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Re: The Big List of Small Workshop Clarinet Makers

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-04-07 14:16

I am on board with what you say to a great extent about the lack of "care and attention" being a part of being a big lumbering company. Buffet is a victim of its own success. I don't know if it would ever be possible to produce as many horns per year and be able to cater to customer needs in a more detailed way.

Of course I am not sure if there ever was a "Golden Era." I have to refer back to the recently posted video synopsis of a dissertation entitled "The Signature Sound of Daniel Bonade." It is stated that there has been a cottage industry of folks who customize Buffets for a long time (I believe the research picks up with Hans Moenig, but I'm sure he wasn't the first). Trouble is no two clarinetists deal with the tuning and timbre vagaries of the clarinet in the same way. So what happens is one person will need an area of the clarinet tuned higher while another would want the same area tuned lower.

Here is just my current problem (not even addressing specific tuning): I prefer clarinets that are able to play with a wide dynamic and wide color spectrum (but not too wild), doing so by allowing more physicality (don't know how else to say this). I never really cared for the Prestiges and Toscas that I found too brash, but I am currently fond of a Vintage that I have been playing for a few months. I also have been auditing a Divine for some time and greatly appreciate the detailed nature of its sound. It truly feels solid in tuning and tends toward the more introspective end result I want. It turns out though that it is too introspective for me and I still prefer the Vintage or my personal set of Yamaha CSGs.

Is there no satisfying a clarinet player?

..................Paul Aviles

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