Author: TomS
Date: 2017-04-26 21:00
Sounds like you have a dud. Unusual, perhaps damaged by someone?
I've had pretty darn good luck with Ridenour clarinets ... if you can fault them in any way, it might be the finish of the keys, which is good, but not quite as well done as Yamaha, for example. I've a new R13/greenline ... fit, finish are good but not much better than Ridenour ... of course at 3X the price!
Yamaha's QC seems to be about the best, it seems ...
The Libertas has held up very well over 3 years of heavy playing ... only a little plating worn. Original bladder pads are still fine, only had one cut through. I had Tom tune/voice my C#/G# and he did this quickly and at no charge.
The rubber clarinets do feel different when assembling ... just get used to it. They also vibrate a little different under the fingers.
The Lyrique Speranza (similar to 576) and Libertas are much easier to play, than the Yamaha 650 or R13 or any of my old Selmer Signets and Bundys ... more uniform blowing resistance, intonation and timbre. You just put your fingers in the right spot and out comes the note, beautiful and in tune.
Despite the easier playing of the Rideonour clarinets, the Yamaha and Buffet have some characteristics that are useful for me. I like the "compactness" (Tom might eschew the RH/LH difference of resistance) of the LH clarion register and the altissimo is a bit higher which puts it closer to being in tune for my (largely untrained) old man's breath support, voicing and embouchure. In addition, I wanted a Buffet as a "reference" point for comparison to other clarinets as I acquire them.
It's strange that you clarinet arrived with bent keys ... I've found the keys on the Ridenour clarinets to be quite strong ....
I am still going to add a 576 to my collection ... and with no fear of disappointment.
Tom
Post Edited (2017-04-26 21:39)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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