 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2015-04-07 19:00
I am looking into getting a decent clarinet without possibility of cracking. I will be moving up north to Minnesota in a year or so. I had been looking at Ridenour for a while, but wasn't really in the market for a clarinet at the time. Still, I was aware of his clarinets. They seemed to have good, but not great reviews. Lately, everyone seems to love his Libertas. So I've mentioned these clarinets to a few people, my current teacher, and my first teacher who had been mentoring me on clarinet for a long time now. My mentor says the only NONWOOD CLARINET(edit) he recommends is Greenline r13. My current teacher claims that about half her students play ridenours and that they break constantly and have many other issues. She claims that this experience is current, not from years past. I have seen sooooo many great reviews for these clarinets online. But I'm told by people who I respect to not buy one, because of these issues. My original mentor also claims that no US symphony players play on one, and that they are definitely NOT professional instruments, and to beware. I am aware that the greenline clarinet could crack if they fell over or had a small drop. I can't afford a repair bill. I did point out to my mentor that the Libertas had had many great reviews, and it seems he discounted them. Thoughts?
Post Edited (2015-04-09 07:26)
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Author: richard smith
Date: 2015-04-07 19:25
Try a Ridenour, or any other of interest to you, but be sure to try before buy. I have owned Ridenours for many years and selected mine to be of excellent intonation , mechanical design and construction, and well-balanced acoustically. The TR 147s he tuned and adjusted can be a super value. Again, try before buy
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-04-07 21:05
There are some confusing elements to your confusion. It almost seems as though you wish to discount the Greenline clarinets (which are far more expensive) based on a technicality (there will always be SOMETHING to avoid on any horn that will destroy it.........just be careful with your horns). Hard rubber is also more brittle (more vulnerable to being snapped in half than wood).
But for the money (which I THINK is a consideration here) the Ridenour horns are quite nice on many levels).
At the point where you develop your ears and prejudices so that you can narrow your hunt down much further, it would be then you would worry about one top-of-the-line horn vs. another (and you WILL have to accept their Achilles Heels).
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: PhillipS
Date: 2015-04-07 21:22
My working understanding of cracks is that it's not the speed, it's the acceleration. In other words, temperature or humidity do not crack instruments, but rapid changes in temperature do crack instruments.
Particularly if you heat up the inside of a instrument, the inside of the bore will expand much faster than the outside, which will result in a crack if there are already unstable fault lines along the grain of the wood.
I got to overhaul a fantastic instrument that I found in the bottom of a box in a music shop attic. A Buffet from the teens. It had probably been up there for 50 midwest winters. It had one small hairline crack, and that was it. I filled it, and only a very trained eye could see the work, and the rest of the clarinet looked like it had just come out of the factory. Incredible instrument. But, if cold and heat themselves caused cracks, that thing would have been in a million pieces. And what about all the woodwind players in history before humidity control?
I think a wood instrument will be fine, as long as you make an effort to not leave it in the cold. And if you do, to make sure it comes to room temperature, and that you warm it up with your hands on the outside before playing.
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2015-04-07 21:28
Thanks to all for the comments. After triple checking the return policy, I ordered a Libertas.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-08 01:59
I am not sure what is meant by "breaks constantly" ... I've two of Tom Ridenour's clarinets, a Libertas and a Speranza (similar acoustics to the RCP576) and, other than normal routine maintenance, have had no issues.
Also interested why your teacher would recommend the Greenline models ... sounds like concerns over consistency, stability and cracking? Remember, the Greenline material is so dissimilar to real solid wood. IMHO, it's Buffet's need to really and truly abandon wood, due to it's scarcity of quality, but without the marketing shock by going to something totally different. You combine Blackwood dust with plastic and epoxy resins, compress under heat ... now since it's mostly wood dust, you have an expensive form of particle board. And people will buy it ... because it's (mostly) WOOD! Real solid wood is steak and Greenline is meatloaf ... a good analogy, it think.
You didn't mention which models they are having problems with ... there were some models, sold by dealers that didn't get the care and final QC that Tom provides with instruments sold directly.
There are many professionals, some in major orchestras, that play Ridenour clarinets, especially his instrument pitched in C.
Tom does not compensate players to use or endorse his products ... but you can find many good reviews of his clarinets by well known professionals that are secure enough in their profession to state their opinion, without fear of peer pressure.
Once you play the Libertas for a couple of days, borrow an R13 and see what you think. Get/keep the one you like!
Remember, the Libertas is basically the tried and true design of the Leblanc Concerto and Opus, only it's in hard rubber. If you like the Concerto or Opus (as thousands have ... e.g. Eddie Daniels, Larry Combs ...) you will love the Libertas.
Not saying that R13 is bad at all (it's actually great, in many ways!) ... but very different, and IMHO, more difficult to play than the Ridenour designs.
Ridenour Clarinet Products biggest mistake, in some ways, was to under-price their clarinets.
And, I have no pecuniary interest with the Ridenours ... just a customer.
Tom
Post Edited (2015-04-08 03:02)
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2015-04-08 02:50
Comparing an R13 to a Ridenour horn is like comparing apples and kumquats.
Both very good instruments, but different in sound, response characteristics, tuning, and blowing qualities.
Pick the one you like, but don't agonize over materials before you try either one.
B.
P.S. I play R13s, Rossis, a Ridenour C, and libertas Libertas (which I use for chamber work). They're all significantly different from each other.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-08 03:10
Yes ... all different, all great in their own way.
Get one now, later on, you can increase to your arsenal of weapons ...
Tom
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Author: locke9342
Date: 2015-04-08 05:37
I have noticed a few problems with my 576bc and they are really annoying, but I havn't sent it back for various reasons. On the other hand I have had several compliments on my tone and my intonations is pretty spot on
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2015-04-08 05:43
Well, ordering the horn today was pretty scary. I will ask my teacher to give it an unbiased play test when it gets here.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-08 07:13
"I have noticed a few problems with my 576bc and they are really annoying, but I havn't sent it back for various reasons. On the other hand I have had several compliments on my tone and my intonations is pretty spot on"
Just wondering what kind of problems you have had ... considering ordering a 576 later this year ....
When I ordered my Libertas, over a year ago, I think Ted told be that the latest batch of 576s showed up with substantially improved keywork ... the factory did an upgrade, somehow, someway ...
Tom
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Author: locke9342
Date: 2015-04-08 07:15
Well my low e/b crows foot came out of whack and I have a ringing noise in some ranges
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-08 07:40
Wow ... I suspect the ringing noise is something loose and rattling with certain notes ...
Yeah, I wonder what kind or instrument you would have if you threw a thousand or more dollars at your Lyrique and got someone to spare no expense in tweaking to the highest possible esoteric level ... Tom does a really good job getting his horns ready, but it's not a thousand dollar tweak ... which I am sure he is capable of doing. Best thing is to do your own repairs and tweaks, and get just what you want ...
I had a snobby (but actually very good) repair shop turn up their nose at my Lyrique a couple of years ago ... that's when I ordered supplies and started doing my own thing again ... Their arrogance and ignorance cost them my business ... forever.
Tom
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-04-08 16:11
Interesting idea about bias. I tried a new horn a few weeks ago and made a quick on the spot judgement that it was ok, but could not do what I wanted. I went back to the horn and played on it over the course of a week. What I found over time was that the auditioned horn can do a few things that my horn can't. Turns out that if you are used to NOT doing something, it doesn't immediately occur to you to try doing it on a horn you're trying out.
That is a bias not easy to overcome!
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: Wisco99
Date: 2015-04-08 16:23
As a neutral observer we seem to be comparing wood, refined particle board, and hard rubber...just 3 choices. In the flute world every manufacturer of professional flutes has several unique combinations of metals so it a much more complex issue. My 1975 R13 has never cracked and I live in Wisconsin and used to live in Minneapolis. Then again I never had a hard rubber mouthpiece crack. I have no experience with refined particle board. Try them all on approval if you can, but in the end you pays your money, and you takes your chances. I keep a small device in my case that I think I bought from The Doctor that shows the humidity level in my case, and I add a small wet sponge to try and keep everything stable. Oh yeah, dress really warm for the winters, they last a long time.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2015-04-08 20:02
Speaking of bias among very accomplished players, WITHOUT EXCEPTION every Buffet player who has tried my Rossi instruments over the years has rejected them as "inferior" to their own instruments for one reason or another.
This has also been true of the Ridenour instruments I've let people play, though I assumed at the outset that they wouldn't pass, even before a note was played, because they're hard rubber.
The only way a person, no matter how good a player, can properly evaluate an instrument is to approach it with an open mind AND ESPECIALLY play it long enough to learn how the instrument wants to be played. A few scales and a few honks aren't enough, nor is switching back and forth between two dissimilar instruments over a short period.
