Contrabass Digest |
| To subscribe or unsubscribe, email gdgreen@contrabass.com |
From: "Mats Öljare" <oljare@hotmail.com>
Subject: Festivus
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 01:42:27 GMT
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comMerry Festivus,everone!
Mats Öljare
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/oljare
______________________________________________________
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 09:14:03 -0500
Subject: Ebay Dredgings for the spending impaired
From: michael c grogg <mgrogg@juno.com>
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comI was cruising ebay this evening, looked at the $12,000 golden saxophone
from Australia, (reminds me of a joke about a bar).Two items of interest to someone on the list I am sure.
#1 A Selmer Wooden ContraAlto Klarinet.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=225055761
It is on a three day auction, bidding currently at $325 Auction over on
the 26th.
#2 A box of VIntage Rico ContraBass Klarinet Reeds (25)
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=224033896
Bidding at $30 at the moment.
Auction over on the 30th
Happy Holidays to all,
Michael Grogg
Clearwater, Florida---------------------------------------------------------
From: Fmmck@aol.com
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 21:33:08 EST
Subject: Re: Selmer Contras
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comIn a message dated 12/22/99 9:42:18 PM, CoolStu67@aol.com writes:
<< I've talked
with a person on this list that even a plastic Vito sounds nicer than the
Leblanc metal, although the Leblanc is more refined mechanically. What do
people think about this? >>Stuart-
For new instruments, Leblanc Metal is dominant over Selmer Rosewood primarily
because of price. For used instruments, it is also a matter of availability.
Because of the rarity of the Selmer, few of us will have had the opportunity
to compare the way they play.I have the Leblanc "straight" metal BBb Contra. It has FIVE linkages between
the top and bottom main sections. I consider that more complex, not more
refined, compared to the Vito. The Vito's top and bottom sections don't come
apart. Most problems I've had were related to the linkages and missing corks
between their mating surfaces. Once adjusted, the instrument is fine. Only
time will tell if it stays that way.---------------------------------------------------------
From: CoolStu67@aol.com
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 22:34:51 EST
Subject: Re: Selmer Contras
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com
I've had the same similar experiences with my looped Bb contra. Took it to
the shop, two weeks later I had a leak again. Brough it back again, and just
got it back. This time I played it once and put it away for good. I'm taking
it to state in January; I don't want it screwing up again! <g> The coiled
version sure is a complicated beast, I still don't understand how the low D
key closes all those pads!Any tips on keeping contras in shape, without them falling out of adjustment
the second you breath on it?Stuart
<<
I have the Leblanc "straight" metal BBb Contra. It has FIVE linkages
between
the top and bottom main sections. I consider that more complex, not more
refined, compared to the Vito. The Vito's top and bottom sections don't
come
apart. Most problems I've had were related to the linkages and missing
corks
between their mating surfaces. Once adjusted, the instrument is fine. Only
time will tell if it stays that way.
>>
---------------------------------------------------------From: Fmmck@aol.com
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 22:54:25 EST
Subject: Re: Selmer Contras
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comIn a message dated 12/23/99 10:35:51 PM, CoolStu67@aol.com writes:
<< Any tips on keeping contras in shape, without them falling out of
adjustment
the second you breath on it?
>>Stuart-
I've heard that some band directors keep the school's coiled contras
permanently assembled. Once they are in playing condition, that may be the
only way to keep them working.---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 23:05:43 -0800 (PST)
From: JJ McLallen <jam_ump10r@yahoo.com>
Subject: the clarinet family
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com
When I was in high school I had the opportunity to
play a wooden Selmer BBb Contrabass Clarinet. It
needed a litle work, but it sounded awesome. In
college I got to play a Leblanc contra-alto, also
wood. It, too, sounded great. Just recently I had the
chance to do a repad on a curved Leblanc contra-bass,
made of nickel-silver. The tone was a bit brighter
than the wooden ones. I chalk it up to personal taste.
I would probably choose the wood if I could. One
factor no one has mentioned is longevity. Wood,
however well preserved, does biodegrade slowly. In the
smaller instruments this doesn't play a huge factor.
But in these larger ones, the slightest shrinkage or
movement or crack could have catastrophic results on
the playability of the instrument, and I don't
actually know of any repair techs that focus on these
big guys.
On another note-- My instructor and I are looking
for a contrabass clarinet or 2, preferably different
brands, for me to repair and do research on for a
paper I will be writing for school. I am currently in
the instrument repair program at Renton Technical
college near Seattle, and it would be nice to find
some that are close to me. Any ideas -- feel free to
drop me a line.JJ McLallen
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 15:01:04 -0500
From: John Howell <John.Howell@vt.edu>
Subject: Re: [Contra digest]
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com> Why were metal clarinets replaced by plastic? I don't know, but I
>can guess. First, many of the student metal clarinets were sold to
>schools rather than individuals. By the early 1950s many schools had
>inventories of beat up, abused, poor playing horns.Man, am I the only one on this list who marched in the 50s? Here's the
deal. High school (and college) marching bands marched no matter what the
weather. That's about when plastic drum heads began to appear, and they
were a godsend. The metal clarinets were used for marching because you'd
be a fool to take your good wood clarinet out into the rain, sleet, snow,
whatever, not to mention the danger of the wood cracking from temperature
and humidity changes. (This was in the Pacific Northwest; yes, it rains a
lot! But it never gets as cold as the Midwest or Northeast.)The metal clarinets could be repaired just as easily as wooden ones, as
long as you didn't sit on one! No, the factor that made plastics take over
the market from metals was very simple. Metal instruments get COLD when
the temperature is freezing out. You either had to wear gloves with the
fingers cut out or try to play with regular gloves. (It was worse for
brass players, since in really bad weather the metal mouthpieces could
actually freeze to the skin of your lips.) The plastic clarinets were just
as safe to take out into bad weather, but didn't get as cold against your
skin. Q.E.D.John
John & Susie Howell
Virginia Tech Department of Music
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:John.Howell@vt.edu)
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
---------------------------------------------------------
From: LeliaLoban@aol.com
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 18:24:44 EST
Subject: Re: few questions,millennium greetings
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comAlberto Pinton wrote,
> I've a few questions for you experts out there:>I should just shut up, since I'm no expert. Oh, well.
>-even though I'm not a collector all of my horns happen to be quite old. Do
you know where to look to find out the exact date of production? The brands
I'm talking about
are:Selmer(saxes,clarinets),Buffet(clarinets),Haynes-Gemeinhardt(flutes),a
King saxello and a Buescher C melody...>For the clarinets, try
For the saxes, try:
Lars Kirmser's Music Trader, Index (serial #s, info)
>-any suggestions as to what mouthpiece'd work best on the saxello? I'm not a
legit player and I'm using a Selmer rubber H, which is definitely not a large
chamber mouthpiece but that's all I got right now... -I also need a case for
the saxello, any info besides the 'do-it-yourself' possibility?>Try the L. A. Sax website,
L. A. sax sells a Saxello-type modern soprano made by Rossi of Italy now, so
maybe one of their cases would fit an old H. N. White King Saxello. If you
send them the measurements of your Saxello, maybe they could tell you if the
new case would fit. I've been using the original King mouthpiece on my
Saxello, and would like to save wear and tear on it, so I would also like to
know if anybody's got a good modern mpc that plays in tune on one of these
old horns.Best wishes to everyone for the holidays, and may the Y2K bugs not bite!
Lelia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Time is only an illusion, but a very persistent one."
-- Albert Einstein
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next Digest ->
Previous Digest <-
Index
Top