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Re: Why hasn't the US ever produced a pro line of clarinets?

Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-12-29 08:24

Maybe not for the clarinet yet, but other US instruments have lead the world. Gibson for one. The list is long. The drum division. Part of the clarinet, such as some mouthpieces and barrels I think the US leads the way. For example the 1000's of Kaspar mouthpieces were made by Babbitt! I think the best clarinet pads are surely made in the US.

It's getting to the point where it's hard to find anything totally made in one country. I have a wicked fast Dodge Challenger 0 -60 in 3.5 seconds, something nuts like that, but the car is not made in the US. Some of it is made in Mexico and in Canada.

At one point Yamaha was buying mouthpieces from Babbitt. I wish they still were. So I have no issues with several countries working together to make great products or a company/person making a special part for an instrument.

Some Gibson guitars sell for $100,000 at auctions. Hard to believe. Maybe the right person just hasn't popped up yet. We know for sure that some people are on the right track such as Guy Chadash in NYC and Tom Ridenhour who made some amazing horns at Leblanc and makes some really great horns now.

With Buffet making horrible horns who knows what will happen in the near future. A lot of players have had enough with Buffet. Some small company may hire a talented designer and craftsman and a new great clarinet will arrive at an affordable price and maybe not out of wood that sounds and tunes better than anything on the market.

Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces

Yamaha Artist 2015

Post Edited (2017-12-29 08:27)

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