B.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2015-04-08 22:22
To try to avoid bias about the way various instruments sound, my violin-playing husband and I like to do blind "tasting sessions," where the one who's testing an instrument plays the same passages on the newbie and on selected others. The player keeps a record of the order ("No. 1: 1979 Buffet" for instance) while the listener takes notes on how each sample sounds. The person doing the listening sits with back turned to the person playing and never sees the instruments.
We do our best to set the instruments up honestly. I won't deliberately put a bad reed on a clarinet or use an inappropriate mouthpiece, for instance. Usually we'll put at least one inferior CSO or VSO (clarinet-shaped object; violin-shaped object) into the mix, along with our favorite instruments. Also, we may play the same instrument twice in a row.
Blind tasting won't overcome the problem that we probably play best on our most familiar instruments, but we've gotten some helpful (and sometimes surprising!) results.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-09 04:35
Not had wood cracking issues since HS ... and I deserved it, back then! But I suspect that it does drift in dimensions ...
I've have mixed reviews with "elevator tests" of my Lyrique clarinets ... but I'd say 80% liked them ... also weird is the impression that the Libertas is darker/brighter and less resistance/more resistance in respect to R13s. Varies with players ...
Heard story that years ago someone handed Robert Marcellus a Leblanc Opus to try ... he played a few notes, make a face and handed it back with the comment: "dead". I think from time to time, Leblanc tried to get him to endorse their instruments ... and with no luck.
Tom
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2015-04-14 08:07
Lyrique arrived. WITHOUT THE MOUTHPIECE I ORDERED. And I don't have a spare clarinet mouthpiece lying around. While Ted was apologetic, and said he'll get one out asap, it definitely was a disappointment. Case looks decent. I rescheduled an appointment to wait for UPS to deliver. Delayed my tax session with H&R Block. Waited all damn day till about 5:30, and almost ended up missing him. Just to get to assemble the clarinet and look at it. Even though the mouthpiece is on it's way(tomorrow, hopefully), it doesn't give me warm fuzzies about this thing. I guess I'll have to wait 2 more days to play it. Sigh...
Post Edited (2015-04-14 08:09)
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Author: locke9342
Date: 2015-04-14 08:12
Your case looked decent? My 576bc looked very cheap and came with some cheap Chinese reed and cork grease
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2015-04-14 08:39
Well, it was about as good I guess as my old yamaha student clarinet case. When i finished at h&r block, My refund was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I could buy a greenline r13 for just a grand more than what I paid for the lyrique. Which I can now afford. I'll give the ridenour till Thursday afternoon. If I decide to return it, I'll know by then, as my lesson is that afternoon, and my teacher can give it a whirl.
Post Edited (2015-04-14 12:42)
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Author: donald
Date: 2015-04-14 13:28
A pity that you're not able to play it with the mouthpiece you are used to... what happened to that? You won't really be able to make a good comparison to your previous clarinet as you will be adjusting to a new mouthpiece/reed combo
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2015-04-14 14:44
Who is your teacher??
Quality wise, they are very good. Intonation wise also great.
There are bands in which the entire section plays them, and they have won top placements in Texas All State Band Competitions.
So possibly your teacher is a major Professor, possibly just a clone of what the "word" is basically reguritating the Buffet Corporate line.....
I play a Ridenour C Clarinet in my Opera Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Clarinetists plays one.........
I have it on video in a recital that I might upload at some point. Sarasate piece.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2015-04-14 16:05
I don't currently own a Bb. I'm coming g back to it after leaving it after 3 weeks to only play bass and contra.
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2015-04-14 16:07
My mentor, my first teacher, does not wish me to involve them in any public posts I make on this forum, I have gathered. I am honoring their wishes.
Post Edited (2015-04-14 16:54)
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2015-04-14 16:19
Why possibly would you try a clarinet with a new mouthpiece that's an exercise in absurdity. You have zero chance of figuring out whether you like the clarinet or not because you don't know how the mouthpiece plays.
Only ever try a clarinet with the set up that you were very used to.
I would suggest sending the clarinet back, as it sounds like your teacher is prejudiced, so zero point in trying something that he doesn't bless.
Good luck with the greenline, they don't impress me at all.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
Post Edited (2015-04-14 16:20)
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Author: MartyMagnini
Date: 2015-04-14 17:48
xeys,
I'm sorry, but I have to agree that trying the clarinet with a new mouthpiece will tell you nothing about the clarinet OR the mouthpiece, other than the overall quality of the clarinet (fit, finish, etc.) But you won't be able to attribute any sound qualities, intonation, stufiness, etc. - it could be the clarinet, the mouthpiece, the reed - too many variables.
