Wow, wow, wow. I am in love. My new tárogató arrived yesterday, and it is a gem. The intontation is really, really good, much better than I expected, and it plays perfectly. The wood is wonderful--african grenadilla. Really nicely made. The bell is palisander, and the contrast is beautiful.
It turns out that the reason for the different wood for the bell is that grenadilla was extremely expensive, and therefore the bell was made of a cheaper wood, as it was considered that the different wood would not compromise the sound. We know, of course, that the wood doesn't really make a difference, but grenadilla is definitely closer-grained and nicer to work, so perhaps it had to do with the ability to cut sharp edges and work it finely.
The horn is in perfect playing condition. It is in amazingly good shape for its age (100 years). There is a fine crack in the bell, but it is hairline and no problem. The plating on the keys is perfect. One pad cup appears to have been remade, as it is brass instead of german silver, but the mechanism is good throughout. This is no Buffet clarinet, but definitely a cut above the Timis.
My only real regrets are that it does not have the fork F resonance key, or a second octave key. However I can get it to play up until the C (two octaves plus one note) with care--like playing sax altissimo the last couple of steps. It plays beautifully two octaves.
It is two-ring, allowing for interesting gliss possibilities and shadings. I will try to post pics within a week, and try to do a sound file as well, but I will be traveling for the next few days, so no possibility before then.
The mpc needed work. It was very closed, with a very low baffle and a thin throat. This made the sound very tubby. I have opened it up in the throat, and opened the tip considerably, and that has helped a lot, without making is horribly bright and buzzy. At $1450, I consider this a steal.
I asked about provenance. It was made by an unknown craftsman. It is stamped "Remenyi", but they were only resellers, and did not make the instruments they sold. I saw another Remenyi instrument in pictures, and it was a completely different horn, much cheaper. The fact that this is made of grenadilla seems to indicate that it was a high-class instrument, and they keywork tends to bear that out.
I am experimenting with a higher baffle, and I did find something interesting for George: a higher baffle definitely facilitates the production of the highest notes. I do like the mellow sound from the low baffle though, so I am going to try to compromise by leaving the front of the baffle relatively low, making the middle higher, and opening up the back chamber a bit more.
More later. Wow. I am really pleased...
It turns out that the reason for the different wood for the bell is that grenadilla was extremely expensive, and therefore the bell was made of a cheaper wood, as it was considered that the different wood would not compromise the sound. We know, of course, that the wood doesn't really make a difference, but grenadilla is definitely closer-grained and nicer to work, so perhaps it had to do with the ability to cut sharp edges and work it finely.
The horn is in perfect playing condition. It is in amazingly good shape for its age (100 years). There is a fine crack in the bell, but it is hairline and no problem. The plating on the keys is perfect. One pad cup appears to have been remade, as it is brass instead of german silver, but the mechanism is good throughout. This is no Buffet clarinet, but definitely a cut above the Timis.
My only real regrets are that it does not have the fork F resonance key, or a second octave key. However I can get it to play up until the C (two octaves plus one note) with care--like playing sax altissimo the last couple of steps. It plays beautifully two octaves.
It is two-ring, allowing for interesting gliss possibilities and shadings. I will try to post pics within a week, and try to do a sound file as well, but I will be traveling for the next few days, so no possibility before then.
The mpc needed work. It was very closed, with a very low baffle and a thin throat. This made the sound very tubby. I have opened it up in the throat, and opened the tip considerably, and that has helped a lot, without making is horribly bright and buzzy. At $1450, I consider this a steal.
I asked about provenance. It was made by an unknown craftsman. It is stamped "Remenyi", but they were only resellers, and did not make the instruments they sold. I saw another Remenyi instrument in pictures, and it was a completely different horn, much cheaper. The fact that this is made of grenadilla seems to indicate that it was a high-class instrument, and they keywork tends to bear that out.
I am experimenting with a higher baffle, and I did find something interesting for George: a higher baffle definitely facilitates the production of the highest notes. I do like the mellow sound from the low baffle though, so I am going to try to compromise by leaving the front of the baffle relatively low, making the middle higher, and opening up the back chamber a bit more.
More later. Wow. I am really pleased...
