderful things to me and that's real.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mario
Date: 1999-04-20 12:40
From a more technical view-point, the American Bore Rossi is a logical transition from a typical Buffet. It has similar bore characteristics and is model of the instrument Rossi sells the most these days.
The other bore are all bigger and will tend to appeal to people who like "big bore sound" for the clarinet.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: fan
Date: 1999-04-21 18:52
Mario:
would you mind to tell me why you choose
rosewood over cocobolo and blackwood?
how different is the feel and sound?
Fan
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mario
Date: 1999-04-21 19:21
There were several Rossi in demonstration in the booth where I bought my instrument. I merely chose the one I liked best when I tried the various model one after the other.
This purchase is one year old already, but I did recall that the Rosewood had less resistance and more color then the other ones. Was it a side effect of the wood, or a side effect of the idiosynchrasis of this particular clarinet? I do not know.
Essentially, I bought the instrument that I liked most at the time. It happened to be rosewood.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Joanne
Date: 1999-04-29 05:14
I'm a wanna-be Rossi user! I just discovered the website, and it was love at first sight! Glad to hear they play as beautifully as they look. Was there a long wait for your instruments?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
