 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: classifan
Date: 2002-12-12 05:35
This might be a weird question, but does buffet send their best R13s to different stores or regions in order to attract the people who know where to get the best insturments? And does buffet know which R13 is good or bad before they ship it to the stores all over the world? This is because I can't find a really good one around my area. Maybe all the good ones get bought quickly by some experts.
This also applies to anything mass produced instruments
mounthpieces, barrels, etc. If there is evidence of such a thing I would like to know.
Thanks
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Author: Miles
Date: 2002-12-12 10:28
To reply to this message is quite hard. One thing is to find a vendor that will let you have a trial period of a week or more with at least three clarinet's to try. This is always a hard task. It would be great to walk into a woodwind shop a try as many clarinet's as possible and bring a really good friend with great ears along with you. Good hunting!!
Miles
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-12-12 11:47
classifan wrote:
>
> If there is evidence of such a
> thing I would like to know.
> Thanks
I don't think you'll find evidence of it; but statistically your chances of find a "good" R13 at a particular vendor is directly proportional to the number of R13s that a vendor has for you to try out.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2002-12-12 13:46
Don't fall victim to marketing hype...
EVERY large seller will claim that Their selection is best and that the dross was sent out to be sold by lesser vendors.
Or shipped to Australia, Guadalajara or Newark... use a tuner, trust your ears and always ask for a discount.
If you consider any instrument as a 'work in progress' then the ministrations of a serious shop can set it up to suit you best.
My advice - by the cheapest one you can find (anywhere) and have it customized by the Brannens or any other 'hot rod shop'.
It would be incautious to accept the prognostications about a given device that cannot be measured... these are generally expensive.
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Author: clarynet
Date: 2002-12-12 15:02
Hi!
I don't know where you're located, but International Musical Suppliers in Des Plaines, IL has a fair amount to try out. I don't really reccommend their servicing of the horns.
If you want to go all out, or are close, Boosey & Hawkes relocated from northeastern IL to I think Sacramento within the last year. They have the U.S Buffett line out there. If you go there, you can try out as many as you want right off the line.
The quality depends on the instruments itself, everyone is different, but I do know that '96 wasn't an exactly good year concerning the ratio of lemons vs. rockstar clarinets.
Brannen is a good place, there's also another place in Wisconsin about an hour or so north of it, in Racine. The guy there does AWESOME work-comparable or better than, and he isn't as expensive as Brannen.
Good Luck
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-12-12 16:59
Classifan -
The best way is to try out a bunch of instruments for yourself, or with your teacher or a professional player you have hired for the day. If you don't live close to a store with substantial stock, it's worth making a special trip. A good instrument will last you the rest of your life, and you'll soon forget about the trip cost.
A reasonable substitute is to order several R-13s from International, which has gotten a number of good references for picking out good ones. WW&BW will do the same.
Greg Smith (of the Chicago Symphony) picks out R-13s, sends them to Brannen and then sets up one of his mouthpieces and a Chadash barrel with the particular instrument. Of course, these instruments go for more than the street price of an R-13, but you're sure of getting a good instrument, in good condition.
Tom Ridenour does the same thing.
The Muncy catalog says they pick out and optimize R-13s. So do Weiner and Bay.
On the Klarinet board, Kelly Abraham, a multi-instrument player and teacher in NYC, says that Buffet picks out excellent instruments to show and sell at ClarinetFest and other conventions.
Conservatory teachers and major symphony players pick out instruments for their students. You have to study with one of them, of course, but there's no harm in that ;-).
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2002-12-12 17:46
I'm thinking seriously about picking up an R13 Prestige sometime soon. Are there any years/serial numbers to be wary of?
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2002-12-12 18:13
Clarynet said some things that are on the right path, but not quite perfect. Boosey and Hawkes (Buffet) is now located north of Pasadena (Los Angeles area) in a community called Sun Valley. An average person, like me, can order instruments through a local Buffet dealer, and then go there and pick one out. They told me that they usually set up three instuments for one to choose from. In fact, I ordered an R-13 and a Festival, with the understanding that I would pick one of one model and cancel the other, so I had six horns to choose from. They told me that not a huge number of people are doing this sort of thing yet. Now, I don't know exactly how they treat the dealers or professionals; I assume, and it doesn't bother me, that special arrangements are made for them.
I spent a fun morning there. There were five Prestige low C Bass Clarinets laying on the floor of the demo room I was in, set up for someone to try the next day. I felt like Uncle Scrooze McDuck sitting in his vaults surrounded with gold coins. The people were nice and were helpful, and I appreciate that Francoise Kloc spent some time answering some of my questions, though he probably was pretty busy. In retrospect, I wish I had gone with someone else to help me listen, like so many people on this list recommend.
I'm still digesting some of the things I learned, and I'm still learning to play my new Festival. I'm sure I'll have more to say and ask in the future.
Wayne Thompson
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-12-12 19:26
Ralph -
If you're looking for a used Buffet, those with serial numbers under, say, 80,000 can be badly worn, and from around 250,000 to 400,000, they were inconsistent. However, the best were as good as any. Everything depends on how the particular instrument plays, and not on the serial number.
For things to look for, see the very good thread at http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=41632&t=41584.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2002-12-13 06:44
It's true: some r13s are better than others. You CAN find an A that doesn't have the splitting note problem, and that doesn't have the stuffy D problem, that doesn't have the undertone problem, I've witnessed this first-hand on all of my teacher's instruments and a fellow student who ordered her r13 through someone whom I'm not allowed to say. Needless to say, the instrument is beautiful to play on, the most beautiful sound I've ever got was out of her instrument.
All of my teacher's instruments when through Brannen.
Over the next six months, I'm taking out a loan to have an r13 set selected and Brannenized for me - I'll be paying it all off for years to come, but will be worth it.
I've got to say, above all these 'brand wars', there's nothing like a hotrod r13.
IMHO. So there.
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Author: classifan
Date: 2002-12-13 22:45
Thank you for the replies and especially from Mr. Shaw, who always seem to give intelligent and accurate answers. I am finding that the majority of R13s in stores are not really top quality and I don't really know why. For me, when I first try an instrument I check for leaks. If there is a leak, I ask the technician to fix it before I try it out again. The next thing I look for is tone. If the notes are stuffy overall, I reject that instrument. This type of problem, I find does not really go away, even after it has been broken it. I also check intonation, which is a bit tricky. I make sure it's around 70 degrees F and the clarinet is sufficiently warmed up (takes maybe 1 hour sometimes) to make sure the instrument is in optimal tuning condition. Then, I play all the notes and listen for correct tuning and tone quality. Tone quality is a bit subjective because the person playing might have a different opinion of a good sound then you. But, you are the one to make the decision.
I like the idea of getting your instrument custom tweaked, but I want an instrument to play right from the start just because, then I will have confidence in it. I would like to go to one of the big stores, so that I can try many (maybe 20) instruments. First impressions are usually correct from my experiences and if I'm lucky to find a really good one I might buy.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2002-12-14 14:21
You'll get perhaps two trips into most music stores to make these kind of demands. Go for the most reasonably priced instrument and send it off for a tweak... you're spinning your gears, there binky.
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Author: classifan
Date: 2002-12-14 20:07
sorry, but I don't fully agree with you Botchhead and your opinions
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