David Thomas' blog, the Buzzing Reed has a thought provoking piece on categorizing the tone of the "big three" clarinet makers.
"As far as the difference in tones, I firmly believe that (unfortunately) there is no standard tone for the clarinet. Everyone is happy that the clarinet player just doesn't squeak. I personally think the big 3 makers Buffet, Selmer, and Yamaha cater to different needs Buffets have the best (sweetest) tone with the best key work (if you don't get a lemon) and are more for solo work. Selmers are the darkest and heaviest, their key work is different than the Buffet, but in no way negative. They are good for large orchestras. Yamaha has the best consistency instrument if youve played one, youve played them all. In my mind, these make the best military and band applications, where there is much more uniformity in tone and intonation."
Read more...
"As far as the difference in tones, I firmly believe that (unfortunately) there is no standard tone for the clarinet. Everyone is happy that the clarinet player just doesn't squeak. I personally think the big 3 makers Buffet, Selmer, and Yamaha cater to different needs Buffets have the best (sweetest) tone with the best key work (if you don't get a lemon) and are more for solo work. Selmers are the darkest and heaviest, their key work is different than the Buffet, but in no way negative. They are good for large orchestras. Yamaha has the best consistency instrument if youve played one, youve played them all. In my mind, these make the best military and band applications, where there is much more uniformity in tone and intonation."
Read more...