 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: fernie51296
Date: 2016-04-18 00:24
Earspasm on YouTube put out a video of him playing his new custom bass clarinet from Selmer. I have to say this is the best ive heard a bass clarinet sound on YouTube. I find the chrome plating very interesting. (The all black look is pretty sweet too). Does chrome really make it sound louder? Anyone else have experience with something like this?
http://youtu.be/5i_ppnwR7iY
Fernando
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-04-18 01:11
Yes it's a very good sound.
I don't believe that the type of plating on the keys would make zilch difference to the volume or quality of tone.
Perhaps conceivably the plate on neck and bell might have a very small effect but the true test of this would be to interchange the bell and crook with those of a standard Selmer model and see if there was any perceiveable effect on either instrument.
The fact that the pads are made of a totally different material from standard production (and seem very similar to the pads used by Peter Eaton and Eddie Ashton in the UK) must also be considered.
I suspect that the fact that the instrument was virtually hand built by a top craftsman has far more significance on it's qualities than anything else.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-04-18 01:11
http://youtu.be/5i_ppnwR7iY
Looks more like black lacquer or black enamel - chrome is bright (think bath taps or car bumpers and grilles), but is hardly likely to have any effect on a wooden bodied bass clarinet. Black nickel plate is black but is shiny, but the black metal parts on this bass look too black and too flat to be black nickel or chrome plating.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: jcm499
Date: 2016-04-18 01:41
I guess an all-black clarinet really does give you a "darker" tone.
That guy sounds great, but I suspect the enhancements on his horn are purely visual, maybe a little tactile as well. In his videos, he obviously puts a lot of thought and work into style and presentation (not to take away from him being a superb player of course) and the unique horn fits into that. Music is a visual medium now, and whether that's for the better or the worse, he's embracing some of the possibilities the new paradigm offers.
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Author: fernie51296
Date: 2016-04-18 02:02
Oh yes, I forgot to mention the pads. I was planning on getting leather pads for my instrument but I better look into this new material. He says it is supposed to be more durable than leather. I wonder how true that is.
Fernando
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2016-04-18 02:15
Thats one way to spend $20,000 I guess. I think i'll keep my Ridenour for now...
Those pads are neoprene foam. You can buy the same stuff in the form of "garage door liner" and cut the pads with a round cutter. Ive done one saxophone and one metal clarinet with them.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2016-04-18 09:09
>> and seem very similar to the pads used by Peter Eaton and Eddie Ashton in the UK <<
Yes, they are very similar, pretty much the same if not exactly the same (I've seen clarinets with all three types).
>> Looks more like black lacquer or black enamel <<
Chrome plating and nickel plating often mean the same thing. The chrome plating I'm familiar with is the cheap stuff that is sometimes used on plastic toys and hard chrome plating, which can be used even on steel tools (makes them smoother and helps to prevent rust). Maybe it's possible to make (black) nickel plating with a matte finish? I don't know enough about plating, but what you nickel plate sand blasted brass? Would it still be shiny?
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Author: smokindok
Date: 2016-04-19 04:37
Wonderful playing from Mr. Lowenstern, as always, and his enthusiasm for the bass clarinet is contagious.
Regarding the chrome finish, Arlington Plating Company, in Illinois, has these options for black chrome plating: "Black chromes can be plated over bright nickel, satin nickel, or dull nickel. Each of these plating combinations will develop a different appearance from a bright shiny black to a dull matte black finish."
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Author: Ed
Date: 2016-04-19 05:12
He is a terrific player and always sounds great. Very inspiring.
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Author: ned
Date: 2016-04-21 05:52
I like the video very much. The double tracking is intriguing.
I have had a go at this myself over the years with little success, due to the onset of musical schizophrenia in the recording process.
I'm inspired to try again though, alas with just my soprano clarinet, rather than the beautiful sounding bass which I am listening to as I write.
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