That being said, if I had a Libertas and a Greenline sitting in front of me, and I could choose either one (cost not being an issue) I would choose the LIbertas 10 times out of 10. Pocketing the extra $1000 would just be a bonus.
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Author: Wisco99
Date: 2015-04-14 17:55
What in the world does being an undergraduate, post graduate, or not having a teacher have to do with whether you should let another person determine whether you should be buying a particular brand of clarinet? Are they paying for it, and do they have to play it? Professional musicians I have known over the years, and by that I mean people who have made a living playing music for a living often have different brands of clarinets for different characteristics they have for different situations. Same for flute and saxophone. What works for a teacher at whatever level of your academic education does not mean that is the best instrument for you. Since it is the musicians money and they have to play the clarinet, they are in the drivers seat and I do believe have the right to play whatever brand they wish if it happens to work for them. That applies to clarinets, trumpets, trombones, saxophones, flutes, or piano's. I have met too many teachers at the college level who are living in the past, very set in their ways, and have very closed minds. He who pays for an instrument has the right to pick whatever they desire, it is their money and they are the ones who are going to play it. Same things applies to mouthpieces. If that is a problem with a teacher then perhaps the problem lies with the teacher and not the clarinet.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-04-14 18:32
Wisco, what really rattles my cage is, as a brasswind major at University, one could play any reputable make or model of brass instrument, as long as you could play it up to the standards expected. The same courtesy is not extended to woodwind players. Why the double standard?
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Author: Wisco99
Date: 2015-04-14 19:17
Gregory, aka Ursa.
We all get our cages rattled from time to time. Yeah, I know trumpet players with Bach's, Benge, Schilke, Monette, and fifty mouthpieces and still collecting. In the flute world we seem to have freedom now to play Powell, old Haynes, Brannen, Muramatsu, Nagahara and so on. Same for saxophones. For some unknown reason clarinets seem to be treated differently which is crazy to me. I know a musician in the Milwaukee Symphony I have worked with wou used to play a Rossi, and I loved the light weight of it. One day I saw him in a music store and he had just bought some new Buffet R13's. Go figure. The jazz guys like the centered tone Selmer's of years past. The studio guys usually have several depending on the music they are to play. I guess you could just change your name to Rodney Dangerfield. Life is too short to play on something that does not make you happy.
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Author: MartyMagnini
Date: 2015-04-14 19:29
Wisco99 wrote:
Life is too short to play on something that does
> not make you happy.
That's the best sentence in this entire thread!
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-15 00:55
Amen.
Get what you really, really, really want ... but at least, just for reference, give the Libertas a fair shot and compare it as unbiased as possible with your teacher's R13 ... even if the Libertas plays better, you still might be happier with the Buffet. And your teacher won't mind, either.
Ditto on not changing more than one thing at a time. If you had a MP and range of reeds that you were familiar with, then the instrument comparison would make more sense.
I worked for an engineering firm once (or thrice), and we were doing almost pure research on one project ... not really knowing where we were going, just collecting data. But, we determined that is was folly to change more than one parameter at a time and run our tests ...
Tom
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Author: jonok
Date: 2015-04-15 05:25
You'll be really annoyed if you just do what your teacher says, and eventually realise he/she just a person with a set of skills you're looking to develop yourself. Just make sure you're not acquiring their biases along with those skills. It's difficult, because we all naturally would like to love our teachers.
Luckily for me, I DO love my teacher, and what she says about "playing" the clarinet, I know now to shut up and listen. About equipment, she has her experience, which is valuable to hear, but it's NOT definitive. I make my own decisions.
Worth quoting Wisco99 again.
Life is too short to play on something that does not make you happy.
You spend an hour a week maybe with your teacher - you'll be spending way more time with your clarinet - put the effort into finding the right one FOR YOU.
-----------------------------
There are teachers, and there are players who teach: not the same thing.
-------------------
aspiring fanatic
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2015-04-16 21:06
"My current teacher claims that about half her students play ridenours and that they break constantly and have many other issues. "
I find this to be a very odd statement. First of all, how can a clarinet "break"? And what are the "many other issues"? Sounds to me like it's the students who are mistreating the clarinets.
Second, if Ridenours are so bad, why are half her students playing them?
I don't mean to denigrate your teacher, but you gotta realize that when you ask someone's opinion about a certain brand, unless they've tried it themselves, the answer you're going to get is pure hearsay. "Well, I heard that…" is hardly an informed opinion.
