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Re: Peter Eaton Clarinet

Author: John Peacock
Date: 2012-04-30 09:57

I'm reluctant to disagree with someone of the stature of Ramon Wodkowski, and he undoubtedly has much more experience with Eatons than I do. But a couple of years ago I got a used pair of Eaton Internationals on approval, and played them for a week. I didn't like the sound at all: they were just dead, with no hint of resonance. I was really disappointed, since previously I'd had the chance to play a pair of the big-bore Elites, and thought they were fantastic. I hoped that the International would be a way of getting that big rich sound while still using a normal mouthpiece - but there wasn't a hint of it.

I don't know how to reconcile this experience with the enthusiasm that others have for the Internationals. Possibly my mouthpiece didn't suit them - but it works pretty well on Buffets, and also does a good job on Howarth S2's, which certainly do give a lot of the big-bore response while using a normal mouthpiece. I rather like the Howarth sound, and I play one sometimes as an alternative to Buffet - but there wasn't anything about the Eaton International that made me want to switch to that.

Maybe what this says is that Eaton is like any other manufacturer: allegedly identical instruments vary a lot and you can get good ones or not. As usual, it's essential to try things out rather than buying on reputation.

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Peter Eaton Clarinet new

Koo Young Chung

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