The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

Re: Help me buy a Bass Clarinet + Links

Author: banangerine
Date: 2016-04-26 10:13

So, my 2nd testing. Well, I could play it now (Ridenour). Mostly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[WARNING: VERY LONG]

TL;DR: Jupiter plays fine, Ridenour F#, Bb, C# kind of airy on upper joint. Cannot get clear sound on low Eb, it sounds muted and cannot play it loud. Must pay more to change this stuff because apparently it's how the instrument was built, they suggested using a different mouthpiece and reed. The Ridenour didn't come with the mouthpiece so, I don't know if that would've worked better. I don't want to settle for the Jupiter because I like the Ridenour's sound and extra stuff, not sure if I should care about sound too much at this age and skill level (I'm pretty intermediate, I'm not great). I'm scared of not being able to fix the problems I have with the Ridenour but I still want to get it and really work with it to smooth these things out, but it's $2000+ of my parents' money. Help is appreciated.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The F# and Bb and C# on the upper joint sounded kind of airy and the low Eb was quite hard to get out, only sounding quite muted, not able to play it very loud. I also squeaked more often than I usually do. Any ideas why? I don't usually have this problem with the one I'm borrowing from the school. The high notes played more easily than the one I have now or the Jupiter, but the part that covers the register key tone hole doesn't lift much which I'm just not sure why. It plays high notes fine but just I'm just worried it's not fixed or something since the lift is so miniscule (hopefully this made sense).

The low Eb is on the bell, so I THINK it's not closing completely and I don't know if I missed putting it together correctly (I do think I lined it up correctly though) because the repairman couldn't show up due to an emergency. The thing is, I had these problems although they said it played fine for them... They suggested trying out a different mouthpiece and reed. Will having the Ridenour mouthpiece, since it's made for this instrument, magically make it sound these notes? :/

The A and register key on the upper joint is pretty stiff as well as the G on the lower. I'd have to pay extra to get it looser because I don't like it too much (for low G sometimes I forgot to press down harder to close the hole so I'd squeak pretty bad; how embarrassing). [they said my problems were inherent to the instrument? I don't know... tell me why I can't get the Eb to actually not sound forced and muted and quiet and why some notes sound airy then... it was fine on the Jupiter and my current one.... And apparently your repairman said it played fine, explain?? I'm just kind of pissed, sorry)

Also, the Ridenour didn't come with a mouthpiece for some reason. (???) If I get it, any thoughts on the Clark Fobes Debut? I heard it's pretty cheap ($) but really good quality. I tried the Vandoren B40 but it felt narrow and small in my mouth so I didn't really like it. I'm also using Rico 3's and testing's coming up soon so I don't know about trying out a new reed brand. I might though, Ricos thin out pretty quickly though I'm using a 3.

I don't know, I feel like I'm in a dilemma and just kind of a little annoyed that they're so eager to sell me the Jupiter. I mean, I know you want to sell stuff and make money, but I am really looking forward to this Ridenour. I don't know if I should just settle for the Jupiter since it's already ready but settling for a second and giving up on this would sucks. The only reason I'd get it is because it's easy to play on and ready to go. The thing is, I just love how the Ridenour sounds (The ABS resin of Jupiter can sound kind of harsh and almost metallic?? sometimes?? its sound kind of reminds me of a regular Bb clarinet which I don't prefer). Should I care so much? I'm only a sophomore, do I really need to care about these differences in sound?

Sorry for this super long typical sounding teenage rant, but this is basically my case right now. I'd like to have the Ridenour and work with it, but it would suck if I couldn't play it well and my parents paid for it and regretted it. It's just with an instrument with all this extra stuff and at this price and I really do believe the quality is great, I'd hate to lose this opportunity. (probably just going to get them to check on the Eb and airy notes, worry about stiff keys later since they're still playable; I just feel like a really pushy customer at this point...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, Hank, thank you so much for your advice. It's really helped me with this process. Being serious about buying a brand new instrument is a completely new experience for me and your guidance has been greatly appreciated.