 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Kalashnikirby
Date: 2020-08-19 14:10
Hi everyone,
I know this topic isn't as interesting for those from the US as it is for those from the EU, however, Thomann has really been upping their game.
As far as the Boehm system is concerned, their own brand now covers all over the important clarinets, from bass to eb.
The newly released (albeit not yet available) composite Low C bass "BCL-C synthetic" looks particularly promising. It's the first non-wood bc to feature a right hand pinky low D key, which I think is brilliant, plus if you check the pictures , the thumb keys and register key are very different from your typical chinese bc, too.
I'm fairly sure their new eb clarinet also features significant differences compared to other chinese eefers (even the wooden ones). In both cases, it seems Thomann did a significant amount of design and development on these horns.
Lastly, I've recently tried their cheap beginner's clarinet "SCL-25" and was deeply impressed. Decent padding, good silver plating and actually great intonation for that price. Even the included mouthpiece is quite usable. And then there's a slightly better composite b-clarinet, the "SCL-65" which I suppose performs even better.
I was pretty astonished, since I honstly haven't yet seen such a good beginner horn at such a price. Since nobody on these forums really talks about these instruments, I thought I might start this thread. Check them out on their website.
Best regards
Christian
Post Edited (2020-08-19 14:11)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-08-19 14:55
I have been a fan of Thomann for carrying various items that cannot be found readily here in the States such as Wurlitzer mouthpieces, Playnick German cut Legere reeds and the GF ligatures.
It's good to hear that their budget clarinet is worthwhile. Even after the hefty shipping charge to the Unites States (starting around $40.00 for anything) that would make the clarinet a bargain.
Two things that I had run across with really inexpensive horns in the past are springs that will NOT withstand any adjustment at all. That is, if you loosen them (or try to tighten the tension) they lose their ability to "spring" at all. Then there there are the posts that are merely glued into place rather than screwing down into the body of the horn. This plays into the spring tension issue. I literally caused a post to pop out of a horn when I tried to increase a spring tension.
So............
Would you know if the Startone clarinets are better than that?
Also, do you have familiarity with the old Vito clarinets from the US? These were great plastic horns that actually play well in tune and still sell here for around $400.00. If you are familiar with these, how does the Startone stack up to the Vito?
................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kalashnikirby
Date: 2020-08-20 12:03
Paul,
by now, I've had my hands on almost every relevant plastic/ebonite horn that you could think of.
There's a Bundy and a Vito V40 lying around waiting to get serviced; I actually used the Vito in a recent outdoor concert and really liked it.
But: The SCL-25 seemed to have cleaner throat tones, in that I couldn't notice an underlying hissing as it is so often the case with plastic horns.
Now it'd be hard to believe a SCL-25 could beat my V40, but the fact alone that it compared favorably was impressive. I suppose the springs aren't high-end, but they did feel better then steel wire. Hard to say whether the posts are glued in, but the SCL-65 would probably
As far as the keywork is concerned, I think it isn't as soft as on the cheapest CSOs. The instrument I've tried is owned by a friend of mine and if I renember correctly, he's used it outdoors for years, yet there wasn't any noticable problem.
A side-by-side comparison of the V40 and the SCL-65 would be interesting...
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JTJC
Date: 2020-08-20 16:36
I was looking to get a C clarinet and had heard about their supposed tuning difficulties. As a start and stopgap I bought the Thomann synthetic C clarinet a few years ago. It was not much over £100 at the time so worth a go. Obviously, at that price I was apprehensive about what it would be like, despite a very good review on the website. When it arrived I was surprised at how good it was in most respects. I played it for a while in orchestra and it was fine. I soon moved up to another C and passed the Thomann to my colleague in the orchestra. We’ve been playing our respective Cs at every opportunity in concert (including Verdi Falstaff) and the Thomann has been fine, tuning wise. The player seems perfectly happy with it, though her orchestral A/Bb pair are pro Buffets.
At the current price point of the Thomann C, £245, several manufacturers (including JP) are offering something and their reviews aren’t bad either.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-08-20 17:34
Really good to hear that there are horns out there that can get folks going on a budget.
...................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ruben
Date: 2020-08-20 23:24
Christian: Do you know if they have a little e-flat clarinet and if it's acceptable? Thank you! I normally siasapprove of Thomann, which I liken to Amazon. They make small businesses go busr and maybe use slave labour, though I don't know what they pay or what their working conditions are like. I at least try to be honest.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kalashnikirby
Date: 2020-08-30 12:01
Ruben: Yes they do: https://www.thomann.de/intl/thomann_cl_17eb_eb_clarinet_boehm.htm
Well I did read an article about Thomann in one of our larger newspapers (Fraknfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, "Melodien für Millionen", 25.12.2019) and in short, working conditions seem decent there.
That is not to say I fully approve of their business model, but let's be realistic: I'd much rather buy a beginner's instrument via Thomann, where they actually stand behing what they sell than buy crap from some tax-evading 3rd-party seller on Amazon. With that in mind, I can say that Thomann seems to be a better employer than Amazon.
Anyways, don't know how they do it, but their eefer too is a special design, it even comes with an eb lever. At this price, I must admit I really want to try it out!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ruben
Date: 2020-08-30 13:07
Thank you, Christian! Good information eloquently argued. You'd make a good lawyer. Thomann isn't satan incarnate, but it does put small music shops out of business. I think they should specialize in high-priced, top-of-the-line gear.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
