 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-03-05 08:16
I had the opportunity to play about 20 minutes on the new Buffet Divine and it is a wonderful horn. I have to say that I am not a fan of the Prestige and Tosca models which play too bright for me. In addition I am currently noodling away on a Buffet Vintage (that's the model called Vintage, not a classic, old horn). So it makes sense that I would find the Divine falling right in line with my current aesthetic since the Divine (like the Vintage) utilizes the RC bore design (acoustic).
The RCs for those not familiar are a bit more subdued in sound, but I find the intonation smoother throughout the registers. So I will take the trade off of an even scale for a horn with just a little less punch.
The Divine features faux cork on the top joint tenons. I wish I could play with this horn for a bit more to see just how well the artificial cork does during harder playing. There is a really wonderfully odd accessory with this horn. It comes with two wooden (they look wooden anyway) tenon caps for the top joint tenons. They are pretty cool looking but I can see this as an item that gets thrown into a drawer of mouthpieces when you get tired of putting them on and taking them off (if there IS a reason to use them for anything other than shipping).
I've got to say I have NEVER tried a clarinet with the left pinky "Eb/Ab" lever that I did not immediately pull off. However, for some odd reason I would (if I had the opportunity to play this clarinet for a while) be willing to familiarize myself with it on this horn. There is also the low "F" correction key just like the Toscas. This does take a little getting used to so that you DON'T hit it just going for your "F/C."
In summary, I don't find the Divine to be any different sonically from the Vintage model (odd to me because the lack of metal rings on any part of the horn would have made me guess that it would resonate more) so the $3000 difference in price seems excessive. But it is fabricated without the stain used on the wood of their other horns making it look more impressive and it does have the extra keys, the leather and cork pads, and the funky faux cork on the tenons. So if the law of diminishing returns does not bother you and you don't already own a Vintage, this may be your Buffet.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2015-03-05 09:49
Correction: the Vintage is based on the old R13 bore design, not the RC. The Divine is supposed to be based on the RC bore, although I find it plays very differently from an RC.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-03-05 10:35
Thank you for the clarification.
This does add quite a wrinkle to what I am experiencing. The standard R13 has a clearly more vibrant sound with more power behind it. So I guess I was influenced in my belief the bore of the Divine was based on the RC design by just how closely it plays to the Vintage. I literally went back and forth several times because there where moments where I thought I was on the the "other" horn.
I have to add here that I do have the opportunity to try out a myriad of different horns and I have NEVER run into two different model horns that play so similarly.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2015-03-05 11:35
>> So it makes sense that I would find the Divine falling right in line with my current aesthetic since the Divine (like the Vintage) utilizes the RC bore design (acoustic). <<
How do you know that? From what I know (from Buffet) the Vintage model is based on R13 and possibly pre R13 of the 1950s, not at all on the RC.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-03-05 18:23
I would throw away the tenon caps. They hold moisture in, which contributes to cracking.
The Vintage is based on the original R13. The moment I tried one, I flashed back to the first R13 I owned, in the 62XXX series from 1960. It had intonation problems but had a unique sound that I loved. It was spoiled by a foolish reboring.
I now play 13XXXX and 14XXXX R13s from the early 1970s, which are better in tune and more powerful, but I still miss the early R13 sound and feel. The change in design, which included changing the position and size of the register vent, corrected the most severe of the early R13's intonation problems, at the cost of tonal sweetness.
See http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Equipment/Intonation.html.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Jeroen
Date: 2015-03-05 20:20
I played the Devine some year ago and was not impressed at all.
Unless the Devine is based on the RC bore the sound and feel was quite different compared to the RC and RC Prestige models.
The Devine was very easy blowing, with almost no resistance, it feels like a big-bore, blown-out clarinet.
For me the tone lacked center and I missed the rich harmonics that I like so much in Buffet clarinets (especially the RC, RC Prestige and Festival models).
So I can imagine it plays a bit like the Vintage model.
For me the Devine was not the right instrument on the right moment and certainly far too expensive. I ended up buying a nice pair of Yamaha Custom SEVs... a sort of RC Prestige on steroids for half the money of the Devine.
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2015-03-05 23:34
One aspect I have enjoyed with the Divines I have tested is the even resistance over the register break. This also holds for the Festival, but not for the RC and RC Prestige. I haven't tested enough number of instruments to say anything about the other models.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-03-06 05:28
One of my favorite players (I was entranced by his playing on recordings well before I knew who it was).
And for me the biggest miracle here is what he does with an M30, such delicate and controlled playing.
Oh, and by all means listen to both versions, he does two entirely different "sets."
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2015-03-07 03:46
Myself and my colleague both LOVE the sound of the Divine. Granted, I know Buffet is only going to put out their grade A clarinets at clarinetfest (and probably why every single one played very well), but the Divine played VERY well with a great sound.
I like it. Not going to buy one cause I'm saving money for some other stuff, but if I had the money, I would've purchased one at clarinetfest.
FWIW, all the Divines were sold at clarinetfest by the last day (all two or three of them!)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2015-03-07 03:47
Paul Aviles wrote:
> the biggest miracle here is what he does with an M30
Should I read it is because of the M30 or despite it? ;-)
(I saw you mentioned the M30 as resistant in another thread)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-03-07 03:52
Absolutely what he can do with the M30. I am NOT a fan of this mouthpiece (I always thought it was a mistake on Vandoren's part). But Maestro Meloni is amazing and no worse for the M30.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2015-03-07 12:52
The M30 is the mouthpiece I am most comfortable with and the one I use for reference. I'd say the Vandoren clips tell more about the MP than the clarinet. The only way to find out differences between clarinets is to repeatedly switch the mouthpiece from one clarinet to the other. I always find out that clarinets give only very subtle differences in tone compared to the difference a reed/mouthpiece combination can make. Clarinets can have some other substantial differences though, like resistance, evenness and intonation.
I haven't listened to Mr. Meloni that extensively but so far I find him a little careless in his playing. The fast passages are not as clear as I would like and there are some intonation issues in the Poulenc sonata.
So it seems we disagree on two issues out of two.
The good news is that we don't have to agree. :-)
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