I need a bass clarinet!!!

[Noel Mac]

Well actually I have one. But it is looking like it is going to be a lot of money to get it into good playing condition, more than I paid for it :shock: . I play bass clarinet in my university's symphonic band and I am planning on playing a fair amount of bass clarinet for years to come. However, like most people I don't have very much money to spend. I don't know a whole lot about clarinet brands and such. What are some models I should check out?

[super20dan]

noel -get the one you have overhauled -its well worth it. used pro bass clarinets are VERY expencive and hard to come by

[Noel Mac]

I really want to super20dan. But my dad is the one that is paying for it and a couple of repair men have told him that the low end on bass clarinets of that vintage tend to be stuffy. We have been told that we would be better off buying a plastic bass clarinet. I would get this dumont overhauled but it's not my money.

[super20dan]

plastic? you deserve better but good wood pro bass clarinets cost big bucks.more than a top line sax and much harder to come by used. try a plastic one before you buy and see how it works. i guess i am lucky and got my leblanc a long time ago when they were more aforadable .

[Noel Mac]

I have a plastic vito right now that I have on loan. It is okay, the sound isn't all that good.

[Jack W.]

I recently bought a YCL-220, the student plastic Yamaha model. This is their older plastic model, which I believe is made by Leblanc in Kenosha, WI and is the same as the Vito, not the latest model which I believe is made by Yamaha. It seems sturdy and well made. This is the model that can come apart at the middle, which I arranged to do in order that I could use a more compact aftermarket case. I was advised not to do this, but the horn doesn't appear to suffer at all in terms of adjustment.

With the stock mpc, I'd have to agree that its playability and sound were OK but not spectacular. A good mpc goes a long way. I had a crystal Vandoren from Bootman that worked really great, so great that a friend of mine bought it off me. I've recently got a Morgan Protone, which is their "student" level mpc, and am very pleasantly surprised by it. It is quite freeblowing and speaks easily with a good strong sound throughout the range, even in the treacherous upper clarion (though I'm prone to operator error in that area).

Basically, it seems that bass clarinet is horribly picky about reeds, more so than Bb clarinet even. I'm using #3 Rico Royals at the moment, but will probably experiment more. Also you must be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that there are ZERO leaks, or the horn may be downright unplayable.

[RS]

I'm usually not too fond of synthetic reeds but the Fibracell reeds work very well on bass clarinet. They have a good response, get a decent tone, and are much less prone to squeaking than cane reeds.

[michaelbaird]

I found a wooden Kohlert Bass Clarinet off of e-bay for $430. It only goes to a low E. It plays very well and is fun to play. I had my repairman adjust it after the purchase for $60. I'm using a Vandoren B45mpc. It meets my needs for the price.

[stitch]

it is looking like it is going to be a lot of money to get it into good playing condition, more than I paid for it :shock: .


good wood pro bass clarinets cost big bucks.

Noel - is it going to cost more to overhaul your Dumont than it is to buy a plastic one?


a couple of repair men have told him that the low end on bass clarinets of that vintage tend to be stuffy.

But how do you think it plays....?

[michaelbaird]

That is why I bought the Kohlert because good wood bass clarinets do cost big bucks. Watch e-bay and pray, or prey :twisted:

[Noel Mac]

I have never really gotten a chance to tell how it plays because the pads were in pretty bad shape when I got it. But other than that it is in very good condition for the age. I talked to a professional bass clarinet player/repairman and he said that it would be much better just to get it repadded and replace some of the springs then to buy a plastic bass clarinet. Also, he have me a really good price quote for the work, less than half of what I paid for it. So in a week or so I will see how it plays.