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: Ideal Outdoors Instrument

Author: Ursa
Date: 2018-04-21 13:25

The perfect outdoors clarinet? This would be my wish list:

1. Sturdy forged keywork that won't bend or break from stage/field/assembly mishaps.

2. Stainless steel rods, screws, and springs that won't rust

3. Headless pivot screws that make it easy to tighten or loosen the action as needed.

4. Cork pads on the normally-closed upper joint tones holes; quality synthetic pads elsewhere. Nobody builds 'em this way; you'll have to have this done on your own.

5. A mirror-finish medium bore built into a dense but not brittle plastic body for maximum sound projection and durability

So far, my most ideal outdoors instrument has turned out to be the Yamaha YCL-20. It lacks some stainless hardware, but I had it overhauled to my personal pad specifications as noted in item 4. It's a little on the bright side timbre-wise but not strident and it projects very well--just what you need to be heard outdoors. Unique among the synthetic-bodied instruments I've auditioned, my Backun Moba Barrel and Traditional Bell with voicing groove work well with the YCL-20, yielding additional possibilities for voicing when playing indoors.

The Bundy and Signet Resonite instruments almost nail it, but the keys could be a little more resistant to bending as well as to wear at pivot points. The moulded bore on the Bundy 1400 I had in my studio also would not drain moisture effectively, meaning I was always stuck with a spitty clarinet after a few minutes of fff playing outdoors. Perhaps the Signet Resonite and Bundy 577 lack this cost-saving design compromise.

Post Edited (2018-04-21 13:32)

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics