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: Play-tested: YCL-CSG III, Uebel Superior, Buffet Tradition

Author: Kalashnikirby
Date: 2017-11-03 18:15

Thanks for the positive feedback guys, you'll have to live with my partially wrong musical terminology because I don't really get behind the english reasoning (at least I don't call it Es-lever

)

KaiLiau, let me use this opportunity to once again condemn Buffet's marketing apparatus. I've watched the Video about the Tradition and wondered why a bunch of musicians need to use such ambiguous vocabulary, that is to say they spend 5:11 talking rubbish and get 100 likes for it, when in reality, an instruments' characteristics are clear the moment you touch it. Indeed, I greatly enjoyed phoning L&K and asking about their Reform Boehm. When I mentioned other clarinets, they told me that they didn't care about other brands and that they simply made their instruments the way they believed it was right, so there isn't any need for further discussion. Here's an interesting aspect: The very best wood is used for the barrels first, which seems very much in line with what I've discovered: A clarinets responsiveness greatly depends on this little piece of wood, so usually try to put my "Zoom" RC barrel on anything that accepts it with mostly good results, despite being made for the RC only. Amusingly enough, I could tell that the Tradition's responsiveness could have been improved with a different barrel, so no "purity" on top of that instrument. I'd rather agree with the L&K person who pretty much made it clear that their clarinets are a product of handiwork, so he didn't even have that much more to say about their Reform Boehm. Maybe German clarinet marketing has to be improved towards a more talkative character...?

I've been a "mechanic" on the clarinet for years, but after only a decade and a half also gained a bit of musicality on the way. Instruments and instrument making always fascinated me; every single one is unique and still produces a concrete result, which is why I can appreciate both mass-produced and "handmade" ones, though I'm currently leaning more towards the latter as the former is often guided by marketing ideas I don't comply with, Uebel and Oscar Adler so far being an exception.

There is no Boehm that doesn't require a altissimo D correction, either through embouchure or using the key. I'm under the impression that correcting it using the embouchure makes the D sound "dead", so my motto is: Unless you can't finger it, go with the the Eb key.

dorjedorjepismo wrote:

> Christian,
>
> With the noisy H-E (B-E auf Englisch), when I was playing
> Buffets, the convention was to put fish skin or, if you didn't
> have that, a small piece of a thick plastic bag in the socket,
> and it worked just like nylon but, you know, without the nylon.
> With an L&K or other Reform Boehm, at least some people who
> play them say they sound and work better with a German style
> mouthpiece (and matching barrel), which makes them almost the
> same as throwing in the towel and going to German system.
>
> Thanks for the write-up!

Haha, right, and Buffet didn't improve on that with their newer models either! I've solved this issue using teflon band and thick grease, which has silenced the levers for ages now.
The L&K person pointed out that they use a different leverage ratio and tighter tolerances, so I'd expect their Boehm not to have this issue.
Personally, I love Boehm mouthpieces, they seem more flexible. My Viotto (seems the guy making them is dead now...) is actually very dark and more restricted, yet not step-back from the L&K I used back then. And far superior to the Vandoren B45. Some day, I might go back again.

Post Edited (2017-11-03 18:18)

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics