Dave Kessler's Music Blog

This Blog has a New Home!

2010-03-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, Blogger doesn't seem to want to work too well with Microsoft Word anymore... and considering my propensity for spelling errors and what not, Word will help me immensely.

I am setting up a new WordPress based blog that I will simply host locally. The new blog address will be http://www.kesslermusic.com/blog - I am still doing all the setup and theme configuration but hope to have it fully up and running by this week.

I'll see you there!

Dave Kessler

Looking for Value in the Ever Changing Flute Market

2010-02-12T13:23:00.001-08:00

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This blog has moved. The new blog home for this article is at
http://www.kesslermusic.com/blog/?p=17

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One of the things that I love about this industry is change. I enjoy keeping up with the trends and helping guide customers through what to some seems an absolutely monumental task of choosing a new flute. Luckily for the flute consumer, the values available to them on the market today far surpass normal "market change". We have seen more "value" change in the flute market than in any other market.

When shopping for flutes, the trick is being "in the know" on what is really being offered. I cannot count how many times that I deal with customers whose teachers are 10-20 years behind the times on the flute industry. Granted, I don't believe that it is the teacher's job to do the work for the student or to even be a sales person in a store. I believe teachers should focus on teaching. However, when they make recommendations to students, it benefits all involved if the teacher is up to date on what is being offered. Sadly, even being in the industry, it can be difficult to stay up to date with all the changes going on.

So I wanted to give consumers somewhat of a guide of some of the better offerings. In the end, everything involved with buying and selecting a musical instrument really comes down to personal preference. You the player need to be able to play the flute and make sure that it is the right flute for your needs.

Old School Thinking
First, do yourself a favor and realize that when it comes to flutes (and any other instrument for that matter), what matters the most is design, not material. For so many decades, we have been taught to believe that the more Solid Silver in a flute, the better the performance. While I will admit that when comparing the identical design, I do tend to lean towards the sound of the flute with more silver, this is not a 100% universal truth.

We sell MANY flutes that have solid silver headjoints (and even one with NO solid silver parts whatsoever) that completely outplay other all solid silver flutes. The reason why is the design. A better designed and made flute will always outplay the lower level design even though it possesses the "better" materials.

In-Line G vs. Off-Set G
This one still cracks me up. I still to this day get parents who are looking for an in-line G flute because their teacher told them that it was better and that the professional flutes only come in an in-line G. The truth: neither in-line or off-set has any playing advantage over the other. It is simply a personal ergonomic preference. The off-set G more naturally matches the contour of the human hand. The off-set G also offers a more technically sound mechanism as you have less keys pivoting off of the same rod.

As for the argument that professional flutes are only available in an in-line G, this simply is not true. Professional flutes are available either way and there is no difference as to availability in most scenarios.

If you prefer an in-line G, then buy an in-line G. If you are not sure, go with the off-set G as it will be more comfortable for most players.

OK, so what do I buy?
Obviously, I am going to be a bit biased on these answers as in the end, I sell flutes and my recommendations will be for flutes that I can sell. However, keep this in mind with that bias: we only sell and stock flutes that we feel offer our customers great value and performance when compared against other brands in the same price point. We do not sell and stock every model that a manufacturer makes. We cherry pick through their offerings and select the flutes that we think offer our customers value.

Student to Intermediate Range
For our store, we have decided to narrow down our student and intermediate selection largely to 2 brands. Jupiter and the Galway Spirit. Both offer exceptional value and performance for their respective price ranges.

The Jupiter models are more affordable as they are made in Asia (China or Taiwan depending on the model). They are built very well and play as well as they are built. Their headjoint cuts are precise and offer good response and tone.

The Galway Spirit models are the most impressive performing flutes in the student to intermediate sector of the market. They are more expensive than the Jupiter models as the Galway's are made 100% in the USA. However, the headjoint on the Galway Spirit flutes is absolutely out of this world. They are powerful, colorful, rich, resonant and responsive.