I own an A Ridenour and love it. I sent it back to Tom after two weeks for the free tweaking-as-needed that he had promised. It plays very, very well. And he threw in a Bb/A double case at no extra charge. I shared several lengthy, delightful conversations with Tom on the phone. And I'm looking into buying a low C bass from him.
From where I sit, Ridenour clarinets are fine instruments and every time I meet someone who is looking to buy a new clarinet, I send them to him. This is my informed opinion.
Post Edited (2015-04-16 21:29)
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2015-04-17 01:51
Thanks for all opinions and thoughts. Teacher didn't like it, and I will listen to them. The experiment is over, and I will be returning the clarinet. If the instrument works for others, that's good. I know I can get a brand new greenline r13 for 3k otd, which isn't that much more. Happy clarineting!
Post Edited (2015-04-17 03:06)
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Author: senator1214
Date: 2015-04-17 03:59
Why does it always seem like it's only Buffett or bust?
That's a rhetorical question.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-04-17 05:32
Good luck with your Buffet search--I hope you find the one that you'll want to spend the rest of your life with.
Having owned a Ridenour 576BC since 2010, I can honestly say they aren't for everyone. As it turns out, I am parting ways with mine.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-17 17:52
Too bad ... I've owned Buffet R13s (still have an A) and IMHO, no comparison with the Ridenour instruments in tuning, warmth and uniformity ... I sold my Buffet B-flat after purchasing one of Tom's student line clarinets ... I now play a Lyrique Libertas, mostly.
I had a teacher (George) that was a major Buffet apologist a number of years ago ... tried everything and kept going back to the R13. Lost track of George for a few months, only to discover he had abandoned his Buffet for a Yamaha YCL-72! I was surprised, but he loved his new clarinet.
I suspect I will add a Buffet Festival to my collection someday ... my favorite in the affordable Paris made stuff ...
Enjoy your new R13!! The Greenline will be more consistent and maybe more durable than the solid wood.
Tom
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Author: sax panther
Date: 2015-04-17 18:45
xeys_00 - I'm interested...you say the teacher didn't like it.
You didn't mention if you liked it.
Can you let me know what you thought of it, independent of your teacher's opinions? I'm interested, partially because I'm considering getting a hard rubber instrument - I've ended up in a band that does a lot of busking, so hard rubber would be ideal.
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2015-04-17 19:21
It's so interesting how the opinions here are so divergent--some people love the brand, some are noncommittal at best.
I would second sax panther's question as to your feeling about the instrument as opposed to your teacher's; however, I know that when I have been taking lessons, I am happy to listen to whatever my teacher says. I naturally assume they know more than I do, and want to hear their reasoning.
At the same time, however, I would want to know exactly why something is true . These days, with so many different brands out there that are basically good instruments, it can be hard to find something that's really a bad horn. The quality of instrument manufacturing across the board has really gone up, including the horns from China that used to be pooh-poohed.
I think then that if someone doesn't like a brand, it's really more of a personal opinion than anything based on proven fact. My Bb is a wooden Selmer 10S, and my A is a Ridenour Lyrique. I got the Ridenour simply because it was a lot less expensive than other brands. The Ridenour has a significantly different feel from the Selmer, and if someone put a wood A Buffet in my hands, it would feel more familiar and comfortable to me. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the Buffet is a better horn or that the Ridenour is inferior.
So again I think a lot of this is what we have experienced and what we feel comfortable with. That's cool but you can't use that to say that another brand is not as good or acceptable. Your teacher didn't like the Ridenour, but that doesn't make it a bad brand.
Post Edited (2015-04-18 00:15)
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Author: MartyMagnini
Date: 2015-04-17 20:38
The bias of some players and teachers is very strong. I think they believe they are using their best judgement, but the bias is too strong in them. There are TONS of band directors who still think plastic reeds are TERRIBLE, and should never be used by anyone for any reason. When you tell them that world class players - principals of major orchestras - are using them, they just think you're lying, or are mistaken. Sad.
I would be interested to hear the same teachers' response if they heard their student playing different instruments, but didn't know which one was which. My guess is that the Ridenour horns would fair much better overall than they do when teachers know their students are playing an "off brand".
