 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2010-02-16 16:30
where is the best place in MA to buy a Buffet where there will be several to try out?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-02-16 16:55
Forget Massachusetts. I drove the four hours to Long Island to try out clarinets at Weiner. Of course it's not called that on the building. It looks like your typical drum shop from outside.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-02-16 18:40
Ok that was a bit too dismissive. You could also try Mike Leonard in the Boston area who's a fairly well stocked Buffet dealer. Being an operation out of his home, I think he may still be open to letting you take one or two home on a short trial basis.
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2010-02-16 18:57
Thanks Paul - Michael is who I had in mind but, I figured he would only have 1 or 2 to try and I thought that might not be enough.
so is 1 or 2 ok, or what is the minimum amount to test?
or should I find a bigger store/outlet where they may stock more?
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Author: Wicked Good ★2017
Date: 2010-02-16 19:21
What about Rayburn's in Boston, or Albert Alphin in Framingham?
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-02-16 19:30
There's no minimum if you fall in love with the first one. I don't mean that as a joke, btw. The store employee might know that one of the clarinets is perfectly adjusted and, eager for the sale, might hand you that one first.
Or, the employee might deliberately hand you an instrument with problems first, in order to make a better one stand out by comparison. Or, of course, the employee might hand you something s/he likes that wouldn't suit you at all, or s/he might know nothing about clarinets and hand you something totally at random. But when I test instruments against each other, I have to remind myself not to downgrade the first competitor just to leave room for the later ones.
I've also noticed that brain fatigue sets in if I try too many instruments at one sitting. Your mileage (and everyone else's) will probably vary, but I try to avoid testing more than four or five similar instruments against each other at one tryout.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Ryan25
Date: 2010-02-16 20:50
A little bit of advice and this is not directed at anyone in particular:
We all hear stories about people who say they try out tons of instruments before they find "the one". While this may be needed in some situations, I also feel that people either say this to show some type of badge of honor or they try that many because they don't know what they are doing. It's possible you will have to try quite a few until you find an instrument that has solid intonation tendency's that feels good to play to you. You might only need to play two to find the one you like. Don't put pressure on yourself to try as many as possible. Sometimes, that is unwarranted.
There are a couple of very important things to be aware of when you try an instrument.
Number one and most important is the intonation of the clarinet. Buffets can be hit or miss in this department.
The instrument has to feel good to you. It has to have the right type of resistance/blow through for you and your style of playing. Check how intervals connect on the instrument and the type of legato you can get. Check 1/1 fingerings, fake altissimo fingerinegs, throat tones, how do the bell tones feel and sound? Stuffy?
Clarinets do break in and some things that might be stuffy do become better, especially if the instrument is straight from the factory and could use a good set up by a pro tech. In General, don't buy an instrument that has a lot of things you hope will go away as the instrument breaks in. Sometimes, they never go away and a tech won't be able to fix it without causing another problem. I made this mistake when I was much younger and learned this lesson the hard way.
Have you thought about calling someone who preselects instruments like Greg Smith, Lisa Canning or Walter Grabner? I can guarantee an instrument Greg Smith picks out will be a good one. I purchased my set of R13's from Walter about 4 or 5 years ago and after some tweaking for voicing and intonation, they are superb in every way.
Good luck and enjoy the process. Just make sure you stay focused on what is best for you and what is practical for your situation. You don't have to try 28 R13's to find a good one.
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