 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Keil
Date: 2001-06-23 20:18
Hi all, I just recently let my clarinet teacher put my Buffet R13 in the shop to get the thumbrest raised and he let me borrow his older Buffet R13. I checked with the Boosey and Hawkes site to see when his Buffet was made and it said 1977. Before i did this minor research however i played on his buffet and i found that it has some different tone characteristics as well as it's easier to go over the break, more fluid. I was wondering if this ease of playing can be attributed to the mere age of the instrument or if the Buffets of yesterday are different than the Buffets of today. My Buffet was made far more recently then his, i wanna say 2000. I know that the Vintage is supposed to capture the essence of the 1950's Buffet Clarinet but what about the 1970's what differences, if any, are there between the newer models and the older ones and how can i get my new Buffet to capture those qualities i like in the older models?
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Author: Keil
Date: 2001-06-23 20:21
Also, the 1977 Buffet has a sweeter tone than mine which i have labeled as a meatier more forceful tone. I like the power i get with my Buffet but i want the ease of register change, the sweet tone, and the fluidity throughout all registers that i have with the older model.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-06-23 20:34
Sounds like a testimonial for the Galper octave vent tube modification
Many "things" get better with age, and this is why I prefer wooden instruments to plastic or metal.
I purchased a new "old" stock R-13 in 2000 (made 1997), and I attribute its superb playing characteristics to aging of the wood. I also recently purchased a new/old stock Leblanc LL, from Brenda Siewert, and both of us agree that it plays great, in large part due to aging of the wood. I've had similar observations with wooden flutes. This is based on my observations, and not based on any scientific findings.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-06-23 21:19
The difference between yours and his is most probably attributable to your teacher being a more experienced player when his selection was made. Talk to just about any experienced clarinet player - you'll find that they have been much more selective in picking a clarinet as years go by. First you get a clarinet that your parents buy, then you get one that you select (out of probably one or two), and then you play that (possibly mediocre) clarinet until you can afford to buy a new one. Since at that time you don't really <b>need</b> a clarinet, and you're spending your own money, you tend to be <b>very</b> selective.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-06-23 22:05
Maybe your teacher's horn is adjusted/regulated better than your horn, or even Brannenized or equivalent.
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Author: Keil
Date: 2001-06-24 00:55
Actually, my teacher picked my horn so i don't think it's because he picked one of higher quality although that could be a factor. I will ask if he had it adjusted the thing is though, he doesn't use this 1977 clarinet anymore, he loans it to his students whenever he takes theirs into the shop. He now plays on a Buffet Vintage which he just bought about 2 or 3 years ago.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-06-24 01:45
Keil,
If he chose yours for you, then the clarinet you're currently playing should be more the way he thinks a clarinet should play now, and his older one must play more the way <b>you'd</b> like a clarinet to play and the way that he used to think they should play.
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-06-24 05:22
It could be the mouth piece/lig setup. What works for him or me may not be the perfect set up for you.
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-06-24 06:50
All of the above are correct. Horns _DO_ break in over time. YES, yours could be stuffy/it could be mouthpiece/it could be pad setup/could be a leak somewhere --- there are many possibiltities. Discuss with your teacher --- if you resolve this to your satisfaction, please share with us the solution, etc. Best,mw.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-06-25 00:36
Aging of grenadilla material may not be the same thing as horns' aging.
If horn becomes better by aging, to re-juvinile older horns are not necessary.
I read some of the French clarinetists change their horns every year.
When I graduated from university in 1976, Jacque Lancelot was using a RC Prestige. I saved my salary to buy one and bought one at last in 1987 and was quite dissapointed. I wondered some of experienced artisans at Buffet left the company after B&H bought Buffet and may influenced the average quality. I do not know whether this is true or not but it really happend when C.G.Conn removed their workshop from NY.
By the way, every pros use specially selected and customized horn(s) not
off-the-shelf ones. Besides some people(pros) say manufacturers set a certain kind of criteria which country, city, shop to send better horns.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-06-25 14:14
Ask your teacher how his older R-13 compares to his newer Vintage one. Buffet was hoping to recapture that sweet sound.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-06-26 13:12
MW, I don't believe there is any such thing as a horn "breaking in" with age. What does happen is that with good servicing the (almost universal) deficiencies at manufacture are gradually corrected. A well serviced clarinet goes the best it ever will.
Also, the player gets "broken in" by the clarinet, i.e. he gets used to accommodating the idiosyncrasies of the instrument.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-26 18:47
Keil -
The R-13 has had a number of design changes since it was introduced. Clark Fobes has an excellent article here on Sneezy at http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/Equipment/Intonation.html . He posted a supplement at http://www.sneezy.org/Databases/Logs/2000/09/000784.txt .
R-13s vary a lot from one instrument to the next, so it's not surprising that your teacher's instrument is different from yours. My Bb dates from 1973, and my A is from 1974, but I picked each one out of a bunch that didn't play nearly as well.
A different moutpiece or barrel can make a big difference in tone and playing qualities. Try your teacher's barrel on your instrument. You'll almost certainly be surprised.
Guy Chadash makes barrels, which you should try. Both James Pyne and Greg Smith make matched mouthpiece and barrel sets, which can make a big difference, particularly if you go to one of them and have everything matched up to your instrument.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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