"Advanced Intermediate" Range
This is my own unofficial classification of the market that many makers will call "pre-professional" as well as "professional". I personally have never cared for the term "professional" in any instrument. However, I feel that many in the industry use it in a way that is done to justify price for customers. Regardless of this argument, to me the "Advanced Intermediate" segment consists of flutes that have advanced designs (many times from the "professional" makers) but are built to fit an "intermediate" price point. This price range starts around $1,000 and can go upwards of $2,500 on average.

This sector of the market is where the absolute best values can be found. This is where the most change in the flute industry can be found. There are a lot of offerings now in this segment, but to us a few really stand out. The main brands that we have singled out in this category are Avanti, Azumi, diMedici and Sonare. There are also a few select models in the Pearl line that we feel offer this same value range.

To me, the 2 that really stand out are the Avanti and the diMedici. The diMedici is a brand that has been around for quite some time. The parent company is Jupiter and the diMedici are simply the next level up in the Jupiter line. For many, they seemed to get pushed out of most people's minds when the market exploded with all of these other brands. However, we find the quality of the diMedici flutes to be on par or better than most flutes at price ranges much higher. The diMedici models all feature pointed key arm construction and a Solid Silver hand cut headjoint.

They have even come out with a new "dolled up" version call the 1311 that has become one of my personal favorites. It is a solid silver headjoint and body, with a solid 14k gold riser, pointed key arms with engraving on all the key cups, crown and lip plate. It is an incredible playing flute and offers a GREAT value to the advancing flautist.

Professional
This is a tough one to write about because of the varying opinions that are involved as to what really defines a "professional" model as well as what style of performance that the player is seeking. We really enjoy the Burkart flutes and think that they offer the best values in the professional market. However, seeing as there are not a lot of customers for professional flutes in Las Vegas, we are not always stocking a ton of professional models. However, we will usually stock the 2 best "low cost" professional models.

The Burkart Resona 200 and the Powell Signature Series flutes. Both of these flutes are unbelievable values for the advanced player. Both offer great performance and a great price.

Above this price, most people will instead deal directly with the maker of their preference so that they can get their flute with their options the way that they want it.

Conclusion
The flute market is changing constantly. I believe that we have found a few companies that have really stepped out ahead of the rest of the market and those are the brands that we have decided to place in our stores for our customers to choose from. In the end, you have to play them and choose for yourself, but make sure not to get tunnel vision and choose to only look at one brand. When you don't compare, you end up paying too much.

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Disclaimer: I am not directly benefiting from this post in any financial way. However, I do sell flutes through my family's business, Kessler & Sons Music.

NAMM Show Report - 2010

2010-01-22T16:41:00.001-08:00

Well, another year and another NAMM show. For those of you who are not familiar with NAMM, it stands for the National Association of Musical Merchants.

Every year, they have the big industry convention in Anaheim, CA. It is a time where dealers from all around the world can "shop" the various suppliers and manufacturers in the music industry. It is a closed attendance show for NAMM members only and not open to the public. However, some consumers will make their way into the show as a "Visitor" of a NAMM member. This year, we helped a few local pros gain access.

For me, this represents my 10^th visit to the NAMM show and much of it is the same today as it was 10 years ago. However, there are always some exceptions and some new products that catch our eye. This is what I write this annual report for. For the consumer who is unable to attend the show to hear what I found that might be coming to a store near them in the near future. While there are many positive things at the show, there are of course not so positive things that I find at the show. I will not discuss those items or companies that I didn't care for from the show.

In the past, I have seen a few consumers feel that I was doing a disservice by not reporting on the negative. That is definitely their prerogative to hold that position, but it is also my own prerogative to not succumb to the negative. Also of course, my whole point of going to the show is to evaluate product for the purpose of selling it in our stores. So yes, the items that I discuss will likely be something that we will sell. However, this is not the purpose behind this post.

Enough of the ground rules and explanations, on to the show!

Big Companies' Prototypes!
I was pretty impressed at the number of big companies that had prototype products that were there at the show. Typically from a big company, they will only bring "new ready to sell" product. However, there were 2 companies that had prototypes to show off to select stores… which of course we were one of. However, sadly, I cannot yet tell you about them! I know this is a terrible tease and I am sorry. Trust me, it goes against my nature not to shout them out to the world, but I promised that I wouldn't get into specifics. Just keep your ears open… I promise it will be worth the wait!

