©2021 Doug LaSala
Equipment
It
only
took
me
about
30
years
to
find
the
right
combination
of
instruments/mouthpieces/reeds.
I
thought
I’d share my experiences below.
Clarinet - Buffet Vintage R13
I currently play on a
Buffet Vintage R13
. I bought it new back at the end of 2006, after playing an R13 since 1979.
When
I
decided
to
look
for
a
new
clarinet,
I
played
a
variety
of
clarinets,
and
lots
of
them.
Buffets
(R13,
R13
Greenline,
Prestige,
Festival,
Tosca),
Leblancs
(Concerto,
Opus,
Pete
Fountain),
Selmers
(can't
remember
which
ones!),
Yamahas
(CSG,
SEV).
I
really
liked
a
the
Yamaha
SEV.
Until
I
found
the
Vintage
R13.
Compared
to
my
old
R13,
it
plays
in
tune,
is
more
resonant,
is
more
responsive,
and
it
has
a great sound.
I
learned
some
things
while
shopping
for
a
new
clarinet.
First,
every
instrument
plays
different.
So,
if
you're
going
to
buy
one
over
the
internet,
try
to
get
a
few
in
your
shipment.
Better
yet,
go
to
a
place
that
has
a
huge
supply.
In
my
area,
that
place
is
Washington
Music
Center
.
Unbelievable
selection,
and
Lee
Walkowich
was
a
helpful,
honest
salesman
that
wanted
me
to
find
the
right
instrument,
no
matter
how
long
it
took.
At
any
time,
they
probably
had
at
least
10
R13's,
2
Vintages,
2
Prestiges,
2
Toscas,
a
variety
of
Selmers
and
Yamahas. So much nicer than driving to a store to find that they only have 1. So, bottom line - make sure you try a bunch.
Second
-
silver
keys
make
a
difference.
I
never
would've
thought
so,
but
when
play
testing
a
bunch
for
a
student,
I
learned
this
valuable
lesson. I guess the silver resonates better than the nickel. So, spend the extra dough for silver.
Check
intonation.
I
did
find
consistencies
within
models,
but
every
one
plays
different.
R13's
seemed
to
play
flatter
as
I
went
from
low
C
to
open
G.
If
you
will
be
playing
with
other
R13's,
this
is
probably
a
good
thing.
If
you're
doing
solo
work,
you
don't
need
to
go
this
route.
The Vintage R13's intonation was great, however.
Bring along some other ears. If you have a fellow musician that you can play in front of, it may help to validate what you're hearing.
If
you
have
the
opportunity,
have
your
teacher
play
them.
A
more
experienced
ear
will
be
able
to
pick
up
on
subtle
differences.
Ultimately it's your decision, however.
Mouthpiece-wise,
I
use
a
Jody
Jazz
Classic
9
mouthpiece
with
Silver
Rico
H
Ligature
and
Mitchell
Lurie
3
1/2
reeds
for
jazz,
and
a
Fobes
San Francisco with Gonazales 4 reeds for classical.
Tenor - Yamaha Custom Z unlacquered
I
purchased
my
LAST
tenor
in
2009.
Yamaha
Custom
Z
unlacquered
with
the
gold-plated
neck,
selected
by
Jeff
Coffin
.
Prior
to
this,
I
had
a
Custom
Z
unlacquered
without
the
high
F#
since
early
2006.
I
love
the
Yamaha
Custom
Z.
The
Jeff
Coffin
model
was
setup
nice
-
keywork
just
felt
better,
and
the
horn
responded
great.
The
gold
plated
neck
gave
it
a
little
more
tonal
color
than
the
unlacquered
neck,
so
that's
what
I
play
on
now.
Thanks
to
Lee
Walkowich
at
Washington
Music
Center
for
giving
me
first
crack
at
this
horn,
and
at
an
unbelievable
price.
I
use
a
Jody
Jazz
DV
CHI
7*
mouthpiece
with
Jody
Jazz
Ring
Ligature
and
Rico
Jazz
Select
Unfiled
2H
reeds.
Jody's
mouthpiece
is
the
holy
grail that I was searching for for many years.
Alto - Yamaha Custom Z unlacquered
I
also
play
a
Yamaha
Custom
Z
alto
.
I
played
a
lacquered
82z
since
2004,
and
just
picked
up
an
unlacquered
82z
in
2009,
selected
by
Phil
Woods
.
I
added
a
gold
plated
neck
for
more
tonal
color,
as
I
liked
what
I
heard
on
the
tenor
with
the
gp
neck.
This
is
the
last
alto
that
I'll
buy. Thanks to
Lee Walkowich
at
Washington Music Center
for giving me first crack at this horn, and at an unbelievable price.
I use a
Jody Jazz DV 8 mouthpiece
with
Jody Jazz Ring Ligature
and Rico Jazz Select Unfiled 2H reeds.
Soprano - Keilwerth SX90 black nickel
I
play
a
Keilwerth
SX90
soprano
,
black
nickel
finish.
Mellow
sound,
but
with
my
Jody
Jazz
DV
6*
mouthpiece
with
Jody
Jazz
Ring
Ligature
and Vandoren ZZ 2 1/2 reeds, I can really make it project.
EWI - Akai EWI4000S
In
2008,
I
picked
up
an
Akai
EWI4000s
from
Patchman
Music
.
Great
horn.
Who
thought
something
electronic
could
be
so
expressive?
I
now
use the Dimension Pro 1.5 software synthesizer to get some really nice sounds.
©2021 Doug LaSala
Equipment
It
only
took
me
about
30
years
to
find
the
right
combination
of
instruments,
mouthpieces,
and
reeds.
