 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: PoorCollegeOrc
Date: 2018-11-14 08:32
I'm currently choosing which instrument to buy and I have my heart set on a Cocobolo Protoge. However, every time I think about buying it, I get stressed and feel like it's a mistake. My doubts stem from everyone around me playing R13s and me going against the normal.
Has anyone dealt with this? I understand choosing equipment is all about personal preference but one can't deny the power of conformity.
Thanks all.
"A squeak is a clarinetist's soul crying out for help."
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: nellsonic
Date: 2018-11-14 09:37
How did you decide on a Protege? If it was mainly because you like the way it looks you SHOULD feel insecure. If it's because you've given it a thorough and sensible play test with positive results, then that's another matter.
If you share the process you went through in selecting this instrument and what other ones you've considered, it might be helpful both to your own thinking process and to those who offer answers here. Why did you pick this one? Why did you not pick the other options you tried?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-11-14 16:29
The other aspect to conformity depends on what you intend to accomplish with your playing.
I once had this fling with a Leblanc Concerto that I really liked playing in practice studio (or any other space by myself). Then I took it to a wind ensemble rehearsal where all else where R13s. The problem wasn't one of pitch or blend so much but just keeping up with the sound pressure levels. The Leblanc didn't have the "cutting power" of the rest of the section and got "lost in the sauce."
These days there are "individuals" out there even in orchestras playing on "other" horns, but they ensure that they blend as far as intonation, timbre and volume.
The bottom line on any instrument is that it needs gives you what YOU want. You just have to know what that is.
..................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2018-11-14 17:23
I myself wouldn't buy an R13. There are successful companies buying R13s and fixing them to play well and resell. There are many fine new clarinets today that play in tune, have even scales and should be explored. Why follow the crowd and why not start a trend?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2018-11-14 18:24
Like mentioned previously the R13 has the power other clarinets such as the Leblanc Concerto lack. So why purchase another brand clarinet only to find that you should have bought the proven brand and model clarinet which is the R13. Makes perfect sense.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: fernie121
Date: 2018-11-14 18:48
I think today there are far better options than the r13 for the money. Whatever you go with, make sure you play test it. Another clarinet I’d say is worth looking at is the Yamaha CSVR. IMO it is miles ahead of any R13 I’ve ever tried and costs less too.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Windy Dreamer
Date: 2018-11-14 19:50
There are huge differences between different clarinet models. As an owner of several clarinets I often find it impossible to achieve simlar artistic effects as I move from one clarinet to another. If your instrument is unique then your sound will be uniquely different from your peers. Do you want to stand out or blend in ? If your sound is distinctly different that may irritate both you and your peers. If you want to blend in you are stuck with the choice of your peers.If your talent is superior to your peers then standing out may not be a bad thing. If your ability is inferior to your peers standing out would be exponentially irritating.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DAVE
Date: 2018-11-14 20:50
If your hope is to study in college and to go on and get a job someday playing the clarinet, then I'd recommend not straying too far from the norm. Don't waste a lot of your time chasing equipment. Instead, get a good quality clarinet, R-13 or something similar, and go practice. And then practice some more.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-11-14 21:55
I want to address the Buffet "fixing" issue. It is analogous perhaps to stock car racing. You get a good automobile to start, but then you modify the heck out of it.
Also Yamahas (for example) are great, but the pads with the plastic buttons on them begin to suffer leaking issues associated with the buttons vs. the bladder within about a year. Then you go out and find someone to install new pads...modify, modify, modify.
...............Paul Aviles.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2018-11-14 22:26
If you get a good Protege, you'll do fine. But I'd stay away from any material other than blackwood (and maybe hard rubber), mainly because the horns don't look like what people are used to, regardless of how well they sound.
Colleagues and directors hear through their eyes as well as their ears, and especially in ensembles, you're liable to be dinged in one way or another for playing an instrument that looks different from what's around you.
The same often goes for the model of clarinet you play too, so you may want to stick with the main line models.
These are, and have been, true even in some very prestigious groups over the decades.
B.
(Rossi blackwood and mopane and Patricola rosewood horns because I don't care anymore)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2018-11-14 23:04
bmcgar, I don't think that is a good suggestion for all. If you want to play the clarinet well, get the best equipment and the better players will gather around. If you want to be a sociable player, get what the others have and the sociable players will gather around.
Post Edited (2018-11-15 00:15)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2018-11-15 01:00
You haven't mentioned whether you've play-tested the Protege against other instruments, but as people have said, that's important. Backuns have a cache now, they're well designed and built, and their ad copy is very good, but I've heard a couple quite good people play them who I thought sounded better on Buffets. But it shouldn't be between two horns. Buffet Traditions, for example, are quite nice, and not much like R-13s, and there are several varieties of Yamahas that have loyal followings, as do Rossis and Patricolas. And lots of good German horns, but those are for hobbits, not orcs.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: monnarush
Date: 2018-11-15 15:05
Love the quote about the squeak I bought a clarinet from Ridenour out of TX I love mine and do not have to worry about cracks from wood and sounds great to me. I only wish that I could have afforded the more expensive new model he has now. But I am happy with the one I bought as I play for my enjoyment only. Good luck and try many of them out so that you know you like it before buying if possible.
Monna from WV
"Dandelions are drops of gold in fields of green"
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: PoorCollegeOrc
Date: 2018-11-16 02:10
- I agree with nellsonic that I should be worried if it was a purely aesthetic choice ( it was ( yes, clarinets aren't supposed to be chosen that way I know ))
- I don't have any issues with the R13. You can get a good instrument if you take the time to try 10 different ones. ( I have one under consideration )
-In terms of standing out, I'm close to the top in our school's clarinets but not enough to say "I'm coming in with red colored wood and gold keys". (Tonal blending wouldn't be a problem)
-I'm doing all my purchasing online, so while try before you buy is the way to go, some of the ones I have as choices are sold as is and wouldn't be eligible for returns ( dangerous game I know). All my thoughts on the instruments are coming from past experiences which aren't too relevant since all clarinets have their quirks.
-My choices are at the moment: R13, CSG, or the Protoge.
"try before you buy or get.....screwed"
"A squeak is a clarinetist's soul crying out for help."
Post Edited (2018-11-16 02:11)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tony F
Date: 2018-11-16 02:30
I've recently done some work on a couple of Proteges, one in cocobolo and one in grenadilla. Based on this very small sample, I couldn't detect any real difference in the quality of the sound produced. They both tuned well and had very similar playing characteristics. The one difference that I did note was that while the cocobolo was slightly lighter (mass, not colour) than the grenadilla, the wood appeared to be softer and more inclined to splinter. A band colleague has a fairly new cocobolo protege which has cracks along the tone hole line on the upper joint.
Tony F.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-11-16 02:55
Truth be told I bought my CSG right out the box as a trial horn I had brought into a store that didn't even carry professional horns. It was so great that I bought it on the spot and sold my R13 (at the time) to the store.
I did the same for the CSG A clarinet a year later. I would say that you'd be safest trying to order a horn sight-unseen with Yamaha (they are really consistent). Still, I changed the pads for Valentino Masters after about a year......the Luciene Deluxe do NOT last very long.
...............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
