 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sax panther
Date: 2019-09-13 13:09
Hi
Lots of info on both of these clarinets on the search function, but I couldn't find anything for this specific situation.
After not playing regular orchestral stuff for many years, I've just accepted a clarinet position in a local symphony orchestra. My Bb clarinet is a Leblanc Opus which I like very much - my A clarinet is a B&H Emperor, which I also like, but feels very different to my Opus for obvious reasons. I'd ideally like to get an Opus in A, but I imagine I'll be waiting a long time for one to become available second hand.
there is a guy in the UK who imports and sells Ridenour clarinets, so given the Ridenour link with the Opus design, one option is to try out a Lyrique in A to pair with my Opus. Before I start looking into making arrangements to drive up and try one out, does anyone else on here use an Opus/Lyrique combination, and if so, do you find the instruments very similar?
My other option is to get a matched pair of Hansons and sell the Opus...I've tried Hansons before and like them, but I've been using the Opus for almost 20 years and I'm quite attached to it, so it would feel a bit of a shame to sell it.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2019-09-14 00:13
I can't answer from personal experience, as I never played an Opus, but I was quite happy with my Lyrique. Why not contact Ridenour Clarinet Products directly, and get the answer from the true expert?
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Ed
Date: 2019-09-14 01:22
I would think the only way to really know is to try them together and see how they feel to you.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2019-09-14 03:51
I've owned and played both extensively. They "feel" very much different from each other. Acoustically, they are similar, but not alike.
So if it's important to you to own A and Bb clarinets that sound the same, but you can't have a pair of the same make and model, the Lyrique and Opus would be a good pairing.
If it's important to you to own A and Bb clarinets that "feel" the same, this pairing would not be optimum.
E-mail me if you have further questions.
B.
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Author: CapnCheapo
Date: 2019-09-14 08:21
Something to think about if you do manage to find an Opus in A, some of these instruments were shipped with a register tube that is not the correct dimensions— it makes tuning and undertones a slightly bigger problem than what it would otherwise be. Tom identified my A’s register tube as being one of the incorrect ones, but also told me it’s getting harder and harder to find the correct replacement.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2019-09-14 17:41
CapnCheapo, this not only happened with Opus A clarinets, but also Bb clarinets.
Mine was shipped with the wrong register tube, and the problem wasn't "slightly bigger," it was a lot bigger, making the instrument nearly unplayable.
I ordered my instrument from a then-prominent small retailer who was to test her inventory and pick out one for me, but apparently she never tried the horn. I paid Tom to diagnose the problem and install the correct tube.
B.
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Author: sax panther
Date: 2019-09-15 16:36
thanks for the offer bmcgar - I've sent you an email.
I've just seen that a music shop a couple of hours away has a Leblanc Concerto II in A for sale, so that could be another option for me.
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