Galway Spirit Flutes
If you check out my blog often, then you are already aware of my blog post about the Galway Spirit model flutes. These flutes are the newest offering from Conn-Selmer. They are based around the more advanced Avanti body tube design which features a modern professional Cooper scale pitched at A=442. Basically for the flute jargon impaired… that basically means that the intonation of the flute is on par with a $10,000 handmade professional flute.

The Spirit flutes are absolutely the best student and step-up flutes we have ever seen. Another great bonus is the fact that they are 100% Made in the USA. Sadly, there are not many flutes that can make this claim anymore. The player response on the Spirit models at the show were great. They will be available in 3 models. For more information visit our special Galway Spirit flute page on our site. They should start shipping to customers in the next 1-2 weeks!

Drake Ceramic Mouthpieces for Sax & Clarinet
Yes, you read that correct. Ceramic mouthpieces. If you are a teacher or adult player, than the first image that likely has just popped into your mind has to do with a mouthpiece dropped and shattering into a million pieces. Honestly, I can't blame you as this is the first thing that I thought of as well when I saw one a few months prior to the NAMM show. However, I have to say that I was really impressed with the quality of craftsmanship and the technical information that Aaron Drake provided. In the end, these are high end caliber mouthpieces, not student mouthpieces. So if someone drops one and it does break, there is no one to blame but themselves.

The positive aspect of the mouthpieces is that they are basically temperature/humidity neutral. There is no worry about warping from heat, or shrinking/swelling from the environment (great idea when it comes to the clarinet barrels by the way). So the pros of the product will outweigh the cons for many players concerned about performance. While I cannot say that we are stocking them yet, there is a very good chance that Drake Ceramic mouthpieces and clarinet barrels will be finding their way into our product offerings in the near future.

Selmer Paris' 125^th Anniversary
This year marks Selmer Paris' 125^th Anniversary. While they have not really announced much at the show, they are planning some new releases for this anniversary. They are planning on doing these releases at the big European counterpart show, the Frankfurt Music Messe. I do have some information as to what some of them are but am sworn to secrecy. Sorry, you too will have to wait just like the rest of the world on this.

Kessler Custom Products
There are a few things that we are working on for 2010. I won't get too detailed as all plans are still somewhat subject to change. However, we met with our factory at the show and also the day after the show as they came to visit our shops in Las Vegas the Monday after. We have already announced a new Kessler Custom Alto based on our "Handmade" line. We are calling it the "Jazz Handmade" as it is designed to be more vibrant and quicker responding. Similar to a Yanagisawa A902 in this manner.

We are also looking at offering an even higher lineup of saxophones… Again, not posting anything concrete on this, but keep your eyes open for this one as it is sure to surprise many.

Theo Wanne Classic Mouthpieces
Theo makes the most beautifully crafted mouthpieces with the most unique performance in the world. At the show, he had 2 new models to introduce. First is his new Vintage Rubber GAIA Tenor Sax mouthpiece. This mouthpiece is the same design as his existing metal GAIA mouthpiece for tenor but made from his new Vintage Rubber. These had a great fat dark tone with excellent response. They will be available soon at the price of $595.

The other new product is his new line called BRHAMA. These are Vintage Rubber pieces that use similar designs to their tenor and alto counterparts except they will not have the same sidewall scooping of the other models. I only saw the prototype at the show, but it looks GREAT with paper thin rails just like the GAIA rubber. The thing that most will be excited about is price. Brand new, these are going to sell at $350.

The Asian Market
The Asian market always has something new and great. We found several things that we are excited about. One of which is a fantastic low A bari sax that was based on a Yanagisawa design. This is something that we are looking into stocking in the near future and will likely sell for UNDER $2,000. It is Chinese, but it was fantastic. Played like a million bucks, was comfortable and built well. More to come on that in the future.

Otherwise, it was another NAMM show. We had a great time. Went out to dinner at some great places including my favorite, The Crab Cooker in Newport Beach (AWESOME). If you are ever in Newport, go there and get the crab (duh). You won't regret it!

