 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jonathan.wallaceadams
Date: 2017-09-12 20:38
I was looking around and found this:
http://matchpitch.moe-bleichner.com/
What appears to be a synthetic adjustable barrel... for $50!
The Royal Legend Barrel is $200 and the Zoom Barrel is around $200 too I think.
Other than the material being delrin/hard rubber and not wood, is there anything that would make it not worth even $50?
Has anybody tried this barrel? I'd love to hear other's thoughts so I can determine whether to invest in one myself.
Just an aspiring student.
Buffet Tradition
Mpc.: Hawkins "G", Barrel: Moba, Reeds: Reserve 3.5+
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2017-09-13 04:51
To me, this looks like a barrel to help beginners and to be used outside where temperatures can vary a lot.
I could not find clear instructions as to how you move it from one setting to the next.
I only found one review and it was from a newbie who's using it at 63mm and hopes to get it down to 66. No mention was made as to how it sounded or how it changed the sound from the original barrel.
These are sold on that auction site. However, what really bothers me is that they have a "no return" policy. So, if you buy it and don't like it, you're stuck with it.
It appears to be rather new on the market so only time will tell.
On Amazon, they have the "Freedom Adjustable Clarinet Barrel" for $89.00 and is made in the USA by RS Berkeley. It's a clickable? adjustment barrel with a much wider range of adjustments. It's made of aluminum and it has some impressive positive reviews. Amazon has been selling them for 6 years.
What is confusing to me is that it's advertised as having an "infinite adjustable range" and some of the reviews talk about it being clickable.
I found the following Youtube video about the Freedom Adjustable clarinet barrel to be very interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT2d6ZVeZik
I didn't hear any clicks when the player adjusted it.
If I were in the market for an adjustable barrel, I think I would purchase this one.
Just my opinions...
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2017-09-13 06:31
Jonathan,
When you watch this video, I don't think you will want the Match Pitch Adjustable Barrel. Why? Because you have to keep readjusting your mouthpiece position as you adjust for proper length! IMO, a bad design.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsH-gnM2780&feature=youtu.be
With the Freedom Adjustable, your mouthpiece remains stationary while adjusting the barrel length.
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Author: super20bu6
Date: 2017-09-13 15:07
I DO have a Freedom Barrel. It doesn't click when you adjust it...it is a totally smooth operation. While I don't use it in a normal concert setting, I DO use the thing when doing a pit orchestra. If the clarinet has to sit for a long period of time or it's cooler weather, this thing has saved me more than once from biting WAY too much to get up to pitch. It doesn't negatively affect my sound and I would highly recommend the Freedom Barrel. Worth every penny!
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Author: jonathan.wallaceadams
Date: 2017-09-13 18:05
Thanks, Dan and super! I'll invest in an RS Berkeley Adj. Barrel. I'm trying to move away from my cocobolo MOBA because of its day-to-day inconsistencies. I'm conflicted about making an aluminum barrel my daily driver. Any suggestions for a grenadilla barrel? Thanks!
Just an aspiring student.
Buffet Tradition
Mpc.: Hawkins "G", Barrel: Moba, Reeds: Reserve 3.5+
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Author: ajanosa
Date: 2017-09-14 20:06
I tried these at ICA this year. They don't seem to be marketing them (at least not in person when I was there) as a professional setup. They are effective tuning devices for students, and did significantly improve the sound and blowing resistance of the B12 which they had available to play on. My regular mouthpiece setup and that barrel on a student instrument made it sound rather convincingly like a more expensive setup. You won't be fooling anyone with it, but it's a cheap way to seriously help out a kid who can't afford an expensive instrument.
Construction wise: it is a 3D printed item (felt like ABS, but I could be wrong on that), and comes with physical stops to keep it from rotating completely apart (more kid proof, I suppose). For the price point, it certainly has its uses and I would definitely drop the money on one or two if I had the students who needed it.
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Author: Tony Park
Date: 2019-01-01 20:39
Hi Dan, a few months ago, I was graciously given one of these barrels to try and while they are functional and affordable, I wouldn't buy it for my own playing for two reasons:
1. My wooden Buffet-Chadash barrel just has more core and resonance.
2. As you pointed out, I would have to rotate my mouthpiece every time I use the rotating mechanism, which I think is not much better than switching to different barrels in most cases.
And, yes, I do think they are meant for students, but for most of my students and their given funding on their muiscal studies, I would try to convince them to invest in better mouthpiece/ reeds/ ligature/ repair, instead.
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Author: Wind, Woman, and Song
Date: 2020-01-26 04:01
Hi Tony, Your information is exactly what I was searching for. The LONG waits in-between songs and different instruments during pit shows does cause imbalances in the clarinet. It would be nice to have something to assist with this tuning issue. I have a Yamaha Custom AE and I do hope this barrel will fit.
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Author: fernie121
Date: 2020-01-26 04:48
If you’re looking for a barrel that is more consistent than your cocobolo one, their are a lot of other options. Behn’s hard rubber barrel is a favorite of mine. Fobes has a synthetic barrel that’s good, as do many other makers. Even the aidoni wood barrels have a plastic insert for stability.
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Author: DaphnisetChloe
Date: 2020-01-26 13:21
I'd avoid the Freedom.barrel. After using it for a month it broke in half along the pitch adjusting midsection and the way it was designed made it impossible to fix.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2020-01-26 15:33
What are the bore measurements? Meaning, is the bore straight, tapered?
I have been messing around with materials for 3 or 4 years now trying to design something a bit different and the bore is critical and it should be based on the bore of your mouthpiece. This avoids dead notes and pitch issues. At for the material used, sure your sound will change a bit. To a certain degree I prefer harder materials, but definitely not as hard as metal and maybe not as hard as rod robber. But rod rubber comes in at many hardness levels and I just haven't figured it out yet. At the same time I don't like soft wood because the bore changes more and your pitch will need constant adjustments and from experience when performing as halls warm up inside when people fill their seats the hall temperature goes up just a few degrees your pitch changes. The bore expands and then becomes smaller with water and the heat of the water and swelling will happen. I think the future is synthetic materials.
I do like Guy Chadash barrels. Some are all wood, some rubber, some part rubber and wood. Added his barrels have regular tapers and reverse tapers.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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