(I already posted this article in the Clarinet BBoard, but others might find it interesting as well...)
So, with the Euro on a all-time low, and, on the other side, an all-time high in my wallet I ordered the Jupiter 675 Bass Clarinet. With three years' warranty and 30 days money-back I thought I couldn't lose all that much, and seeing that the very same instrument costs ~1K more here it shouldn't be all that hard to sell should I be inclined to do so. (The Yamaha 221 would've cost me twice the amount I paid for the Jupiter)
Now, what did I get? I ordered the 675 with the Eb key on the body, as it came in a compact case instead of the long single-piece case usually associated with that class of instrument. The case is very sturdy and can be stored horizontally or vertically, it has handles and feet on either side. Apart from the usual microfiber cloth, the operating manual (yay!) and a reed the accessory box also contains a comfy neck strap. Nice.
The body looks like a knock-off of the Vito 7168 - same register mechanism, same layout, same everything. I don't know if the design is copied or licensed, and frankly I don't really care. However, there are some subtle differences:
The tenon corks were sanded down accurately - it just takes a bit of grease and everything goes together nicely and smoothly. No red face while assembling, but no wobble afterwards either. Many bumpers aren't made of cork but of white felt with the same consistence as a pad felt.
The floor peg is long enough and about the thickest I've ever seen - a whopping 9.5mm diameter. The corresponding knurled nut is easy to operate even with sweaty hands. As a result, the instrument stands as motionless as if nailed to the floor.
I didn't bother to test the enclosed mouthpiece as I forgot where I last put my cushions, so the testing was done on a Bundy Signature.
The intonation of the cold instrument, with everything shoved in, was just right for A=442. Later I could pull the neck by 2..3mm, just as I do on my Bundy. The neck angle does not have the old-style tenor-sax form, and not the steep modern angle either, it's somewhere in between and very comfortable to play. The bass played right out of the box, everything was tight and nothing required regulation, easy to play from the lowermost Eb up to the altissimo G. I checked with a tuner, and all notes stayed within a +- ~8 cents bandwidth. Also the subjective loudness was quite even, although the throat tones are less resistant than others, not really surprising. The tone sounded okay, but in my experience the tone depends a lot on the mouthpiece, reed, and room, so I can't really make a qualified statement; I'd have to record it and listen to the recording first. Venting was good in the sense that I didn't hear any hiss or rush noise when air escapes past an open pad.
I noodled through my soprano and bass repertoire and found no really weak notes (one quickly adapts, I guess), although upper clarion B and C required conscious articulation - as often found on single-register basses. Register jumps were effortless (I played the Prélude from Bach's Cello Suite) and required only minimal embouchure adaption. Alternate fingerings worked in the usual way, eg "1+1" Eb (Txoo-xoo) was indistinguishable from the traditional fingering with the side trill. The key noise (from pads and keywork as such) was unobtrusive, and nothing was clattering. Very smooth and nice to play indeed.
Now, that "resonance vent" on the bell... I plugged the hole and played a low Eb, and out came a Concert C, some 25 cents sharp. In a pinch, usable, at least better than stuffing paper cones and whatnot into the bell.
I can only relate to my gone-through-rough-times Bundy which is about 35 years older and a whole lot rattlier. I expected a new instrument to be better in this regards, no doubt. But I also guess that Jupiter has come a long way in the last 30 years in terms of workmanship and overall quality.
I guess I keep it.
(disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Jupiter in any way)
So, with the Euro on a all-time low, and, on the other side, an all-time high in my wallet I ordered the Jupiter 675 Bass Clarinet. With three years' warranty and 30 days money-back I thought I couldn't lose all that much, and seeing that the very same instrument costs ~1K more here it shouldn't be all that hard to sell should I be inclined to do so. (The Yamaha 221 would've cost me twice the amount I paid for the Jupiter)
Now, what did I get? I ordered the 675 with the Eb key on the body, as it came in a compact case instead of the long single-piece case usually associated with that class of instrument. The case is very sturdy and can be stored horizontally or vertically, it has handles and feet on either side. Apart from the usual microfiber cloth, the operating manual (yay!) and a reed the accessory box also contains a comfy neck strap. Nice.
The body looks like a knock-off of the Vito 7168 - same register mechanism, same layout, same everything. I don't know if the design is copied or licensed, and frankly I don't really care. However, there are some subtle differences:
- the keywork is silver-plated. (this is the 675S model, only found in Europe AFAIK). The plating is not as thick and fat as we're used from soprano clarinets, and I'll see how it holds up. But I prefer silver-plate and it made my decision easier.
- the thumb rest is adjustable.
- the tone holes are undercut.
- the pads are white leather throughout.
- the bell is the standard Eb-on-bell thing, with just the Eb key missing, ie there's just the tone hole which serves as a resonance hole.
The tenon corks were sanded down accurately - it just takes a bit of grease and everything goes together nicely and smoothly. No red face while assembling, but no wobble afterwards either. Many bumpers aren't made of cork but of white felt with the same consistence as a pad felt.
The floor peg is long enough and about the thickest I've ever seen - a whopping 9.5mm diameter. The corresponding knurled nut is easy to operate even with sweaty hands. As a result, the instrument stands as motionless as if nailed to the floor.
I didn't bother to test the enclosed mouthpiece as I forgot where I last put my cushions, so the testing was done on a Bundy Signature.
The intonation of the cold instrument, with everything shoved in, was just right for A=442. Later I could pull the neck by 2..3mm, just as I do on my Bundy. The neck angle does not have the old-style tenor-sax form, and not the steep modern angle either, it's somewhere in between and very comfortable to play. The bass played right out of the box, everything was tight and nothing required regulation, easy to play from the lowermost Eb up to the altissimo G. I checked with a tuner, and all notes stayed within a +- ~8 cents bandwidth. Also the subjective loudness was quite even, although the throat tones are less resistant than others, not really surprising. The tone sounded okay, but in my experience the tone depends a lot on the mouthpiece, reed, and room, so I can't really make a qualified statement; I'd have to record it and listen to the recording first. Venting was good in the sense that I didn't hear any hiss or rush noise when air escapes past an open pad.
I noodled through my soprano and bass repertoire and found no really weak notes (one quickly adapts, I guess), although upper clarion B and C required conscious articulation - as often found on single-register basses. Register jumps were effortless (I played the Prélude from Bach's Cello Suite) and required only minimal embouchure adaption. Alternate fingerings worked in the usual way, eg "1+1" Eb (Txoo-xoo) was indistinguishable from the traditional fingering with the side trill. The key noise (from pads and keywork as such) was unobtrusive, and nothing was clattering. Very smooth and nice to play indeed.
Now, that "resonance vent" on the bell... I plugged the hole and played a low Eb, and out came a Concert C, some 25 cents sharp. In a pinch, usable, at least better than stuffing paper cones and whatnot into the bell.
I can only relate to my gone-through-rough-times Bundy which is about 35 years older and a whole lot rattlier. I expected a new instrument to be better in this regards, no doubt. But I also guess that Jupiter has come a long way in the last 30 years in terms of workmanship and overall quality.
I guess I keep it.
(disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Jupiter in any way)