 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: jacobhardy25
Date: 2013-02-23 02:53
Hey all I was thinking of a question. How do rossi clarinets compare to R13 and how are they better or worse? i was thinking of trying one in the next year or 2
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-02-23 03:08
They're not R13s so there's no comparison - they're Rossi clarinets. You'll have to draw your own conclusions by trying them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jacobhardy25
Date: 2013-02-23 03:14
well i was just curious like. how do they play differently than R13. im looking at buying one if i like it next year or the year after.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-02-23 03:20
Which model are you going for? They do various bore sizes from 14.7mm (in between the R13 and RC bore sizes) and large 15.2mm (B&H 1010 bore) plus Viennese bore, Reform Boehm, etc, so worth trying them all out.
With large bore clarinets, you're going to have to forget everything about your R13 and not try to play them as you would play your R13 - large bore clarinets are a very different playing experience, butwell worth exploring as they offer a lot more possibilities. If you try to play them like an R13 you'll end up having a lot of problems, so go in with a completely fresh approach and a very open mind. You're most likely going to have to use a mouthpiece designed for them rather than the one you're famillar with on your R13.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2013-02-23 03:27)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jacobhardy25
Date: 2013-02-23 03:28
So i probably wouldnt use my greg smith? cause i was thinking of just trying it just in case? but thanks for the tips that was kind of what i was asking. i really appreciate it
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-02-23 03:29
You can use your Greg Smith with their American models, but it's not ideal for the large bore ones.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2013-02-23 03:36)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jacobhardy25
Date: 2013-02-23 03:34
oh ok i was looking at the american model with all of the extra keywork as i really want the best choice as i will be using the clarinet for years. i wish i could have tried it out when i played with the seattle symphony. chris sereque has one but i know he wouldnt let me play it haha. i mean he is the principle and i know that being a professional and principle there would be no way he would risk anything haha. I look forward to trying one sometime soon though.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ruben
Date: 2013-02-23 07:49
I don't wish to advertise, but give the French handmade JL clarinets a try. We'll be at the next Clarinetfest in Italy.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-02-23 08:39
Is there a website for JL clarinets?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ruben
Date: 2013-02-23 11:24
Dear Chris:
Yes: www.jl-clarinette.fr Also, don't hesitate to get in touch with me directly.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tobin
Date: 2013-02-23 22:06
Hi Jacob,
I play a Rossi French bore Bb with a Greg Smith mouthpiece.
I was a long time Buffet player and have enjoyed (and sold) a great modern R13 and a "Golden Era" 1967 R13 (wonderful sound).
The Rossi is a great instrument. The flexibility, color, and power exceed the horns I owned previously. That said -- I'm shopping for something more affordable so that I can own an A and Bb that are same species. I would love to buy a Rossi A, but house, kid, soon to be kid, etc...just doesn't make sense for me.
How is a Rossi better or worse than an R13? As Chris P said: they're just different. You'd be amazed at the number of subtle UNconcious adjustments that you make (embouchure and oral cavity) to play your Buffet with the consistent quality and sound that you'd like.
You make those adjustments on a Rossi. They're just different, and in different places. And it takes time to "learn" what the Rossi is. Do I have to make less adjustments on my Rossi? I believe so. But the same may not be true for you. Additionally you have to factor the price tag and wait time in delivery of your instrument. A Rossi is double the cost of an R13 generally speaking.
It's a wonderful instrument, but no matter what instrument you end up playing you ultimately have to figure out how to play what you want through it.
Hope this helps!
James
Gnothi Seauton
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tobin
Date: 2013-02-23 22:11
Ruben:
From your website, under Clarinettes Moderne, the picture on the left (six clarinets) --- the picture must be inverted, because they are all "left handed" clarinets.
Or do you make "left handed" clarinets frequently?
James
Gnothi Seauton
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2013-02-23 23:02
What Tobin says about learning to play a Rossi, especially if you're used to R13-like instruments, is spot on. As a matter of fact, these are precisely the things I said to him when he was thinking about getting one, and apparently he found what I'd said to be true.
"They're different." That is so true. So if you get a chance to try one, don't expect it to play like an R13, and don't automatically assume that, because it's plays differently, it's not as good. (I have many Buffet-playing friends, most accomplished players, who have said that they "don't like Rossis." Without exception I've found that none of them played the Rossi for more than a couple minutes.) It took me about three months to learn how to play the Rossi Bb the way it wants to be played.
Also, I'd like to add a point about my own experience with these instruments (I own two B-flats in French and German bores, an A, and a C) that Tobin alluded to: Compared to my 1963 R13, I have to make fewer adjustments to voice the way I want to, and fewer adjustments to tune individual notes.
