 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: gerardo1000
Date: 2017-09-02 17:56
Attachment: nickel vs silver.jpg (128k)
Attachment: pads.jpg (124k)
Here in the States, these two new student clarinets from Buffet Crampon are almost identical with two differences: The Prodige has leather pads and nickel plated keys. The Premium has skin pads and silver plated keys. The Prodige is only sold at band instruments local stores, the Premium is only sold on line. They have the same price, but, because I have a big discount coupon with one of the on line retailers,and because big on line retailers offer better prices than brick and mortar shops, I could end up buying the Premium for $200 LESS than the Prodige.
So I'd like to get it, but I read that skin pads (Premium) are not as good and durable as leather pads (Prodige) and that silver plated keys (Premium) are annoying because they require frequent cleaning to prevent stain while nickel plated keys (Prodige) require less maintenance.
So, are these two differences worth $200 ? Or should I buy the Premium and be happy and in peace ? Thank you for your opinions !!!
Gerardo
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2017-09-02 19:45
It's a $100 difference, and the online Premium for sure is the way to go. See the other thread with comments. Pretty sure that the description of the pads are wrong and the premium has the better pads (leather). Maybe go to a local store to see the Prodige, but the Silver plated keys alone are worth the extra cost, and the Bam case is great. Prodige case is not great.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2017-09-02 20:07
I talked to Dave Kessler. The Protige has leather pads and nickel plated keys. Dave claimed that the Protige was better because it produces a "warmer" sound than the skin pads on the Premium which has silver plated keys.
He told me that the nickel plated keys wear out faster than the silver.
I read Online that leather pads, however, will have a tendency to slightly stick if not properly cleaned after each playing.
Personally, I agree with Dave and go for the Premium. I believe the acidic content of a player's hands can cause the keys to tarnish rather quickly.
Leather pads may produce a warmer sound, however, I believe the great majority of clarinets have double skin pads.
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Author: gerardo1000
Date: 2017-09-02 20:56
Thank you for your opinions. I love to have a clarinet with a warm tone but I cannot believe that the Buffet Premium, because of its skin pads, will have a tone much less warm than the Prodige. And as already said, between better prices on line and my discount coupon, the difference between the Prodige and the Premium for me would be $200.... is it worth to spend $200 more just because, maybe, leather pads have a slightly warmer tone than skin pads ???
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Author: gerardo1000
Date: 2017-09-02 21:06
Also, David, you put a third contender in place: the Backun Alpha. The nickel plated version has similar price, on line, to the Buffet Premium. Which one would you choose ? (Forget that you are endorsed by Backun :-)
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Author: gatto
Date: 2017-09-02 21:22
Hm, on Buffet's website
http://www.buffet-crampon.com/en/instruments/clarinets/prodige-2541/
they write that the Prodige has leather pads and comes in two options silver/nickel plated (and optional Eb lever).
In their price list 2017 for Germany and Austria only the silver plated version is available (with or without Eb lever). Here it says again that it has leather pads and a gig bag.
In principal it should be possible to get this modell elsewhere in the world, via internet, if you want it.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2017-09-03 18:42
If the acoustics are the same, I'd vote for the one with silver plated keys ... silver seems to last longer, for me. It also seems to have more surface friction and therefore a better finger grip in the keys ...
As far as pads, if your have a plastic/hard rubber/greenline clarinet with clean and even tone holes, cork pads (especially is the surface is polished) can add a center, vibrancy and projection to your sound. Only the top joint should be cork padded, with double or triple bladder elsewhere. In addition, cork pads last a very long time, and can have the edges tapered to free up fuzzy notes and/or adjust the pitch.
I think we have gone dark clarinet timbre crazy ... I sit next to some players that have "gone to the dark side" with a dead, fuzzy sound that just sits like a lump, going nowhere ... and I guess people have told them they sound great (up close) ... but a sound that dies by the time it gets to the edge of the stage ...
So, you always have the option of re-padding your clarinet later, and select the material that suits your sound ...
Tom
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-09-04 03:01
Leather pads are more durable than skin pads. As for the difference they have to the tone, I doubt it's going to even be noticed just as much as one clarinet can sound different to another even though they're both the same make and model.
When the B10 was first launched back in the late '90s, they had Valentino pads fitted as standard. But within a year or so, there were a lot of them being returned as the pads were sticking to the toneholes like anything. So Schreiber cured that by installing skin pads as they did on the B12.
I set up a brand new E12F within the last two years and that had leather pads installed in it, plus it had very 'pad-friendly' toneholes in they had rounded edges to the crowns instead of your typical razor sharp Buffet ones which punch nice discs out of skin pads (and they often have nicks, chips or vessels running across them).
So if the Protégé has leather pads, then that's definitely a bonus.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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The Clarinet Pages
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- neither are any good.
