RS Berkeley Bassoon Review

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I'm a little hesitant to post this since it hasn't been 10 years yet...but here goes.

Bassoons are the most finicky instrument. Perhaps I'm a heretic for trying something other than the mainline brands, but I thought surely someone can make and sell a student bassoon for lesson than $4k!

Just over three years ago, I got an RS Berkeley BS350 Bassoon for my school. I had looked some for used instruments but couldn't find anything and wound up taking a chance on this one. (Before I found RS Berkeley, I tried out one made by Vento. You can see my review at Amazon--perhaps it was simply defective, but the issues with it made me skittish. [Also--just checking the link showed the Vento model for under $800. *BOGGLE*) We got the RS Berkeley model for under $2300.

I have had one student learn and play this instrument for three years. He switched from flute and has done a stellar job. There were some issues in the break-in period--it's hard to get used to the bassoon and not mess some things up while putting it together and taking it apart. Still, the instrument has survived and is working just fine. At the beginning, there were a few minor issues. The metal ring on the boot joint as well as the plastic one at the top of the bell needed to be glued in place. Whether it was the student or the instrument, the whisper key has needed several adjustments over the years. Also, the student lost a screw at one point...oops. Thankfully, I did get the correct replacement from RS Berkeley after a lot of phone and email tag. The local shop didn't seem to have an exact match. Last, the bocals are probably not the best. They have had a couple of real tiny leaks (of course, this could also be from not treating them gently enough).

The case is adequate. The cover does help protect a little bit, but neither the case nor the cover is amazing. The shoulder strap broke on the case after a year or two, but it's still nice to have the outside pocket for storing music or swabs and other supplies. Everything fits neatly in the case and I expect it should last a good amount of time.

How does it sound? Here it is being played in a Wind Quintet of The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

I think it sounds like a bassoon.

Would I recommend the instrument? Probably, though I think an intermediate player (or at least a high school student) would be better off with it than a beginner/middle schooler. Of course, it's risky to put a bassoon in anyone's hands, but I think a beginner would be better served by the most durable instrument without the extra keys (seriously, there are enough keys on the bassoon you could probably break in to anyone's house with it) and with the modifications to make it "short reach" for small hands. There are some sites advertising it in the $2500-2700 range, and that's a pretty good deal for a new bassoon. There are some other options in the crazy low-end range (one of which I'll write about later), but I think the RS Berkeley is one of the best balances between quality, price, and reputation. 

Tempest Bass Clarinet Review

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One of the first wind instruments I tried to acquire when I started at St. Croix Prep was a bass clarinet. It was a good choice because I had enough clarinet players, the transition to learn the instrument is not too rough, and it helped reinforce the bass lines in our music. The first instrument we got was a loan from my dad's school. We used it for two or three years (makes me wonder how many schools have extra instruments sitting around--I know I've had some things spare in the past couple of years) before I had the school purchase a Selmer 1430P. There are many good reasons that that model is one of the standards for schools. It has a solid tone, its durable, and the low-Eb key is on the body. The one the school owns has performed well for several years now. After returning the loaner to my dad's school, though, I needed to get a second bass clarinet for my school. Trying to save some money and intrigued by Tempest Musical Instruments, I decided to go for their bass clarinet.

First, what is distinctive about the Tempest Bass Clarinet? The body is two pieces, the neck has a tuning adjustment, and the octave key mechanism is more complicated than the Selmer.

Especially when the corks are new, the bass clarinet can be challenging to put together. Trying to keep it aligned without squishing rods or bending keys is even more difficult for a student. 

For me as a non-clarinet player, it plays as in tune with as good of a sound as the Selmer. The upper register (up to C above the staff) plays easily.

The case is okay. Since the bass clarinets pretty much live at school, I wouldn't expect it to take too much of a beating, but ours has quite a few nicks and scratches. On the inside, the soft covering has ripped away from the rigid foam padding underneath in a couple of places.

One thing I really like the screw on the floor peg. It has wings so that it is very easy to adjust.

Still, if I were going to purchase another bass clarinet for the school, it would probably not be the Tempest. While the features it has are advanced, none of them are necessary for the literature we play and some of the distinctiveness might be seen as negatives. Having a two piece body (with the Eb key on the bell) makes me nervous as a teacher because there is more stuff for students to mess up. If a student were really dedicated to the bass clarinet, I would recommend the instrument for them to purchase on their own. At $1600, I'm not sure there is anything else priced similarly that offers as much.

Allora Aere Trombone (Plastic!) Review

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If all you want is to see and hear a quick comparison of the Allora Aere and a student model Bach, see these two short videos.

Quiz

Which of these recordings is a plastic trombone? The four combinations of mouthpiece and instrument are plastic/plastic, plastic/metal, metal/metal, and metal/plastic. [Yes, I know I don't sound amazing on trombone]. See the answers at the bottom of the post.

I ordered an Allora Aere Trombone in blue back in December. It must have been a popular Christmas item because it was on backorder for more than two months! I paid about $120 with a percentage off coupon code, and so far I think it was a fair price for what I received.

Positives

  • sounds like a trombone
  • plays in tune (though what does that really mean on trombone?)
  • slide moves freely and has improved over the last month as I have played it more
  • comes with lots of "extras," including two plastic mouthpieces, a stand, cleaning supplies, and a bag that fits everything neatly
  • very light
  • blue! (or other colors)

Negatives

  • difficult if not impossible to get a brassy, edgy tone that is often characteristic of trombone
  • plastic slide is noisier than metal
  • slide lock is weak and tugging on the slide while locked releases the slide
  • included stand is adequate for holding the trombone but feels flimsy

The biggest issue I see with the Aere trombone is that it can't match the sound and power of my Bach TB-300. While trombone isn't my main instrument, I use it extensively while teaching because it is the easiest low instrument to pick up and play lines when needed. I also think I do an adequate job demonstrating tone for my younger trombonists, especially when I need to show them using more air for a bigger sound or toning it down to blend with the rest of the low voices. The Aere trombone is mostly fine for demonstrating these things, but I can't make it cut through an ensemble in the same way as my metal bone.

Looking at trombone currently on Craigslist, I see some trombones available used for $150. If I were looking for a trombone for a beginning student, I would almost certainly purchase one of these (Bundy, Bach, Yamaha, etc.) instead of the Allora Aere. That said, I can imagine a few reasons to get a plastic trombone. I've never taken complaints about the trombone's weight too seriously, but I could see using one with a student who needed the lightest trombone they could find (perhaps recovering from an arm/shoulder injury, or the very young). It is cool that it is blue and brings some spirit to pep band. I've also found it beneficial to play on the Aere trombone as a practice tool. I find that playing it at the level I want requires more air, and that translates to a bigger, better sound on whatever I play next (my regular trombone or trumpet).

Cosmetically, the Aere trombone looks great from far away. Close up, though, there are some rough spots. The joints on the ABS tubing show some extra adhesive. The mouthpiece receiver has some sort of white, powdery residue that I haven't managed to clean all the way out yet. The slide lock feels flimsy, and the socket connecting the bell and slide sections has a few rows of extra threads that make it feel not well thought out.

I do feel a metal mouthpiece gives a better sound that the included plastic ones (or the plastic Kelly 6 1/2AL I normally play on), but I think the difference is marginal.

Audio answers from samples at the top:

  1. Allora/Bach
  2. Allora/Kelly
  3. Bach/Bach
  4. Bach/Kelly

Listening back to myself, I don't hear as much of a difference in the recordings as I heard while playing.