B.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: donald
Date: 2013-02-23 23:23
I like the look of the JL clarinets though I can't read french... it appears that they also make "left-handed" clarinets! (from looking at the photographs)
d
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-02-23 23:51
When I went to the JL website it came up in French and then after a second or two switched to English.
Tony F.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ruben
Date: 2013-02-24 08:26
Dear James:
An inversion of the picture it is (the pictures of JL clarinets)! How did this ever happen? Well anyway, I can assure everybody that this doesn't reflect on the quality of the instruments. I'm all in favour of independent makers like Rossi, Eaton and JL. There is no reason why Buffet should have a monopoly. Bassoonists, for example, are much more adventurous in their choice of makers. There are quite a few bassoon makers that make about 15 bassoons a year.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2013-02-25 16:57
Just a note.
The Rossi one-piece body allows the C#/G# tone hole to be drilled in a better location to get rid of the stuffiness common to two-piece clarinets. While they're positioning that hole, the drill it through the top of the body.
BUT, the blasted thing still fills with condensation...
Bob Phillips
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tobin
Date: 2013-02-25 17:31
The improved C#/G# placement is nice, but it has some unintended side effects. Many of the altissimo fingerings that I enjoyed the most success with on my R13's perform in significantly different fashion on the Rossi.
That's probably not just the C#/G# -- overall bore design is different.
Water in the holes? Almost never. Less than 10% of the time in comparison to my R13's.
James
Gnothi Seauton
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2013-02-26 01:46
I get it in the A key!
Water, like the truth, will out!
B.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2013-02-28 20:04
The one-piece design allows for playing the alternate high Bb without worrying about the exact positioning of the joints. I don't know about other R13s but with mine, if the two pieces aren't lined up just right, the alternate high Bb simply doesn't play out until it's adjusted.
I have the smaller Rossi C, and I love the way the resonance of the rosewood feels under my fingers.
The clarinetists in the Orquesta Sinfonica de Chile use the Rossi one-piece design, and so does Paquito DeRivera. So it's like anything else, you'll have to try them to see what you think.
If you decide to order one, Luis will ask you what mouthpiece you use and what size bore you prefer. The clarinet is designed as you wish. The factory is quite small, so these instruments are all hand made. Former jewellers are the ones who work at installing the keys. The quantities are small so that the quality can be maintained. My husband, a General Machinist, was impressed with the work that he saw when we toured the shop and was in favour of my purchase. I saw the instrument as a work of art, one that can be used in our Trio.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2013-03-01 04:49
>> The one-piece design allows for playing the alternate high Bb without worrying about the exact positioning of the joints. <<
But OTOH you can't turn the joint to get the relationship between right and left hand more confortable, in case the angle is not optimal for you. I've played one of those clarinets (not a Rossi) with the bit that aligns the joints and the angle was definitely not good (for me). The Rossis I've tried were fine, for me, in that respect, but that's individual.
>> I don't know about other R13s but with mine, if the two pieces aren't lined up just right, the alternate high Bb simply doesn't play out until it's adjusted. <<
That's because of the shape of the linkage. On most clarinets it can be shaped so this doesn't happen i.e. the angle between the joints is essentially irrelevant and the adjustment can be accurate enough so this doesn't cause any issue. Though I've seen almost no clarinets where this was done, either originally or by a later repair.
Re the quality, some of the Rossi clarinet sI've seen were excellent, but the last few were surprising in how much excess play some of the keys had and relativley poor adjustment of some of the pads (relative to how little they were played, they were almost new).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-03-01 10:05
Dear Clarnibass,
Are there issues with the delrin inserts at the pivot points? I appreciate the idea of protecting the keys themselves from wear, but the choice of delrin seems to me to just beg for FASTER wear.
..............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2013-03-01 16:16
Re. Delrin:
Six years, and I've never needed a pivot insert replaced.
Besides, which is better and cheaper, replacing an insert for a few cents or having to swedge keys?
B.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2013-03-02 05:41
>> Are there issues with the delrin inserts at the pivot points? <<
I can't say if there are or not. Used (e.g. played regularly for at least a few years) Rossi clarinets I've seen didn't seem to have more wear than clarinets from any other company.
The problem I mentioned was obviously not wear, but originally not fitting the keys. It was very obvious because of how new the clarinets were and also how e.g. a certain key had significant play on one side but none on the other.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed Lowry
Date: 2013-03-03 04:29
Always fun when, for whatever reason, someone turns the negative over. I've got an old Buddy DeFranco album where he's holding a left handed clarinet on the cover.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Heather G
Date: 2013-03-20 03:27
Rossi's are fine clarinets. I'd say the big thing with them is because of their tendency to be quieter, they're best for chamber pieces and ensembles.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2013-03-20 04:30
Quieter? Who said?
Never heard that one before, and my Rossis aren't "quieter."
B.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
