Author: Max S-D
Date: 2019-12-06 05:17
I just had a chance to try out the 2nd generation Kessler Low C bass clarinet at their Charleston Blvd location yesterday, coincidentally exactly a year after this thread was first posted.
I typically play an older Selmer 33, and while I didn't have it with me for comparison (in town for work), I do play it almost every day and would like to think I am familiar enough with its tendencies to refer back to it from memory.
The Kessler instrument I was able to play is their floor demo model that has seen a lot of action and could probably use a bit of adjustment, but I think it was in good enough shape to draw some conclusions from. I brought my own mouthpiece and reeds in anticipation of trying the instrument out.
To be blunt, I was absolutely floored by what you get for the money.
The tone in the lower register is clear and powerful. I think the lowest C might be a bit more focused (and definitely more in tune) than my Selmer, which can get a bit "blatty" if I'm not careful. At a mezzoforte or above, I thought the horn sounded comparable to the Selmer, but I did feel myself having to be very particular about consciously voicing the notes at a softer volume to get them to sound pretty in a way that I don't worry about on my own instrument. Probably something I could learn to work around.
The clarion was quite good. The dreaded long B was only a little sharp. Well within a "workable" range. All bass clarinets I've played have a sharp long B to some extent and this was probably better than most. Shockingly, though, the long B was delightfully clear in tone. On just about every student bass clarinet I've played, the transition from the throat A to the long B is a bit jarring, with a bright (sometimes raspy) A and a stuffy B. Playing a scale across the break revealed a very satisfying evenness from note to note that felt very polished. This is probably the way that the instrument felt most like a professional bass clarinet and really stood out from all the student bass clarinets of various ages that I've played (a couple examples each of Noblet, Yamaha, Bundy/Selmer USA, Vito).
The upper clarion was good, but I couldn't push it to as much of a forte/fortissimo range as I can on my Selmer. Probably not a problem if you aren't playing more advanced solo repertoire, but I would guess that a lot of people interested in this instrument will be playing that stuff. Based on the fact that most bass clarinets are not strong there, I suspect that this is just a difficult range to build for. It's certainly the hardest range for me to push hard as a player, regardless of the instrument.
Altissimo was a little different from my Selmer, but I've also got a set of altissimo fingerings that only seem to work on my Selmer and only for me. I'll leave that for others to review. Getting notes to pop in those higher partials wasn't any problem.
Intonation wasn't perfect, but definitely within a manageable range. Lord knows my Selmer's intonation isn't perfect.
Keywork is good, but not great, in my opinion. The register key is a teardrop shape like on a Bb clarinet instead of the more contoured, saxophone-like one on my Selmer. I think that would be a big improvement, but obviously not a dealbreaker.
I agree with the people above that said the LH pinky low D key is useless. It's just way, way too heavy compared to every other key on the instrument. If that's how it's got to work, I think it would have been better to just leave it off and save the weight and complication. There's no way I'd use that in a fast passage.
The thumb key layout is simple and easy to work with. I could see myself learning to get from note to note pretty comfortably there.
The C#/G# is not articulated, which I've gotten used to but could learn to live without.
The double register mechanism seems to work well. I will defer to repair techs on how mechanically sound it is, but in playing the instrument, it wasn't holding me back.
Overall, though, I thought the horn sounded fantastic. It has the definite feeling about it of an instrument where money has been spent where it matters and saved in other places. It's utilitarian and you know they aren't charging you extra for things that aren't going to make the instrument play better. There are some roughly-finished surfaces in places where you aren't likely to look (undersides of keys, mostly) and the overall cosmetic appearance definitely won't stack up to a Buffet or Selmer.
But that's what gets me about the instrument. I'm comparing a $2,300 bass clarinet to the finest bass clarinets in the world and it's really not coming off badly at all. I think this instrument might be in a class of one. Or maybe two, since I haven't played the Ridenour.
While I do prefer my Selmer, I could easily take the Kessler to any bass clarinet gig, rehearsal or recording session I've ever played and nobody would notice anything wrong.
Given that this horn goes for about a third of what I've spent on my Selmer buying it (used) and getting it to where I want it, I'd say that's pretty impressive!
Beyond that, I had a chance to chat with Adam Kessler for a bit about these horns (they can't even have them made fast enough to keep them in stock) and the AK ligatures that he makes in his garage (his garage is not like yours, I would guess). He was great to talk to and was pretty cool about me showing up and playing their bass clarinet in a room for an hour knowing full well that I wasn't going to be buying one.
I'd recommend this horn without hesitation to anyone looking for a Low C bass clarinet who doesn't have a Selmer or Buffet in the budget. Even if you do, it would be worth checking this one out. This would be a great instrument for students or doublers. I don't see it holding you back at all.
Given the many years I was on a plastic, one-piece Bundy, I wish I had had a horn like this!
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