BTW, I have no affiliation with Ridenour - I do have a Ridenour Bb, A, and C clarinet, and have bought a couple of basses for my band. But I have other clarinets, too, and use different instruments for different venues/types of music. I have no quarrel with anyone who chooses brand loyalty to an instrument maker, so long as they keep an open mind and are willing to re-adjust their opinions as new instrument making techniques and materials warrant them. I was in the Buffet "mafia" for most of my life, and have played some truly great Buffet clarinets. They're not my particular cup of tea these days - I prefer the instruments coming from Backun, Ridenour, and Yamaha. But I hope I maintain an open mind, and would never "force" a brand on a student.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-18 00:04
I think if Buffet cloned Tom Ridenours acoustic design, kept the Buffet trill keys, (secretly made it in Ebonite), and multiplied the price 4X, after they caught on, you wouldn't be able to keep them in stock ... flying off the production line like chicken mac-nuggets.
It is interesting about the trill keys ... I've heard that Tom wanted to use the inline keys on the Concerto and Opus, but Leblanc wanted to keep the classic look ... afraid a patron sitting on the 3rd row and cognizant of clarinets, , might recognize the clarinet as a "non Buffet" and stick their fingers in their ears, refusing to listen, running into the lobby screaming and demanding their money back ... !
Tom
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2015-04-18 00:20
"afraid a patron sitting on the 3rd row and cognizant of clarinets, , might recognize the clarinet as a "non Buffet" and stick their fingers in their ears, refusing to listen, running into the lobby screaming and demanding their money back … !"
Well, I did that one time since I was indeed morally offended, but for some reason they refused to give me my money back! What's wrong with the world!?
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-18 00:42
You thought you were attending a Church Revival and prayer meeting .. and the curtain parted with a production of "Old Calcutta" ...
Ever hear the Homer and Jethro (with Spike Jones) recording of getting trapped in a theater, watching the opera "Palachi" for seven hours, thinking it was gonna be a western ... and couldn't leave because it was pouring down rain outside? That's good stuff ... if you are over 65 years old today!
Boy! We what does a Lyrique Libertas have to do with Homer and Jethro (with Spike Jones)? (don't answer that question!) I've really deviated ...
Tom
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2015-04-21 02:48
Well, since I didn't get the mouthpiece that was supposed to be paired with the clarinet until 3 days after I received the clarinet itself, I didn't actually play it until the day I had my lesson with my teacher. And since I never really learned Bb(left for bass and contra about 2 months after I started) I didn't have any skills to speak of. I had bought the ridenour to be my 1 horn to see me all the way from my beginning skill level to however good I would get. I do remember assembling it and feeling like it wasn't as well made as most clarinets I have seen. The metal rings on the barrel were already loose and turned freely. Maybe if I had had the mouthpiece i wouldn't have returned it. But in the 3 days I had it in the case waiting for the mouthpiece, I researched a lot of prices for clarinets, and I ended up feeling like it was overpriced. Now, before I get crucified, understand this was my opinion. So, I'd already had an uneasy feeling before my lesson that Thursday. Teacher really didn't like the keywork, the rings were too high, the sound was buzzy in the mid register. They thought maybe it was a dud, but they were of the opinion that this particular horn was not a good purchase. They also were surprised when I told them it was a 2k dollar instrument. They remarked it felt more like a 600 dollar value. Now... I didn't want to take a chance. Possibly it would have been ok in the long run. But 2000 dollars was too much to risk. Maybe if the horn were priced at 1500, the value proposition would be more compelling. But I got a quote for a brand new greenline r13 for 3k out the door. Once again, all this is my opinion, and my thoughts. I had a bad experience when I got the clarinet(no mouthpiece), it didn't feel well made as I looked it over during the 3 days I couldn't play it, and I found lots of other options, the best one of which was the old standard r13 for 3k. Now, I know many people are fine with these horns, and that's great.
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Author: fernie51296
Date: 2015-04-21 09:05
Why only Buffet or Ridenour? Ever thought about Yamaha or Selmer or Uebel? Sometimes I feel these major purchases are made way too quickly.
Fernando
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Author: faltpihl ★2017
Date: 2015-04-21 10:12
I got my Lyrique this winter, and I compared it to a PIMPED R13 (costs 30% more than a stock R13), a yahama CSG III and the Lyrique, and I chose the Lyrique.
The biggest selling point for the Lyrique is that you get something that plays as well or better than clarinets 2-4 times its' cost, but perhaps sacrificing some superficial cosmetics.
It does not feel like the Lyrique you tried got a honest shot, which is a pity in my opinion. But as long as you find something that you're happy with!
Regards
Peter
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The Clarinet Pages
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