Here's looking forward to 2010!

James Galway Spirit Flutes by Conn-Selmer

2009-12-26T12:04:00.000-08:00

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This blog has moved. The new blog home for this article is at
http://www.kesslermusic.com/blog/?p=42

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In March, I wrote a review of the Avanti flutes by Conn-Selmer (designed by Bickford Brannen). The Avanti flutes are an absolutely wonderful flute and a superior overall product to pretty much everything anywhere near their price.

However, the price is out of reach for many younger players as well as for many parents in this modern economy. Coming in 2010, Conn-Selmer has an answer for this issue. The new "James Galway Spirit" line of student and step-up flutes.

The Galway Spirit
In the new brochure for these flutes, Conn-Selmer makes the following statement:

The Galway Spirit, the most beautiful and best playing student and step-up flute in the world!

That's quite a claim! However, after being allowed to test these flutes prior to their release in the first quarter of 2010... I have to agree with Conn-Selmer. These flutes are absolutely amazing and yes, they are quite striking cosmetically.

Now I will be the first person to say that I could care less about the cosmetics of an instrument. I have always focused on the quality of the product from a playing, construction and an overall value statement. Many of my customers come to me solely for advice because of this.

So when I saw the first photographs of the Spirit flutes, I was not overly impressed. They are a beautiful instrument featuring "reverse bead decorative rings" and an emerald colored Cubic Zirconium in the headjoint crown, I instantly put a stigma on the flute of "too much time put into the looks usually means not enough time put into the design" on them. I have to admit that this could not be further from the truth.

Performance Design
The Galway Spirit models use a design that I was already familiar with. They are using the same machinery for the body and key-cup manufacturing as their higher-end counterparts in the Avanti line.

The Spirit models have their bodies and tone holes made on the same machinery and to the same design as the Avanti. They feature an authentic A=442 Cooper Scale. This gives these flutes superior intonation and overall scale.

They also use CNC machined key cups just like the Avanti meaning a more stable housing for the most sensitive piece of the flute, the pads. Perfectly flat inner cups to the keys give pads a stable backing that helps the pads maintain their adjustments over a longer period of time.

Headjoint
All Spirit models feature a professional style modern headjoint cut. This headjoint is definitely more open than the Avanti and provides for most intermediate level players a bigger, more open and expressive tone than the Avanti.

While I still personally prefer the tonal performance of the Avanti-Brannen headjoint (due to their more focused and darker tone), I do feel that the majority of student level players will find the Spirit headjoint easier to play yielding better performance at their level.

I feel that this headjoint is also ideal for the saxophone doubler as well as the intermediate adult who plays more for their own enjoyment and the occasional church or small ensemble playing.

Regardless of the level of flautist, all will find these flutes to be very responsive and a pleasure to play.

The headjoint is also equipped with the "Performance Flute Plug" instead of a traditional headjoint cork assembly. There are claims that this item will make a performance difference, and for some perhaps it does. We did not perform any sort of "blind test" using a traditional cork assembly vs. the Performance Plug. However, strictly from a mechanical repair stance, we like it. It is simply one less item to have maintained and replaced on the flute on a regular basis.

So regardless of whether or not it changes the performance of the flute, it is a good accessory that will help the player have one less adjustment/repair issue to deal with and that in itself is a great thing.

Ergonomics
One thing that was changed when compared to the Avanti design is the size of the key cups. The Spirit models do have larger diameter key cups by about 2mm. While this is a small overall change, it is noticeable in the hands and actually quite comfortable. I assume that this change was made to accommodate smaller hands that wouldn't have as easy of a time gripping the Avanti keys.

3 Models
The Galway Spirit flutes will be available in 3 models.

JG1
This model is completely silver plated and features closed holes with a low C footjoint. This is the typical "student" configuration. However, the term "student" when applied to this flute means something different in my opinion than the what the music industry will typically imply with the term.

This model is for the "student player". What is a student? Frankly, it is any player that is still in a learning phase or a non-professional level of playing. This definition covers a heavy majority of flautists out there. The headjoint cut on this model is the same one used throughout the line and will give advanced performance regardless of its "student" designation.

