 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2017-01-19 01:34
Very helpful review. Would like to see him review the Uebel bass clarinet as well.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2017-01-19 04:08
As always, I enjoy Michael's review and comments. He is a hoot, of course but very quickly gets down to business.
I really like Ridenour instruments and would now not hesitate to get a 925c. But as with my Selmer Model 32, a BAM case is the only way to go.
HRL
Post Edited (2017-01-19 16:01)
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Author: donald
Date: 2017-01-19 04:27
I would pay $1,000 or $2,000 more if I could be confident the keywork was more sturdy.
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Author: j8649
Date: 2017-01-19 07:43
I have a Ridenour clarinet and have found it to be excellent. Tom Ridenour has done a great job producing excellent instruments at affordable prices. Not everyone can afford $5000+ instruments. Tom has also put many very helpful videos about clarinet playing on You Tube. Being critical of the case and of buying instruments directly from his web site is offensive. Making clarinets and selling them is Tom's business, and you shouldn't publish videos that are detrimental to someone else's business. You say that you don't know the difference between a hard rubber clarinet and a plastic one. What makes you qualified to judge the Ridenour clarinet when you don't even know what it is made of? You are returning the instrument, what message does that send?
Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
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Author: tucker ★2017
Date: 2017-01-19 17:43
j8649, did we watch the same Lowenstern review? I thought he gave the Ridenour bass a great reivew!
He is correct, the case is substandard, but the horn is very nice for the price.
When people manufacture anything: musical instruments, cars, televisions, appliances, etc etc, people review them. Consumers want to hear other's opinions of the products to help them decide whether or not to purchase them. It's the nature of commerce!
I don't understand your criticism of Mr. Lowenstern.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2017-01-19 18:26
This soft keywork thing has increased to mythic proportions, and never ends.
I own or have owned four late model Ridenour instruments, including the low C bass, and I've had lots of experience with Selmer, Leblanc, and Buffet basses.
The keywork ain't "soft"!
B.
Post Edited (2017-01-20 23:28)
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2017-01-19 18:33
I think the first generation of these Asian-made BCs had keywork that bent easily. I have a similar BC ftom Kessler that is about 2-years old. I think it is the third generation of keywork design. It is very sturdy IMO. I keep it in a soft Altieri gig bag since the hard case is too heavy for me to carry these days (I have a progressive muscle disease). It stays in adjustment for me.
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2017-01-20 02:39
j8649,
"detrimental to someone else's business." But Lowenstern gave it a "thumbs up" and his comments on intonation were quite good as well. I have several Ridenour instruments, one a new 925e, and the cases are not very good. And these instruments do not have soft metal.
HRL
Post Edited (2017-01-20 06:54)
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Author: Shostakovich
Date: 2017-01-20 03:48
The keywork on my 2014 (year of purchase, not necessarily construction) Lyrique 576 is "soft". As is the keywork on a friend's brand new bass clarinet. I don't think the problem is exclusive to older instruments.
As with Mr Lowenstein's review, you should ignore my experience if you think I'm unfairly hurting Tom's business.
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Author: donald
Date: 2017-01-20 05:12
Shostakovich- your friend's Ridenour Bass is probably the only one in NZ. Janina Stenbo (formerly Paulo) was interested in buying one last time I spoke with her... I'm sure she'd be interested in talking to your friend. If you have time, please email me or contact Janina via facebook/NZ Clarinet collective internation fb page.
dn
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2017-01-20 06:11
I love Lowerstein's videos. He seems much more like a REAL person in his videos than other sponsored artists and just tells the truth! He doesn't say vandoren is god's gift to clarinetists, but rather that they sponsor him, and they DO have good products worth checking out.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: TomS
Date: 2017-01-20 19:03
Good review.
As Mr. Lowenstern stated, he suspects that there are still small leaks that contribute to the higher blowing resistance of the test instrument.
I'd like a re-review done with a well adjusted instrument.
If he purchased the clarinet from a real brick and mortar store, you would think he would have ran the instrument through the service department before taking it home ... so I am a little mystified by this.
As far as the case, a towel will take up the slack in the fit. I would be surprised if even this much shake, rattle and roll would really cause the mechanism to go out of adjustment.
I don't know about Ridenour's bass clarinets, but the soprano Lyrique Libertas has abnormally tough and stiff keywork ... I made some minor bending adjustments and it was difficult.
Tom
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Author: Ed
Date: 2017-01-20 19:52
Quote:
Making clarinets and selling them is Tom's business, and you shouldn't publish videos that are detrimental to someone else's business. You say that you don't know the difference between a hard rubber clarinet and a plastic one. What makes you qualified to judge the Ridenour clarinet when you don't even know what it is made of? You are returning the instrument, what message does that send?
