 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: John_F
Date: 2021-05-13 01:13
Hello,
Anyone tried Behn barrels, Svelte or Classic?
If yes how they are compared to a Moennig barrel (I'm speaking of Buffet clarinets)
Thanks
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Author: Doug Leach
Date: 2021-05-13 08:20
John,
I tested both the Behn Svelte and Classic barrels with my R13 greenline when they first came out. Also in the mix was another ringless reverse taper barrel with taper essentially the same as a Moennig. Working through the whole range of the clarinet, the Behn barrels and the third party barrel significantly improved tuning, especially the left hand twelfths. There were maybe 2 or 3 notes the Moennig copy improved, but didn't quite bring into tune that the Behn barrels did. As to tone, all the barrels provided more resonance and focus to my tone compared to the stock barrel. Comparing just the two Behn barrels, I was not able to really distinguish between the two of them, so in the end I ended up keeping the Svelte model because I like the look. And it's nice and light.
Doug
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Author: McDonalds Eater
Date: 2021-05-13 16:35
I own one of his Svelte barrels and regularly practice/perform with it.
I love it. The sound is much easier to focus so there’s no need to overcorrect. The barrel also helps give this presence to the sound; it’s like the sound glows from the clarinet to the room. It’s awesome. It’s also very resonant and has a lot of depth. Whenever I play in the low register I can feel and hear the walls vibrating. It gives this sort of 3D quality to the sound.
It’s also very lightweight! I couldn’t believe how much weight I took off from my thumb by just switching barrels. After doing some back-and-forth experiments the difference between was like night and day.
Intonation was also greatly improved. My throat notes no longer sag, and the higher notes are no longer sharp. The barrel certainly helped me play more comfortably; I don’t have to over-adjust/manipulate almost every note to sound good.
Behn’s not paying me to say this review, but these are my genuine thoughts about his barrel. He’s really skilled at making equipment!
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2021-05-14 01:22
M. E. - What clarinet brand, series, mouthpiece etc. are using to get the reported results?
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2021-05-14 03:00
I have the svelte barrel. I have used it with my Yamaha CSVR and SEVR clarinets. I chose the svelte over the regular when trying both. The two models were very similar in response and tuning for me. This barrel has never been my favorite. It feels a bit constrictive compared to the stock barrel and is tuning neutral, other than raising the pitch on an under-warmed up A clarinet, which was the reason for the purchase. I would say it is adequate.
Last Christmas I bought his adjustable barrels and they have been a big improvement over the stock barrels in term of focus and projection. If you are ordering barrels on trial I would include one of these if you can. They are not cheap, but for me they have been one of my best purchases ever.
Anders
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Author: McDonalds Eater
Date: 2021-05-14 16:26
Ken,
I play on Buffet R13 clarinets.
I use two mouthpieces:
- For orchestra I play on a Vandoren M15 with V12 3.5+/4 reeds.
- For chamber or solo rep I play Vandoren B40Lyre with V12/V21 #3 reeds.
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Author: John_F
Date: 2021-05-18 23:52
Thanks for all replies and informations,
I'm thinking about to buy a Svelte for my RC Prestige
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2021-05-19 20:39
I bought a Behn Svelte barrel in a 65mm length for a Selmer 10G whose stock 67mm barrel was just a little too long for me. At the time, I had been using Fobes barrels on my R13 for about 10 years and been very pleased with them.
I found the Behn to be a bit less resistant than the Fobes barrels, with a bit more tendency towards a (subjectively) more colorful sound, where the Fobes barrels sounded a bit more covered to my ear by comparison, though neither was what I would consider overly dark or bright by any stretch.
I use the Fobes barrels when I am playing on mouthpieces that have less resistance built into the mouthpiece, since I think the very slight bit of resistance they add gives a balanced feeling of control with these mouthpieces. Unsurprisingly, Fobes mouthpieces are a good match, as is the Zinner Hawkins I played for a number of years. Paired with a more resistant mouthpiece I get a feeling like I am doing a lot of throat work to get around the instrument.
The Behn barrel matches well with more resistant mouthpieces since it is more free-blowing. It matches well with my Behn mouthpiece, but also with the Vandoren mouthpieces I keep around, like the B40 and B45. Paired with a less resistant mouthpiece, I feel a lack of control that the right resistance level can give.
This will all vary wildly from person to person, though. Right now I am using the Behn Svelte barrel with a Behn Sono mouthpiece and have been very happy with that combination, but I do keep my old Fobes barrel and mouthpiece around, since I am quite fond of them.
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