 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Quinn
Date: 2020-09-25 19:28
Hi! I was wondering if anyone has tried the ridenour clarinets, he has many a video persuading others to go and check them out, but I have heard many a positive and negative from them, can someone please explain?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-09-25 23:40
Tom Ridenour was one of the first of the modern era to prove that you don't need wood to make a clarinet sound good. He does it with hard rubber. He also was the talent behind many of the last LeBlanc clarinets.
That said, the Ridenour clarinet achieve their tuning in a slightly different way than most. So you either really love them or you don't. If you are open to how they feel then they can be really great. But if you're thinking they will play like R13s, you may be disappointed (R13 folks........are used to making certain accommodations on those horns that are not necessary on the Ridenour).
...........Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2020-09-26 01:22)
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-09-26 00:16
Paul; I don't really think that the Ridenour Leblanc clarinets were the best Leblanc clarinets. They had had good models before his arrival. That said, I have a Ridenour C clarinet I'm delighted with.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-09-26 01:22
I did really only say that he was the designer of them. However, if you want a subjective review, I just sold my nearly brand new Buffet R13 Greenline (that was WAY more of a significant investment than it needed to be) and replaced it with a used LeBlanc OpusII that has turned out to be the one of the best clarinets I've ever owned.
Now THAT was an endorsement.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2020-09-26 18:39
I have enjoyed Tom's videos on youtube and would be interested in at least trying one of his professional models due to the promise of no cracking risks under outdoor playing conditions. But, having several vintage ebonite mps that have good sound qualities but are totally unplayable because the rubber has chemically degraded and they STINK, I would be very hesitant to invest in an ebonite instrument no matter how good it was, for fear it too would someday stink. That stink is like that one bad oyster: no matter how much you loved them before, after just that one, you gag any time you get close.
So:
1 - is there something different between ebonite mps and a rubber (also ebonite?) clarinet body that would invalidate this conclusion ?
2 - is there anything that can be done to restore or otherwise salvage a stinky mp? Oil, lacquer, WD40 ?? (excuse me, there is an earlier post on this question where buffing or steel wool polishing was reported as effective. But the inside of the mp remaining inaccessible to such measures, I leave this question in case there are any more recent developments. otherwise please ignore)
Post Edited (2020-09-26 19:08)
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-09-26 19:17
I'm eager to get my hands on a Leblanc Opus II. I was unaware of its existence.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-09-26 19:24
PS. Paul, I've just done a bit of research and it appears the Leblanc Opus II was designed with the help of Larry Combs. With or without Tom Ridenour? I know Mr. Combs came to the Leblanc factory in France regularly. The person in charge of production there told me: "The trouble with Monsieur Combs is that he makes anything sound like the world's best clarinet!"
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-09-26 20:26
Design is one thing, only the biggest problems I found with both the Concerto II and Opus II was the general build quality.
While it's nice to have extra adjusting screws and whatnot, having them fitting and functioning well is also important and some can be overlooked completely (especially the crow's foot ones) as they serve no purpose other than something else to go wrong if they're loose or can't be adjusted without the slots getting damaged.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-09-26 21:53
The previous owner had removed (and lost to posterity) the adjustment screws on mine and it is probably better off for it. I never really liked the adjustment screw idea myself.
I don't know where this Larry Combs thing came from. When the clarinets were brand new and being marketed up the wazoo, LeBlanc made a BIG deal about the key redesign by Eddie Daniels. Yes, Larry Combs became an official endorser for the Opus and the cover of ever album around that time has him pictured with one, but I don't recall him having any input at all on the design. There were the Larry Combs mouthpieces which were quite good (Woodwind branded but of course from LeBlanc).
The smell is sulfur. It is part of the process of hardening the rubber. There are different chemical percentages and perhaps some processes are less prone to that degradation. I'd send out a question to the Ridenours to see what they say about their hard rubber vs older mouthpieces.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: J. J.
Date: 2020-09-27 00:29
You already know the answer to your question.
With SO much attention here and on YouTube, hammering home how much better they are, it's easy to get a warped sense of reality and think that they're the best. That is, until you look around and see if any notable amount of professionals use them. At that point, it seems unlikely that the community here would possess the secret to better equipment, while the vast majority of people who make their living playing the clarinet don't use them.
Also, be wary of any individual (on here or otherwise), who is constantly raving about the new greatest thing, giving you advice on how you should spend you money.
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Author: Carmelo
Date: 2020-09-28 01:26
Hi Quinn.
I will give my own 2 cents for what its worth.(Disclaimer: I have no personal affiliation with Ridenour Clarinets)
I work fulltime for DHS and play clarinet part time in our local community band and also in church for a small orchestra. I played on a 1978 Buffet R13 for over 25 years and it served me well. Times change and so does technology and workmanship. I never had any issues with my R13 other than playing a little on the sharp side going over the break and into the upper register. No matter what mouthpiece I was using I could never get the sound to stop spreading and losing core whenever I played louder when the music called for it. The R13 I have is good clarinet but I decided to try the Ridenour Clarinet a little over 2 years ago and have not looked back.
I have never received more compliments with the R13 than I do now with the Ridenour clarinet. I don't have to struggle with pitch and intonation regardless of how soft or loud I play within a phrase of any particular piece of music. Classical or Jazz. The tuning is spot on and I have been more than pleased with the Ridenour 576 Lyrique clarinet. I hope you reach to the Tom Ridenour and try it. Granted this is my personal subjective experience and it has been really remarkable for me as part time player and has made the clarinet really fun to play again after so many years of playing on a R13. Don't let naysayers deter you from trying and I say go for it.
Respectfully,
Carmelo
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