 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2015-07-11 23:31
I'm going to test drive both a 576 and a Libertas when they arrive, in two or three weeks. I decided I have stayed with my foray into clarinet long enough to deserve learning on something better than my 1950s plastic Bundy, which I realize is very good for what it is, but is not what I would call easy to play.
I remember when I took up oboe I struggled along on an old Cabart for a while but then when I moved to a professional Rigoutat it was a very enlightening transition. SO much easier to learn on a high level instrument, if one can afford one; I prefer to just jump over student level instruments but realize their place in the scheme of things.
I opted for Ridneour products because
a) cost vs quality seems extremely good;
b) I frequently go between 2500 and 8000 feet and from extreme dryness to quite humid, and wood would appear to be fraught with danger. Everybody around here plays Buffet but maybe I will be able to open some minds (heh.)
So I'll see if the difference between the two (576 and Libertas) is clear enough to me (and my professional colleagues who will look at them with/for me) to determine which one will meet my needs best.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2015-07-12 05:31
I have had great luck with Ridenour instruments. Excellent value, wonderful intonation, and good ergonomics. I would be very surprised if you were disappointed, particularly after playing an almost bullet-proof 1950s Bundy.
However, in the long run I'd go the distance by getting the Libertas. It's kind of like golf "You never go wrong by having clubs that are better than you will ever be."
I have several TR 147s that I got for my granddaughters to play a decade ago. I got one of them out a few minutes ago and it played very well. While not quite as good as my Yamaha CS Custom, not too far behind. Your Libertas would give my CS a run for its money, I'll bet.
HRL
Post Edited (2015-07-12 05:43)
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2015-07-12 08:21
i know that the Ridenour clarinets are great section instruments but how are they as far as a soloist instrument?
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2015-07-12 16:46
I use my Libertas in many situations. In sections -yes, but mostly in theater pits - where it is a solo voice quite often. The horn sings!
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-07-12 17:28
Apparently the 576BC vs Libertas question is similar to whether you'd prefer a Leblanc VSP* or Leblanc Concerto, on which (I've read) they are acoustically based- Tom designed both of those clarinets while with Leblanc. Though I am sure both new Ridenour designs have been tweaked and improved in a thousand ways- acoustics and keywork- by the master. And Tom has shared that hard rubber can be manufactured more precisely than any species of wood, so even if the acoustic designs were unchanged, the new Ridenour models should be superior- to anyone but a grenadilla purist. (Does that make the G1 essentially an updated wooden VSP?)
Both the VSP and Concerto have high marks for intonation and playability. But they play differently (resistance), as do the 576BC and Libertas. My Arioso is supposed to be a pre-576BC, so I suppose it plays pretty much like a VSP. When I first got it I was comparing to my old Leblanc Dynamic 2, and honestly I could not tell much difference in resistance or anything else, which surprised me. One day I will compare to a brand new 576BC and to a Libertas. Then who knows which I might prefer?
*I think there may have also been plastic Vito VSP's of different design. I'm referring to a grenadilla model made in France, though perhaps the Vitos, some or all, were the same as the Leblanc. Somebody help me here.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-07-13 08:42
Ridenour 576 is warm/dark/somber/smooth. Libertas is similar, but has slightly more center, ping and projection and more technically athletic.
You will want both. Each has it's place.
Tom
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2015-07-14 04:00
Can't afford both so will see (frankly) if the less expensive one will fit the bill. I have found with (french) horns that I highly appreciate the zillion dollar custom horn that I have, but I can play the repertoire that is my usual, on something half the price, and sound about as good.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-07-14 07:00
Either will do. I have a Libertas and a "Speranza" (similar acoustics to 576). As soon as I retire a bill or two, I will order the 576. Nice to have a selection of timbre for different situations. I've borrowed a 576 a while back and was impressed enough to put one on my short list of stuff to get.
Tom
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2015-07-31 20:47
Decision and bumps along the way. I only test drove the 576 because of a dead refrigerator and a need to put in an iron fence to keep the javelinas from approaching us on the porch. Could not really afford the 576 either at that point but was loathe to give up the goal. So I got the six month payment plan.
Anyhow, I know from past experience that I do my best judging going from playing a better one for a while and then suddenly playing the worse one, which I did. My first impression was that the high range on the 576 was clearly easier. Intonation very, very similar to the surprisingly good Bundy, in the two octaves I am currently able to play. (I had earlier test driven a Yamaha 255 whose intonation was unworkable.)
So I stuck with just the 576 for a few days and then went back to the Bundy. To my inexperienced ears, the tone frankly was not that different (perhaps due to an immature embouchure.) And once again, the intonation to my ears was very similar. And the high range on the Bundy just required a LOT more work, more than my current level of embouchure can successfully deal with.
The supplied mouthpiece was a different story. I just could not get any air through it, and found it almost unplayable with the reed I'm using (legere 2.5 for now.) My Fobes Debut was much easier to play on, allowing me to get some air into the instrument. I took both to a lesson and the person helping me agreed with my assessments, about both the clarinet and the mouthpiece. So the mouthpiece went back.
I'm pretty sure this will be more than adequate for the rest of my clarinet career, into and out of extremes of humidity and altitude, and many outdoor venues in all kinds of weather, from wind and rain to well over 100 degrees in the sun.
A question for those still reading: I am flat by a good ten to 15 cents, on both instruments. Is this embouchure immaturity (sound is quite reasonably good and I have a picky ear) or am I just someone who needs a shorter barrel? When I developed focal dystonia on horn, I had to learn to play the instrument with mostly air and very little chops, and my pitch also fell on that instrument although I can still get it up to pitch with all the slides pushed in. So I'm not sure if this is just a new (necessary) habit on my part or if I should just wait a while longer before taking any action wrt equipment.
I find that I'm tending towards literature that I have loved on violin (ex-pro on that instrument,) things like Summertime and Misty and that ilk of mildly jazzy melodic tunes that I can be liberal on my interpretation. I admit to liking vibrato in that application, although as a horn player I'm fully capable of playing without it.
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