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Re: Ridenour Clarinets

Author: sbrodt54
Date: 2010-02-25 15:02

While reading this thread I get the feeling that anyone that doesn't like Tom's clarinets must be some sort of subversive or maybe worse, an extremist that needs to be investigated. Just because someone disagrees with your opinion doesn't mean they are wrong, nor does it mean they're right. Reviewing opinions submitted to this board are rather enjoyable to read especially when offered with some background or justification as to why you feel good/bad or indifferent.

I started playing the clarinet at age 10 in 1964, repair education started in 1967 and I got the chance to learn from some VERY generous and talented repairmen along the way. I lost count of the number of clarinets I have repaired but I have seen them all, American student, European, Chinese, professional, and with some years behind me I have certainly developed some opinions along the way regarding quality, what works well and what doesn't.

In the past few years I have had several of Tom's clarinets on my bench; they were owned by two different, very fine performers. They bought the clarinets after reading his website declaring how wonderful they were and that they would tolerate the drastic changes in humidity/weather we have here in PA. They both came to me for the same reason, bent keys. The keys didn't seem to be forged, they appeared to be some sort of pewter that was about the same hardness as refrigerated margarine. It took no effort at all to bend the keys back to where they worked but any small force (like putting the clarinet together) would bend them out of place quite easily.

When I finished getting the keys all lined up and where they belong I played both clarinets and they were pretty much the same; dull, boring and uninteresting. If I compared the tone to my stereo, it was as though I turned off the treble, turned the midrange way down and the bass up. Some players like a "dark" sound from their clarinet but this was dull and as uninteresting as an organ stop with no high partials. The intonation was fairly good though, I will admit that.

Both of the pros that bought the clarinets sold them on EBAY soon after they got them, mostly because of the dull tone and the key problems. They both picked up student Buffets to play where the weather might be very bad for their regular symphony set up (one plays a Selmer the other a Buffet).

Please feel free to investigate my background as I might be some subversive from Latvia trying to destroy the American dream simply because I have an opinion that comes from real life experience and I know two people that sold their Ridenour Lyrique clarinets on EBAY.

Scott Brodt

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Ridenour Clarinets new

CornodiBasetto

2010-02-24 19:05