 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: beejay
Date: 2002-08-23 19:39
In view of all the discontented moans about the quality of clarinets and reeds that one reads on this bulletin board, I wonder if I am an exception. I have three Buffet clarinets, each of which is beautifully made and finished. Apart from one sticking register key, which was cheerfully fixed under the guarantee, I have never had the slightest mechanical problem. The intonation is perfect, and the wood is of excellent quality. The American-made piece of electronic junk on which I write this message cost about the same as my Bflat RC when I bought both four years ago. It is now worth approximately nothing, while the clarinet has lost little of its value, and has brought me an infinite amount of pleasure, which is more than I can say about B*ll G*tes. Turning to Vandoren, I buy a box of V12 reeds every couple of months or so and usually get four or five to play well straight out of the box. With a bit of scraping, I can get another two or three to play to my satisfaction. I never have to reject more than a couple. Sometimes I buy Glotin reeds for a change, and they are just as good. For the amount of pleasure music gives me, I reckon I'm getting a pretty good deal. Vive la France, I say. I'm off on a trip for the next three weeks, so let the skies fall!
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Author: Barrie Marshall
Date: 2002-08-23 20:24
I am also very happy with a combination of Selmer Centeredtone, A vandoran 5JB mouthpiece and V12 reeds, I went through all that trying different instrument, mouthpice, reed combination for years, A little story.
A good friend of mine and a fine jazz clarinet player turned up at a gig with yet another clarinet, (a Selmer 10s this time) sporting a 5JB mouthpiece, he decided he could not handle it and promptly gave it to me as a gift, this is over four years ago, he turned up a few weeks later and was surprised to see me using the 5JB, he was so impressed with the sound I was getting from my instrument (at this time a cheap plastic student instrument as my Selmer was in for repair)he went out and bought another one! sadly he is stilling for the perfect clarinet, I have told him that whatever you get will always be a compromise.
I always have a a spare 5JB as after one gig I made the fatal mistake of placing my beloved instrument on top of a pile of cardboard boxes I turned my back and heard a srange noise behind me, the boxes had collapsed and my clarinet had rolled off and hit the floor like a missile, it was OK apart but I had a 5JB in about a million pieces.
Barrie
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Author: javier garcia
Date: 2002-08-23 20:28
You are not alone Beejay, I'm a good level amateur clarinetist. Music is makes my live better and I've enjoyed marvelous moments making music.
I have three horns, my buffet Bb, my Rossi A and my Buffet bass, not perfect but wunderful instruments. And I have played ALL the reeds I've owned, some direct from the box, some scraping them, some cutting them, sometimes waiting for several years to finally use them.
I have bought a Glotin box, i find them very good, round sound and good projection.
Vive la musique! vive la clarinette! vive les instruments à vent!
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2002-08-24 04:31
The comparison between clarinet and computers is of course not terribly valid in that the clarinet represents a very mature technology and improvements have come incrimentally. The changes in computer technology in the last 12 years from the 386 to the present machines is no less than revolutionary. And it was only 20 years ago I operated a pair of DEC PDP11s with a 150 pound, $5000 hard drive that held a whopping 10 meg on 4 sides! For better or worse, rapid obsolensence is the price we have all paid for this.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-08-25 05:19
beejay: Did you mean Bull Gytes? Huh? Do I win a prize?
Anyway, when Buffet comes out with a new Clarinet featuring a 20Gb HD and 160 Meg RAM, your older ones are gonna look pret-ty obsolete.
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2002-08-26 14:40
Dear Bee Jay: I for one never have reed problems whatsoever, and the more i practice the more reeds I find. I use a pretty standard set up and don't really spend alot of time trying products except for studnets and the like. I use a Selmer Recital and a couple of Buffet r13 horns and never complain with tone or whatever people thibnk of tone...I don't suffer from Kasparitiitis which is very easy to get. What I do is listen to a recent recording of someone like Meyer or even a recent orchestral recording to reallize that there is no one total answer to what music is all about. I would hasten to add Vandoren does pretty good when you consider how expensive alot of the other mouthpiece makers are out there. but we live in a world where we think if we part with alot of money man it makes us feel Great!!!!!!!
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