 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: california88
Date: 2008-10-07 19:49
Anyone know anything about them? Are they as good as Buffets? Do they hold up well?
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-10-07 22:02
Well the you should ask Ben Redwine of <www.redwinejazz.com> about them. He played them until he got an offer from Buffet that he couldn't turn down. I believe that he is now playing on Ignatius N. Gennusa's old set of Buffet clarinets. He said in some thread here that he tried both the Buffet Tosca and the Orsi and Weir clarinets at the clarinet fest in 2006 and that the Orsi and Weir blew just like the Tosca for less than 1/2 price. For me the most interesting thing about them is that you can go let them pick you at the airport in Baltimore(I think I'm right) and then you can stay at their selection studio and try both of their models settle on which model you like better and then choose and match upper and lower parts and try different barrels and bells in different woods and when you've found your ideal setup you can choose from different pads and let them set the clarinets up for you(including spring tension etc).
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-10-09 12:50
Actually, Ben is more in the Baltimore area. Orsi & Weir are based in Nova Scotia. They will pick you up from the airport in Halifax or one of the other nearby cities, but they would have to drive a long way to get you from Baltimore! The Trio from Baltimore to Halifax is more than 1000 miles, according to Mapquest.
Even so, there is a charge for them picking you up and then going to the studio to audition clarinets. They list all the info on their website, as was mentioned above.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: ShayneC
Date: 2008-10-10 16:20
I purchased an amercian style Orsi and Weir clarinet last year. I enjoy playing it and it is holding up well. The tuning on the instrument is more even than the Buffet. Also, it is easier jumping registers compared to my R-13.
I still like my Buffet R-13 also.
Shayne
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2008-10-11 03:23
One of our Clarinet Choir members, who most of the time is playing shows in Toronto, loves his Orsi & Weir! This is a guy who likes to try different things all the time but has been a fan of theirs for a long while.
They were at ClarinetFest this July. They told me that they build specialty clarinets according to the needs and wants of the player. So these aren't mass produced, although they have some standard ones available for trying out.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-10-11 13:29
Actually, the make two variants of the Bb clarinet: American taper and European taper. Then you get the choice of grenadilla or cocobollo. They also offer an A clarinet in the same two wood choices and tapers. Since only the upper joint bears a serial number, you can mix and match upper and lower joints, as well as bells and barrels, until you find the best combination for your needs.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: clariknight
Date: 2008-10-13 13:59
I tried out most of their line at Clarinet Day in Boston, and was impressed with their sound, but not as much as I like the sound of Buffet. The owners are really nice, and if you do like their sound, they will walk you through the entire line until you find the right one for you, and then as others have mentioned match it up with the right bell and barrel. They have a huge selection of both bells and barrels, so it could be really cool to go to their studio and play through them all. Also, I would not recommend the full cocobolo clarinet. It just doesn't have a whole lot of power (at least from my perspective).
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Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2008-10-25 20:01
Do you think Orsi and Weir would be a good choice for a first-year university student? I'm in high school now, but I want to take music in university and play clarinet professionally. Obviously, I'm on a budget, but want a professional quality clarinet. Is it really comparable with Tosca?
(It also helps that I live an hour and a half's drive away from them!)
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Author: OldClarinetGuy
Date: 2008-10-26 23:35
What is the difference between the American and European bores ? It doesn't clearly state the differences on the website.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-10-26 23:54
I don't know the actual dimensional difference of the bores. but I would suggest contacting Orsi and Weir directly, or fire off a quick note to Ben Redwine, who had a set of them and reviewed them on this board a while back. I think he got the Euro-taper models, if I remember correctly.
When I was considering getting one, I sent a lengthy e-mail to John Weir, and he replied back to me, saying that he thought the American Taper more accurately met my needs. If I were getting another wood clarinet today, I would strongly consider one of his instruments. HE has a very liberal trial policy, too!
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
Post Edited (2008-10-26 23:56)
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-10-27 11:02
From what I read on their homepage then I would think that the difference between these two models would be same to the differences between Buffets R-13 and Festival.
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Author: J. J.
Date: 2008-10-27 11:52
That's an apples and oranges comparison. The differences aren't remotely the same.
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