 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Musikat
Date: 2021-04-26 05:41
I am in the market for a new barrel. My embouchure and playing have changed with the work I have been doing during quarantine and I play a lighter reed that now makes my 67 mm Chadash barrel play either dead on or slightly under pitch. So I am looking for a new 66mm barrel.
I have always loved the way the MoBa barrels look and am thinking of trying one. It is also my birthday next month and I am thinking of treating myself to a bell as well, but more for the aesthetics than anything else.
So, I have two questions. Looking the MoBa barrel on the Backun site, there are two "styles" that say they fit Buffet instruments. One is standard fit, and the other says "large bore for more free blowing." Does anyone know what the real difference between those is? My setup is a 1977 R13, a Gregory Smith 1+ mouthpiece and either Behn Aria 3.5 or 4, or Pilgerstorfer Dolce 3.5 reeds, if that helps.
The second question is about bells. How much difference do they really make one to another? I can get a used standard Backun bell with that same "look" for much cheaper than an actual MoBa bell. Is it really worth $500+ to get the MoBa? Will a standard one sound much different or do anything better or worse than the one that came with my instrument?
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Author: Doug Leach
Date: 2021-04-26 07:06
Musikat,
I would suggest, that with regard to barrels, aesthetics are the last thing to look at. I assume your '77 R13 has the same issue as other Buffets, which is that the left hand twelfths are too wide, and the Chadash barrel (or Moennig) corrects that, with it's reverse taper. How well your clarinet tunes, through the whole range of the instrument, should be your prime criteria. Now I don't have any personal experience with how MoBa barrels do for tuning, but I would be concerned that something described as "large bore for more free blowing" may not do what you want. Only you can tell - by trying them for your horn. I would suggest that besides the MoBa's, two barrels I have tested with my R13 that do a great job, are Wes Rice's grenadilla barrel, and Brad Behn's hard rubber barrels.
With respect to bells, again this is something you have to test yourself, and I would suggest testing several. When I had the occasion to test bells from Wes Rice, I was provided three that were identical in the way they had been machined, and were supposed to be identical in every way. But upon playing them, both to my ears, and to two others who were standing nearby, one of the bells was noticeably better in terms of the resonance and focus of my sound than the other two. So if all you're interested in is the appearance, the used one may be fine. But don't get stuck on MoBa because they were first, and do more marketing. Reach out to several vendors, again I would suggest including Wes Rice and Brad Behn, and others, and be prepared to try several of each. And it's probably best to have someone with an astute ear to listen to you from a slight distance, to see what they hear.
Doug Leach
Post Edited (2021-04-26 17:25)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2021-04-26 17:04
If you just wan the look you can get some cool looking bells and barrels on ebay from China for $100. The ones coming from China (not Pakistan) are actually fairly well built and play fairly well, on par with some other aftermarket barrels.
But paying well over $500 for looks is silly. I used to have a Moba barrel but sold it as I found no advantage over my stock R13 barrel. In fact I greatly preferred the stock barrel.
I've tried just about everything out there, the only barrel I have preferred to the stock R13 barrel is a stock Legende barrel I happened to get my hands on. A lot of people assume that aftermarket must be better, but this is not always the case. Many times the stock accessories are the best match for the instrument, which makes sense given how much work manufacturers put into designing a clarinet.
-JDbassplayer.
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Author: Musikat
Date: 2021-04-26 17:37
Just to clarify, I am not looking to get the barrel just for the look of it. I do happen to like the look, but not being sure it is a good fit for my setup is why I haven't gotten one before. My Chadash is very nice and did improve my tuning and sound at the time. It is just too long now. Before I just get a 66mm Chadash, I was thinking of trying one of these to see how it would do for my setup and if I like it as much sound-wise as I do looks-wise. If not, back it goes. I have never liked my stock barrel. I used a Robert Scott for years and have also tried Wesley Rice (also a 67) but preferred the Chadash.
Does anyone have a MoBa barrel that they use with their older R13 and they like what it does for the tone and tuning?
The bell to go with it is more of a cosmetic wish, but only if either doesn't change the sound/tuning for the worse or if it might actually make it better. My stock bell is fine, but I had my clarinet replated silver a few years ago, and that is the only part that is still nickel, so it has been on my mind to get an aftermarket some day.
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Author: MartyMagnini
Date: 2021-04-26 19:05
I switched to a MoBa barrell quite a while ago, and I definitely noticed a very big difference in the sound and tuning right away, as did other clarinet players I played for in a "blind" listening test. Really opened up the sound and projection, and stabilized the tuning (for me - YMMV).
I also ended up with a MoBa bell, and while I did notice a difference, it was not as pronounced as the difference in the barrel. I'm also sure there are other barrels and bells out there that may work equally well or better, but I have been very happy with my MoBa equipment.
Post Edited (2021-04-26 20:47)
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2021-04-26 22:59
I've owned a MoBa barrel in grenadilla for over a decade and while it opens up response and adds a very pleasing dark-yet-resonant character to the sonic bouquet, it's caused tuning problems on nearly every clarinet I've auditioned it with--sharp throat tones and/or wide twelfths. It was especially off the mark with, ironically, my Backun Alpha clarinet.
Be sure to do a careful evaluation with a tuner prior to committing to the MoBa barrel.
I haven't tested the MoBa bell, but do have the Traditional bell in cocobolo with voicing groove. While the improvement in tone is slight but noticeable, it does improve tuning on the long E/B on most instruments I've tried it on--so it's a winner in my book. I was able to score my new-old-stock Conn-Selmer boxed bell for under US$200. Seek and ye shall find!
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Author: StanD
Date: 2021-04-27 08:12
Have you considered contacting Guy Chadash re cutting your barrel down to a 66mm? Might be the least costly and stressful path.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2021-04-27 22:21
Since you're partly motivated by the way these barrels look, the only way you'll really find out if they also do what you need them to do in terms of sound, tuning and response will be to try several. I say several based on my own experience several years ago. Morrie Backun may have have changed his approach since then. When I ordered somewhere around a dozen (I forget exactly how many it was) "on approval" directly from him, I discovered that (a) they weren't designated as A or Bb and (b) no two of them had bores that measured the same. So it was a matter of finding the one or two than worked best on my instrument. Since the pitch is to an extent dependent on the bore measurements, it isn't absolutely predictable that a 66mm MoBa will tune lower than the 67mm Chadash you have. So you have to try specific barrels to see how they work on your clarinet.
The most obvious path to a shorter barrel, if you like your 67mm Chadash but don't want to have it shortened, is to get a 66mm Chadash barrel. I don't see anything on Guy Chadash's website that suggests he makes rosewood or cocobolo barrels, so you wouldn't get the visual aesthetic lift you're looking for.
As far as bells are concerned, they have the least effect on the result of any of the components of the clarinet system. You might like the sound of the two or three long notes right above the bell better than what you get from your current barrel, or you might not. Whatever differences you hear will be almost entirely because of the bell's inside dimensions - the entry bore, the amount and rate of flare, etc., not the variety of wood. In the final analysis, you'd still have to try any new bell on your instrument to hear if it's an improvement over what you already have.
The best way to answer your questions is to find a supplier - maybe contact Backun himself at his website. My experience is that he's very helpful.
Karl
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