Author: jcm499
Date: 2018-02-10 11:06
This is an interesting question.
Some people seem to believe that advances in technology and acoustics allow for more precise manufacturing of better-optimized clarinet designs, which results in progressively similar instruments. Others, as you said, believe that the quality wood today does not match what was available to previous generations of craftsmen, who also put more love and care into their handwork than modern craftsmen (or machines) do. I don’t have much knowledge of manufacturing techniques or acoustics or wood, so I can only relate my opinions formed by playing modern and vintage clarinets. I’m not so sure that clarinets have “improved” over the decades, but I do think they have changed to suit different preferences and styles of playing, which introduces a different set of compromises. My impression is that many players until the latter parts of the 20th century used lighter, freer blowing, more flexible setups. They cared deeply about timbre and projection, especially before amplification was so widespread. (Compare a recording of Artie Shaw playing with his big band to a recording of Eddie Daniels playing with for instance Gordon Goodwin’s big band and you’ll hear how much quieter Eddie plays). Players today seem to prefer heavier, more resistant, and less flexible setups, with the result that they put a greater emphasis on an instrument that “plays well in tune” since intonation is harder to adjust with embouchure and voicing on their setups. Players of yesteryear using, on average, lighter and more flexible setups, may have cared about this less because they could adjust intonation more easily. They were willing to make that sacrifice for the thick beautiful projecting sound those instruments are known for today. Most modern professional instruments, on the other hand, have sacrificed that sound for more even intonation out of the box.
As far as clarinets wearing out or “blowing out,” we believe a lot of mystical things about the clarinet, but when it comes down to it the clarinet is really a pretty simple instrument mechanically. I don’t see any reason why a horn in good shape won’t well, or any reason why a horn in (reasonably) bad shape can’t be put back in order.
I’m reminded of all the vintage microphones still in professional use. Haven’t microphones improved drastically over the decades? Well, they’ve gotten more accurate, not necessarily better. Accurate isn’t always what you’re going for. It can make the difference between a singer sounding like a rock god or just a guy singing in a room.
I myself play mostly a Selmer Centered Tone circa 1959, and I don’t seem to have the intonation problems (flat bottom F, wide 12ths, and so on) that people complain about with older model horns. I would recommend continuing your search for a killer vintage horn. Fortunately, clarinets are cheap enough and small enough that you can have both modern AND vintage instruments at your disposal.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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