JG2
This is the same overall flute as the JG1 model except it is an open-hole, low B foot version.

JG3
This is the main "step-up" level from the line. This model features a Solid Silver headjoint, open hole with low B foot. This flute is beyond impressive! It offers a much bigger and sweeter sound than the JG1 or JG2 models.

This model, based on performance, will completely dominate the intermediate flute market when compared to the other offerings in its class. While pricing has not yet been released, they should fall in slightly above the $1,000 price point.

(click here to view pictures of the JG3 on my family's company site)

The "Bling Factor"
As I said earlier, I am not much of a fan of putting heavy focus on the cosmetics of the product because USUALLY this means that the company has skimped on the a feature that could have increased the performance of the product. In the case of the Galway Spirit, flautists do not have to compromise on this.

The Cubic Zirconium in Emerald Green that is placed into the headjoint crown may not be to my personal liking, but I have a feeling that students will absolutely flip over this. Conn-Selmer will also be selling replacement headjoint crowns featuring colored gemstones for all of the various "birth stone" colors. Again, not my cup of tea but definitely something that students will enjoy and appreciate.

I do however really like the delicate look of the "reverse bead decorative rings". These really add an elegant look to the flute that the majority of the music playing population will be impressed with.

The engraving on the flute is a little gaudy for my taste with James Galway's initials engraved into the headjoint along with a rose, but again, plenty of people will like.

Made in the USA
I have said this before and I will say it again, I love supporting American made product. Don't get me wrong, I am not the kind of person who will ONLY buy American. I feel we live in a global market and believe that there truly is quality product available from all around the world. BUT, when there is a quality American made product, I will always choose to support the American made product as long as it is at least up the performance/value level of the import.

In the case of the Spirit flutes, there is no need to compromise as they are 100% American made and will still be priced at the same level as many of the imports while completely outplaying those imports.

Availability
These flutes are going to be "officially launched" at the NAMM Convention in Anaheim, CA on January 14-17, 2010. Shipments to dealers should start in February of 2010 but this is of course subject to change.

All 3 models will be available to authorized Conn-Selmer dealers but only the JG3 model will be available online. The JG1 and JG2 will not be available online due to their "student" designation. While I personally feel that this will short term hurt the exposure of these flutes, the long term will yield (in theory) better dealer support and the performance of the flute will build a reputation on its own merit rather than any advertising policy could ever hope to accomplish.

Final Thoughts
These are plain and simple the best flute in their class. In my family's music store, we have been doing blowouts of several models of flutes specifically in anticipation of these new flutes. These will become our primary recommendation for the majority of flautists.

I want to thank Conn-Selmer for allowing us to review these flutes prior to their release. There are not many companies that I really anticipate new product from, but Conn-Selmer has been doing all of the right things in their past few product releases and so far, all have been resounding successes in my opinion!

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To read more about options and pricing (once it is released) on the Galway Spirit flutes, please visit my family's company site at http://www.kesslermusic.com/

Avanti Flutes

2009-03-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

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This blog has moved. The new blog home for this article is at
http://www.kesslermusic.com/blog/?p=41