You could use the same argument for any review- music, movies, cars, appliances, etc. Maybe Consumer Reports should only publish positive reviews. I would rather honest, truthful assessment.
I don't believe that not knowing the material hurts his review. As to what makes him qualified- Michael is an extremely talented great musician who publishes very thoughtful reviews and helpful videos. He has very valid opinions.
He is returning the instrument because he obtained it to do a review. As he stated at the beginning, he was unable to get one from Ridenour.
As with any review, you can take his opinion or ignore it, but he does give food for thought and ends with an enthusiastic thumbs up.
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Author: dibble
Date: 2017-01-20 19:57
I have a lyrique low c bass also. This one has soft keys too. All of the repairmen (some very reputable), have said the same. The thumb keys are especially not very solid. Loose posts up and down the horn too from day one.
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Author: dibble
Date: 2017-01-20 19:59
The case it came with is a snug fit for the horn though.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2017-01-20 21:32
Tom may be regretting not sending a well adjusted instrument, after this review.
When I bought my last Yamaha clarinet, I found that of the 4 to 5 that I checked, 2 of them had moderate leaks and all needed some minor adjustments ... so it is common with new instruments, shipped all over the world and sitting in a warehouse for weeks-months.
You should always have a good shop go thru all test instruments before being evaluated and especially before taking one home.
Tom
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2017-01-20 23:54
Quote:
If he purchased the clarinet from a real brick and mortar store, you would think he would have ran the instrument through the service department before taking it home ... so I am a little mystified by this. Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought he WANTED to see how it would be adjusted right out of the box, WITHOUT a tech, and also wanted to see the affects of the case on potential adjustments. I believe Mr. Lowerstern has enough experience with clarinets to not have made that decision purposefully.Quote:
What makes you qualified to judge the Ridenour clarinet when you don't even know what it is made of? I don't know what type of LCD panel my computer monitor has (is it even LCD?) That still doesn't preclude me from having an opinion on whether it's good and fulfills my purposes or not. Quote:
You are returning the instrument, what message does that send? Keep in mind we're talking about a professional bass clarinetist who was NOT in the market for another, or a replacement bass clarinet, but solely wanted to test and be able to give students and other folks his opinion on a product. As someone stated above with "consumer reports", this is just a professional bass clarinetist trying out a product and giving you his testing methodology, and his thoughts.
Oh yeah, and at the end he DID state he was very impressed and thought it was a good purchase for that price.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: TomS
Date: 2017-01-21 18:32
If the clarinet was purchased or loaned directly from Ridenour, it would have recently been adjusted and the review would have been even better, I'll betcha.
I don't think Tom Ridenour does a thousand dollar tweak on new clarinets, like some people might hope (or does he need to?), but he does make sure that the horn is in good mechanical shape and air-tight ... at least in my experience. And, he will gladly and quickly perform fixes and minor modifications free of charge for a good period of time (although you have to take it to him).
Tom's products are a bargain, but if he had to do extensive rebuilds and esoteric adjustments to every instrument coming from the factory, the prices would be in the league of the "big boys" and he would lose his marketing edge.
The point is that anything complicated always needs some expert attention just prior to testing and/or purchasing.
Tom
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Author: dibble
Date: 2017-01-21 20:05
Also,when I emailed Tom about the problems I was having with the horn (soft keys and not enough glue behind pads according to various repairmen in NYC) he blamed me for the problems, saying that I must be " heavy handed."
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Author: Gouffre
Date: 2017-01-21 21:27
Lowenstern mentions "adjustment screws". I couldn't quite catch what was going on there but it intrigued me. Are these screws a stock feature on high-end bass clarinets? If I read correctly between the lines it's something that makes it easier for the player to tweak key action without a trip to a tech.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2017-01-21 21:33
Gouffre wrote:
> Lowenstern mentions "adjustment screws". I couldn't quite catch
> what was going on there but it intrigued me. Are these screws a
> stock feature on high-end bass clarinets? If I read correctly
> between the lines it's something that makes it easier for the
> player to tweak key action without a trip to a tech.
http://www.lynsgarden.co.uk/Rosecroft/Adjusting_speakers.html
You are correct. There is at least one adjustment screw on most clarinets on the Ab key. Most bass clarinets have quite a few. They are a great way to make small adjustments easily.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: dibble
Date: 2017-01-26 07:45
Was wondering.. Do any of the the later 925's have Teflon adjustment screws too?
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