 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2024-03-26 22:10
Debate:
As long as clarinets are made of wood--and by wood I don't mean products derived from wood that might be dimensionally stable--mass producing consistently astonishing clarinets is not possible.
I don't know.
You see, from what I hear, Yamaha has perfected the production of very consistent and extremely good professional clarinets and yet people tell me that when you find that just right Yahama.....
or Buffet, or Selmer, (or maybe Backun and others) and "Brannenize it" (or its equivalent: which I'll loosely describe as either taking your new instrument to the people at Brannen Woodwinds, http://www.brannenwoodwinds.com/ or craftsman like them, to bring out every essence of its capabilities,) that the high degree of consistent quality, say, on par with Lexus Autos (Lexus haters feel free) isn't possible.
If I had to buy a clarinet via mail order, I must confess, I'd buy a Yamaha.
(R13 golden era player)
Post Edited (2024-03-26 22:12)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2024-03-26 22:44
You’re right on that score. I would have put Uebel up there too, until I had an unsuccessful order. I feel that problem was a fluke, and yet did not go back to Uebel.
…………….Paul Aviles
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Author: ruben
Date: 2024-03-26 23:41
I would never buy a clarinet, mouthpiece or bell via mail order. I'd rather pay a little more and try out at least three.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2024-03-26 23:52
ruben wrote:
> I would never buy a clarinet, mouthpiece or bell via mail
> order. I'd rather pay a little more and try out at least three.
>
I agree, and fortunately live in an area where I don't have to rely on a mail order instrument.
....I'm just saying that if i had to rely on mail order..... 
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2024-03-27 00:08
Having been to the Yamaha Attelier and spent several hours evaluating a couple of dozen instruments I would say Yamaha pro instruments meet this standard. Intonation, action, response, and finish were uniform. There was a VERY small difference in tonal character from instrument to instrument because natural wood will always resonate slightly differently from piece to piece.
If a student plays my Yamaha horns and likes them I can confidentally send them to the music store to make a purchase. This was NEVER the case with Buffet.
Is Yamaha the right instrument for everyone? Of course not, but if you like them and don't want to have to spend a bunch of extra money making the instrument play as it should, it's a big advantage.
Anders
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2024-03-27 03:18
The two things Yamaha can do better on their clarinets are the choice of silencing materials they use - they should use much more appropriate materials depending on the application and also reducing the spring tension on several keys, especially open standing ones as the spring tension is always set too heavy.
With regard to their student model clarinets, the RH pinky keys ought to be angled inwards to make then less of a stretch for players with small hands.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2024-03-27 06:23
Chris P wrote:
> The two things Yamaha can do better on their clarinets are the
> choice of silencing materials they use - they should use much
> more appropriate materials depending on the application and
> also reducing the spring tension on several keys, especially
> open standing ones as the spring tension is always set too
> heavy.
>
> With regard to their student model clarinets, the RH pinky keys
> ought to be angled inwards to make then less of a stretch for
> players with small hands.
>
And the funny thing Chris, I think is:
Yamaha will, IMHO, read stuff like this, and take player feedback and make changes for the better faster than other manufacturers.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2024-03-27 07:02
Here's my list of recommendations of silencing materials:
- Nylon tipped throat G# adjusting screw
- Felt or ultrasuede on the throat G#, thumb ring, RH ring keys, RH3 B/F# key, F/C crow's foot and RH E/B key foot
- Thin teflon coated Hycotex on the RH1 ring key and RH F/C linkage piece
- Hycotex everywhere else except the throat A touchpiece (which already uses a natural cork stopper
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2024-03-27 10:15
<< The two things Yamaha can do better on their clarinets are the choice of silencing materials they use - they should use much more appropriate materials depending on the application >>
All true, but still light years better than that self adhesive synthetic cork Buffet is using...
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2024-03-27 20:27
clarnibass wrote:
> All true, but still light years better than that self adhesive
> synthetic cork Buffet is using...
It's ridiculous if you think of it as the entry level plastic Prodiges use pretty much the same silencing materials as their top end clarinets. That's expected on an entry level clarinet where bench time is minimal, but you'd have hoped for the cost of their high end models, they'd have been hand finished to a much higher standard and reflective of the price than using peel'n'stick pre-cut foam shapes.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: donald
Date: 2024-03-28 12:21
I just played an old Yamaha YCL32 from the 1980s, overhauled by a friend in Japan and sent here for one of my students. Like a similar model played by another student, these are better in tune and more even response than the new R13s I try out at the local store. The tone in the lower register lower joint is also considerably more focused and with fuller body than my old blown out Festival.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2024-03-29 01:47
I have an old 1970s YCL-24 and the build quality of that clarinet, bearing in mind it's an entry/beginner level plastic clarinet, puts the build quality of many pro level clarinets to shame - even new pro level Yamahas.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2024-03-29 12:56
Yamaha is a company that have fought their way into the musical instrument market the hard way, because they are outsiders to what we regard as our musical heritage and traditions.Hence they have had to really convince us based upon the merits of their products in both quantity and price. While by now they have reasonably earned their laurels here in the West ,resting on them is unlikely to become one of their attitudes and their R&D remains very active as I understand and has always included keeping their finger on the pulse of musician's changing needs and budget abilities, so even if you don't buy Yamaha, the chances are that the price of what you do buy has been moderated by the existence of the Yamaha product.
Now China is starting to step up to the plate of manufacturing real quantity, which of course they will achieve at very moderate prices, and like Yamaha, they will have to overcome our existing biases. They are however, not the Japanese who have an almost religious culture of aspiring to excellence in all that they do.
Only time will tell.
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2024-03-29 13:04
That's quality NOT quantity I meant in both instances.( the spell check was into quantity over quality today ...Ha-ha!)
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: graham
Date: 2024-03-29 16:48
Yamaha’s heritage is as a musical instrument manufacturer, which later moved into motor vehicle production. They have a big reputation in piano manufacturing. The image of the brand in the ‘west’ is conditioned by the export success enjoyed by their vehicles.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2024-03-29 19:49
Julian ibiza wrote:
> Yamaha is a company that have fought their way into the musical
> instrument market the hard way, because they are outsiders to
> what we regard as our musical heritage and traditions.
Remember that Yamaha as a company STARTED as a musical instrument company. The 3 crossed tuning forks as a logo - even on their motorcycles - is testament to that legacy.
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Author: JamesOrlandoGarcia
Date: 2024-04-04 22:08
Yamaha clarinets are incredibly consistent. When I went through several to select a new set of CSVR's, the differences were very small. So props to them because in the past two R13s had as much chance of being similar as an R13 and an E11 would be. But I hear they have stepped their game up as the market has become more competitive.
I played on my CSVRs for a year before I had the got the "brannenized" type treatment from Scott Winkler. They sounded great before, they were just even easier to play after. Probably required 70% percent the effort to play third movement of Shostakovich 9.
I'd rather buy instruments like that CSVR that are priced to play the way they do so that I have the freedom financially to overhaul them.
James Garcia
Bass Clarinet/Clarinet III, Des Moines Symphony Orchestra
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2024-04-06 11:56
The more, the merrier.
Not that the message will get through to them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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