I
thought
I’d
share
my
experiences
below.
Clarinet - Buffet Vintage R13
I
currently
play
on
a
Buffet
Vintage
R13
.
I
bought
it
new
back
at the end of 2006, after playing an R13 since 1979.
When
I
decided
to
look
for
a
new
clarinet,
I
played
a
variety
of
clarinets,
and
lots
of
them.
Buffets
(R13,
R13
Greenline,
Prestige,
Festival,
Tosca),
Leblancs
(Concerto,
Opus,
Pete
Fountain),
Selmers
(can't
remember
which
ones!),
Yamahas
(CSG,
SEV).
I
really
liked
a
the
Yamaha
SEV.
Until
I
found
the
Vintage
R13.
Compared
to
my
old
R13,
it
plays
in
tune,
is
more resonant, is more responsive, and it has a great sound.
I
learned
some
things
while
shopping
for
a
new
clarinet.
First,
every
instrument
plays
different.
So,
if
you're
going
to
buy
one
over
the
internet,
try
to
get
a
few
in
your
shipment.
Better
yet,
go
to
a
place
that
has
a
huge
supply.
In
my
area,
that
place
is
Washington
Music
Center
.
Unbelievable
selection,
and
Lee
Walkowich
was
a
helpful,
honest
salesman
that
wanted
me
to
find
the
right
instrument,
no
matter
how
long
it
took.
At
any
time,
they
probably
had
at
least
10
R13's,
2
Vintages,
2
Prestiges,
2
Toscas,
a
variety
of
Selmers
and
Yamahas.
So
much
nicer
than
driving
to
a
store
to
find
that
they
only
have
1.
So,
bottom
line
-
make
sure
you
try
a
bunch.
Second
-
silver
keys
make
a
difference.
I
never
would've
thought
so,
but
when
play
testing
a
bunch
for
a
student,
I
learned
this
valuable
lesson.
I
guess
the
silver
resonates
better than the nickel. So, spend the extra dough for silver.
Check
intonation.
I
did
find
consistencies
within
models,
but
every
one
plays
different.
R13's
seemed
to
play
flatter
as
I
went
from
low
C
to
open
G.
If
you
will
be
playing
with
other
R13's,
this
is
probably
a
good
thing.
If
you're
doing
solo
work,
you
don't
need
to
go
this
route.
The
Vintage
R13's
intonation
was great, however.
Bring
along
some
other
ears.
If
you
have
a
fellow
musician
that
you
can
play
in
front
of,
it
may
help
to
validate
what
you're hearing.
If
you
have
the
opportunity,
have
your
teacher
play
them.
A
more
experienced
ear
will
be
able
to
pick
up
on
subtle
differences. Ultimately it's your decision, however.
Mouthpiece-wise,
I
use
a
Jody
Jazz
Classic
9
mouthpiece
with
Silver
Rico
H
Ligature
and
Mitchell
Lurie
3
1/2
reeds
for
jazz,
and
a
Fobes
San
Francisco
with
Gonazales
4
reeds
for
classical.
Tenor - Yamaha Custom Z unlacquered
I
purchased
my
LAST
tenor
in
2009.
Yamaha
Custom
Z
unlacquered
with
the
gold-plated
neck,
selected
by
Jeff
Coffin
.
Prior
to
this,
I
had
a
Custom
Z
unlacquered
without
the
high
F#
since
early
2006.
I
love
the
Yamaha
Custom
Z.
The
Jeff
Coffin
model
was
setup
nice
-
keywork
just
felt
better,
and
the
horn
responded
great.
The
gold
plated
neck
gave
it
a
little
more
tonal
color
than
the
unlacquered
neck,
so
that's
what
I
play
on
now.
Thanks
to
Lee
Walkowich
at
Washington
Music
Center
for
giving
me
first
crack
at
this
horn,
and
at
an
unbelievable price.
I
use
a
Jody
Jazz
DV
CHI
7*
mouthpiece
with
Jody
Jazz
Ring
Ligature
and
Rico
Jazz
Select
Unfiled
2H
reeds.
Jody's
mouthpiece
is
the
holy
grail
that
I
was
searching
for
for
many
years.
Alto - Yamaha Custom Z unlacquered
I
also
play
a
Yamaha
Custom
Z
alto
.
I
played
a
lacquered
82z
since
2004,
and
just
picked
up
an
unlacquered
82z
in
2009,
selected
by
Phil
Woods
.
I
added
a
gold
plated
neck
for
more
tonal
color,
as
I
liked
what
I
heard
on
the
tenor
with
the
gp
neck.
This
is
the
last
alto
that
I'll
buy.
Thanks
to
Lee
Walkowich
at
Washington
Music
Center
for
giving
me
first
crack at this horn, and at an unbelievable price.
I
use
a
Jody
Jazz
DV
8
mouthpiece
with
Jody
Jazz
Ring
Ligature
and Rico Jazz Select Unfiled 2H reeds.
Soprano - Keilwerth SX90 black nickel
I
play
a
Keilwerth
SX90
soprano
,
black
nickel
finish.
Mellow
sound,
but
with
my
Jody
Jazz
DV
6*
mouthpiece
with
Jody
Jazz
Ring
Ligature
and
Vandoren
ZZ
2
1/2
reeds,
I
can
really
make it project.
EWI - Akai EWI4000S
In
2008,
I
picked
up
an
Akai
EWI4000s
from
Patchman
Music
.
Great
horn.
Who
thought
something
electronic
could
be
so
expressive?
I
now
use
the
Dimension
Pro
1.5
software
synthesizer to get some really nice sounds.