 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: james
Date: 2002-05-31 16:32
I have just been calling various stores like, Woodwind and Brasswind and some others. I have noticed none of them have adds for the festival in the catolouges (sp) and most can't even tell you the price of the horn over the telephone, you have to go to the store to find out. They say this is buffet's policy. Why would they do that? Do they not want to festival to sell or what?
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2002-05-31 16:50
They want to keep the Festival an exclusive type deal so it's not advertised in discount catalogues. The retail price just made a jump to $4,195.00. I bought one at Brook Mays Music (look up their website and call one of their 800 numbers for a quote) for quite a bit under that amount.
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Author: ken
Date: 2002-06-01 04:25
I've play-tested 6 shipped from M**** last month. I can certainly understand why they'd want to keep the price a secret (their latest marketing scheme) If I produced the kind of trash I played on I'd want to keep the general public in the dark too.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-06-01 04:52
ken...The last time I auditioned a few Festival clarinets was about a year ago. I did not purchase one.
Could you please share your specific concerns/dislikes of the Festival clarinets you tried. As I do respect your ability and judgement, I would like to hear of your impressions of the Festival and how they compared (or rather, paled) to what you are currently playing.
Thanks...GBK
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Author: ClarinetQween
Date: 2002-06-01 21:41
I have played on a Buffet festival for the last 4 years or so (I cannot remember when I got it for so reason) and I absolutely love it! I have a matching set (a Bb and an A) and they are beautiful together. The one main reason I enjoyed this instrument over the r-13 or anything comparable was because it has a slightly larger bore. Before this instrument I was playing on an artley with a very closed face mouthpiece so my natural reaction was to play an instrument that I could get more air through.
I can also tell you that I definantly didn't pay that much. When I got mine from our local music store I paid about $2250 for the Bb and $2450 for the A (not totally sureabout the price of the A but I think that it was close to that). It is very important to have a good relationship with your local dealer!
Also I was very lucky to get a clarinet with amazing pitch and sound. My clarinet is almost always in tune (I have a pretty good ear which helps I am sure). My A is an absolute dream to play. It has the most rcih beautiful clarinet sound out of any clarinet that I have ever played. I guess I was just lucky. If you have any more specific questions feel free to ask away and I will be happy to answer them if I can!
-ClarinetQween
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2002-06-02 17:16
4150$!!!
I would take ROSSI(3500$), almost hand made. Or, IMS's Greg Smith picked//Brannenized/with Greg mouthpiece and Chadash barrel/ R-13 at 2999$.
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Author: ken
Date: 2002-06-03 03:39
Well, one man's trash is another man's treasure.
I'm not the ken of whom GBK requested more detail regarding his festival post, but here's my 2c anyway:
I switched from r13s to festivals a couple of years ago. I find the festival's sound and intonation more even, particulsrly on the A. The left hand 12ths are closer due to the higher register vent placement on both instruments.
Negatives:
On my festival Bb the left hand F/C twelfth is a bit narrow;this can be disconcerting, particularly if you're coming from an instrument with the opposite tendency. The throat Bb on this instrument needs a lot of help to sound good.
The bottom end of my festival A is a little lower in pitch than the R13 A, but -compromise as usual- the higher 12ths of those notes (G,F,E) sit very comfortably.
Both festivals blow more freely than my R13s did. I do miss the slight resistance of my old instruments, but then that resistance was not consistent over the range of those clarinets.
And I do miss the 'colour' of the R13, but, for me, the overall evenness and similarity of 'feel' in my festival Bb and A win out.
GBK, I would be interested to hear your impressions.
Best regards
Ken
Ken
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-06-03 05:30
Ken...I tried the Festival clarinets about a year ago, so some of my initial impressions have since faded away.
What I do remember from that time was that the Festival A clarinet impressed me the most with it's ease of blowing. Whether one could call it less resistance, or just being a little more free blowing than the R-13 A's I own (which have been extensively "tweeked"), I did find that there was a significant enough difference to be felt. On the other hand, the Festival Bb felt almost too free blowing, with much less resistance than I was used to. I suppose, in time I could have adjusted to the difference, but the initial impression was that it was not the same as the R-13 Bb feels. Perhaps "less secure" would be the best way to describe my feelings when playing it.
The intonation on both instruments was uniformly fine, and consecutive diatonic notes matched well in color and feel. The throat tones (especially the Bb) were low in pitch (if I remember correctly) and would take some serious adjustment and use of resonance fingerings to compensate. This, I'm sure is the result of the different placement of the register key vent hole.
In comparison to the R-13, the tone of the Festivals was (and I apologize for such an undescriptive word) "different". Not better, not worse - just different. Perhaps the coloration contained different partials (I know I'm going out on a limb here) - but there was a characteristic inherent that I immediately knew didn't feel or sound like the R-13's I had played all my life.
If I had a preference, it would favor the Festival A over the Festival Bb. However, my old ears and embouchure are so used to my R-13's, that I didn't want to confuse them any further...GBK
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-06-03 06:17
GBK - heaven forbid that you should step out of your comfort zone and try a ...
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-06-03 06:22
diz...When you have steak at home, one doesn't go out for a hamburger...GBK
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Author: David Dow
Date: 2002-06-03 11:14
Interesting, in the 50s no one would touch a Buffet of any sort and now no one will play anything but Buffet! I remember taking lessons with a player in a prominent American orchestra who didn't want the name Buffet mentioned..."#$%$#%$ Trash!! he screamed so I remember!!! I like the R13s a good deal but also use Selmer Recitals in orchestra far more. Try having a calm conversation about Bass clarinets and then your really in trouble!!!
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Author: HAT
Date: 2002-06-03 16:06
In the 1950's Buffet clarinets were used in most of the major US symphonies (outside of Boston). Don't know why any other impression would have been made on David Dow.
David Hattner, NYC
www.northbranchrecords.com
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