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Author: Tom Henson
Date: 2008-05-25 21:10
Hello Clarnibass,
Excellent point. I was referring to the big three makers from France which are Buffet, Selmer, and Leblanc.
There are now other smaller makers that do make good clarinets and I have had the pleasure of owning an Eaton and a Rossi. Both were well made, but still were no better intonation wise than a good clarinet made by any other brand I have tried. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the Rossi keys, but they did the job. I have played on the new Leblancs by Backun and felt they were very good, but that was only from a 5 minute test play.
The one thing that a smaller maker can do is produce a product that is much more consistent from one clarinet to another. This is where they are better than the big three in my opinion. However, when you get a really good Buffet, Selmer, or Leblanc, they are really good and every bit the equal of any of these smaller makers.
By the way, did you all know that Rossi spent one summer at the Wurlitzer shop. Some of the things he uses on his brand of clarinet were the result of that summer. Things like using Delrin tone hole chimney inserts. Wurlitzer has been using these for quite some time now and they do work very well. The big advantage is they can be replaced if needed since they are just glued in. He also uses a plastic or nylon insert in the end of the key rods for the pointed needle screws. This is also from Wurltizer.
My feeling is whatever brand you buy, when you get a good one, it is really good. It just comes down to what you are looking for in a clarinet. We are so blessed that today there are so many choices that did not exists just 30 years ago, and competition is always a good thing. This is true not only for clarinets, but there is a flood of good mouthpieces on the market now. Add barrels, bells and we have never had it so good.
The one thing, however, that will not improve with time is the cost. It is certain that the cost of well made clarients and accessories will continue to rise. In America, the weak dollar is really hurting those that import the Zinner blanks and anything else made in Europe today.
I could also start a thread just about comparing the current Buffet clarinets to the older ones made in the 60's during their "golden" age, whatever that is. I don't buy the saying that "they don't make them like they used to". I sold a Bb and A standard nickel plated set of R-13's that were hand picked by Francois Kloc for me when I finally made the decision to go completely with the Wurlitzer's. The A was sold to a professional in England who used it to immediately audition for an orchestra and made it to the finals. The Bb was snapped up on the spot by a university professor, commenting that it was the best R-13 he had ever played, including his own. Yes, I know we could go on and on about the difference in quality of the wood, key work, etc., but these clarinets played outstanding and they were made around 2006.
Tom Henson
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