 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2001-07-10 20:39
Hey Y'all, with all the technical knowledge out there, here's a good question for yah! We have chewed up one side and down the other the pro's & con's of wood/plastic/hard-rubber versus the "new" greenlines by Buffet. With that technology in place and the increasing shortage of quality wood, is it technically possible/financially advantageous to consider a line of Bass Clarinets (to include down to "C" extension) from the greenline material? Could I lift it? My hard-rubber Conn is quite a lift by it'self, would a Greenline model weigh more? Would the material allow it'self to stay in tune in that bore and length? Would it resonate well? Play around with this one for a while.
Bob A
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-07-10 21:51
Bob -
The Greenline material is not *that* much heavier than grenadilla, and any low C bass is going to be too heavy to play without a floor peg anyway. I would give a loud cheer if Buffet decided to make a Greenline bass. The big problem with basses is that the keys are so long, and span such a wide distance of constantly warping wood. The register mechanism runs 2/3 the length of the instrument and is a nightmare to keep in adjustment, even with the improved design on the recent Buffet basses.
Francois Kloc has said that reamers and other tools must be redesigned to work on the Greenline material. The tools designed for wood don't work. Since Buffet redesigned their basses fairly recently, and since far fewer basses are made than sopranos, they may not be able to recover the investment of another retooling for a Greenline bass quickly enough to satisfy the bean-counters. After all, it was several years before Buffet started making a Greenline A clarinet, and I'm pretty sure that some of their models are still not available in it.
A Greenline bass would be great, but I don't expect it any time soon.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: William
Date: 2001-07-10 22:22
Why not a Bundy Resonite bass clarinet with a range down to C?????
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-07-10 23:20
Heck, I'd be happy with an all metal bass if it were made right. Sort of on the line of the LeBlanc contras. I know Pedler made one but I don't think the quality was all that good as I've never heard anyone rave about one.
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2001-07-10 23:48
But Ken, In respect to this:"The big problem with basses is that the keys are so long, and span such a wide distance of constantly warping wood. The register mechanism runs 2/3 the length of the instrument and is a nightmare to keep in adjustment,...." Which is what you said. It supports my thinking because Greenline material does not warp (or so it isw claimed). I would think it better.
Bob A
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Author: David
Date: 2001-07-11 00:17
Why not a Bundy Resonite Low-C Bass Clarinet? Most Bundies, I believe, are student models, and for some odd reason no one expects students to play below Eb. But That would be nice, and Greenline Basses would be nice too.
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2001-07-14 03:17
I think that even plastic would be worth considering. The question is one of quality design and manufacture. After all, some quality oboes are using plastic.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2001-07-14 18:11
A good metal bass would be nice too. I wonder if it would be heavier than wood, composite, or plastic.
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