Woodwind Brand Loyalty
February 16 2009
With each instrument comes brand loyalty. Since I only play the woodwinds I really can only comment on that family of instruments…and then again I am not the most experienced player on all of the woodwinds so even there my opinions are limited. I really only feel like I can comment on saxophone/clarinet/oboe/flute and to a less extent bassoon. I guess in some ways my flute opinions are probably fairly jaded as well. So I guess here goes with what I know and what I think.
Bassoon (no particular order) might as well get this out of the way since I know so little.
Fox, Moosman, Puchner, Heckel, Schrieber (who is the same company as buffet now but buffet still makes a few bassoons in their own name…in the french style of course).
If it was up to me I’d play a Moosman. No real commentary here other than I have two students on a schreiber and one instrument is outstanding while the other is “ok.” Fox is probably the best bet economically. I play on a Fox (shrug)
Flute (in particular order). I like japanese flutes…just fyi
Sankyo, Miyazawa, Murumatsu, Yamaha, Powell, Trevor James, Haynes, Emerson…
I adore my yamaha but if I had all the money in the world i’d surely play a Sankyo. What a crisp big sound! American flutes tend to sound dead to me. I was very close to buying a Haynes but it was SO much work I just had to say no. The yamaha plays itself and while the sound could be crisper I barely play so the discounted price in comparison sold it for me. My flute has actually appreciated value too!
Clarinet (in particular order). Now we’re getting to home ground.
Rossi, Buffet, Leblanc, Yamaha, Selmer, Patricola
Rossi is by far the best clarinet I have ever played. One piece instead of the typical joints helps a lot but I would assume is crack prone. They are VERY pricey. I own and love my buffet Bb and own and love my Leblanc A. The buffet is sweet and the Leblanc is round. I’d classify the Rossi as truly dark/sweet/round/velvety all in one. The thing i’ll say is Patricola Eb clarinets are my absolute favorite but not so much their other options (for me). I don’t particularly care for selmer but they make a quality instrument.
Saxophone (in very particular order) I could write for days. I am a classical saxophonist so these opinions are those of someone only interested in the best possible options for classical music.
Selmer, Yamaha, Yanigasawa.
How simple is that? Three options and to be honest yanisagawa should only be considered for soprano and possibly alto. Yamaha is my new obsession though I still greatly prefer the overall sound of selmer (at least they do one instrument right). I suppose if I was building my dream selection I would have a Yanigasawa soprano, selmer alto, yamaha tenor, and a yamaha baritone. As it is I only own selmer but they are fabulous horns.
If one played jazz they could consider some of the following
Cannonball, Kielworth (alto/tenor only), and MAYBE a vintage buescher that is in great shape but I hate these instruments.
Here it gets tricky (i think even more than flute)
Oboe (in no particular order…perhaps) wish me luck…
Loree, Marigaux, Rigoutat, Howarth, Fox, Buffet, Covey, Josef, Laubin, Hiniker, Yamaha, Patricola, MCW
That is a lot of options, all handmade (to some degree) and all with a cult following. In this country Loree is worshipped like a God by many. I am not in that camp. Sorry! I was most recently in a Buffet loving crowd and I am doing my best not to blindly follow but I keep finding myself drawn to that brand. For my love of Yamaha flutes/saxophones I really don’t want to discredit the oboe either but at this point I just cannot say. I think the general lightness of a Rigoutat oboe really attracts me but again so much has to do with more than the oboe itself. I think that is probably why as oboists we have so many higher quality options. We are picky! We fuss about reeds. We like to complain (maybe it is just me). If I had to buy an oboe, on brand alone with no worry about money it would be a Marigaux M2 (instead of the joint being between G/F it is before the B… like a flute headjoint, this makes G/F# more stable).
I could go on for hours and and hours in each of the instruments (save for bassoon) but perhaps this is why I am finding the idea of trying an instrument so difficult. If I find the *best* yamaha who is to say that a *mediocre* laubin is not better? Only me! The only problem with this is that everyone wants a full payment to try and instrument and I could probably rack up about 4,000 dollars alone in play testing. Too bad IDRS is in london this summer and its the time I am most likely to buy an oboe.
And then for oboe there is this whole “blow-out” thing that no other woodwind seems to really complain about. I guess if that ends up being true this purchase (being my first really true pro, solid, amazing, perfect, awesome oboe) is only “temporary.” Hey if I do the greenline it means I can probably sell the Fox330 I have. Do I need two crack resistant oboes? I guess a back up is nice but I am woodwind doubler. A day off from oboe is a day on to (x).
I think I just talked myself out of another instrument. sheesh!
This entry was posted on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 2:58 pm.