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So back in 2006, my father and I had the privilege to be invited to come up to the Conn-Selmer facilities in Elkhart, IN. We were brought up for several things, but one of the principle reasons was to give our input on a new flute project to be made at the woodwind facility in Elkhart and designed by master flute-maker Bickford Brannen.
These new flutes would become the new Avanti flutes.
For those who don't know who Bickford Brannen is, he is a co-founder (along with his brother) of the Brannen Brothers Flutemakers company (http://www.brannenflutes.com/) that is known by many professional flautists as one of if not the best flutes in the world.
In 2008, Bick was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the National Flute Association (http://www.nfaonline.org/convention/awardwinner/1)
Bick is also one of the most genuine and best persons that I have had the pleasure to work with in this business.
Avanti Flutes
The Avanti flutes are Bick's design, made at the Conn-Selmer Woodwind facility in Elkhart, Indiana. They are in a relatively new classification of flutes that we refer to as "Pre-Professional" or "Advanced Intermediate" flutes. This classification of flutes essentially are flutes that feature professional hand-cut headjoints but are priced closer to the "Intermediate" price range.
The headjoint itself accounts for well over half of the performance of a flute. So when you combine a $1,000+ headjoint on a flute that sells for a total of $1,579, the overall performance of the flute will far exceed what a typical $1,500 flute in the "Intermediate" category would.
However, there are MANY things about the Avanti flutes that differ from the other flutes in this emerging category that really make the Avanti the most impressive flutes in their category.
Made in the USA!
ALL of the other flutes in this category outsource some level of the production to other countries, mainly China and Taiwan. While this isn't necessarily a "bad" thing, anytime that we can support a product made in the USA, especially in an economic time like we are facing now, we feel that we should. This means more jobs in the USA.
Cooper Scale
The "Scale" of a flute refers to the size and placement of the tone holes. There are many "scales" used on modern flutes, however the Cooper scale is the modern professional scale of choice on the professional handmade Brannen flutes, and it is the same scale used on the Avanti flutes.
Straubinger Phoenix Pads
Straubinger pads are the highest end professional pads available for handmade flutes. These pads offer superior performance and feel. However, typical Straubinger pads are expensive and need more technical experience to work on, making them not ideal for a flute in this price range.
The new Phoenix Pad was design specifically for "performance" level flutes like the Avanti in mind. The new pad uses a synthetic body just like traditional Straubingers but has a thin cushion layer of special "felted" rayon.
This new pad gives the benefits of feel and playing performance of a professional Straubinger pad but allows for more standardized technical skills in adjusting.
These pads are truly revolutionary and for the first 2 years, are exclusively found on Avanti flutes! For more information, please visit our page on these pads here http://www.kesslermusic.com/html/flutes/straubingerphoenixpad.htm
Investment Casted Keys
Investment casting is a type of manufacturing process that is very different then what is used on standard flutes. This is the style of key manufacturing that is used at Brannen Brothers on their professional flutes. In fact, back in 2006, the Discovery Channel's show "How It's Made" did a segment on flute manufacturing that was focused on flutes made at Brannen Brothers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHSu0trGkRg

This show did a GREAT job of showing how professional flutes are made at Brannen Brothers. This video unfortunately did not specify this... however it does have a great segment in it that shows what investment casting really is.
Also, the video talks about the pad life of 5 years and costing $90 to replace a pad... this is not accurate on the Avanti flutes. One should be able to get 5-10 years life out of pads and to replace ALL the pads and perform a full overhaul will vary by technician, but does not come to $90 a pad.
This process gives the key mechanism a more professional feel and higher tolerances then standard key production techniques. It also makes the key parts stronger than standard methods.
The end result of this is a stronger mechanism that FEELS like a professional flute rather than an intermediate model.
Solid Silver Barrel and Footjoint Receiver
Did you know that most "Solid Silver Body" flutes actually are not as solid silver as you might believe?
While a "Solid Silver Body" does mean that the actual body TUBE is made from silver, it does not count the headjoint and footjoint receiving pieces as parts of the body, but rather pieces that are soldered on to the body. So in other "Solid Silver Body" flutes in this price segment, these pieces are not actually made of silver!
On the Avanti flute, Bick's principle concern was in making the best PLAYING flute in this category. So instead of spending money on features like pointed key arms or gold plating, which are for most practical purposes cosmetic, Bick insisted that the headjoint barrel and the footjoint receiver were both alto made from Solid Silver on the "Solid Silver Body" model (model 2000).
This gives the Avanti 2000 model a higher silver content then any of the other flutes in this category helping to produce a richer and sweeter sound from the Avanti 2000.
Final Thoughts
I feel that the Avanti flutes are simply amazing. Their quality, features & manufacturing techniques are second to none. While in the end, finding the right flute for the player is purely personal preference, I believe the Avanti should be on anyone and everyone's list of flutes to try.
For this reason, through the store that I work for, we offer a 100% Risk Free Trial. We are SO confident that these are great flutes, that (inside the continental USA) we will pay for all the shipping to you, and if for any reason you decide that it is not the flute for you, we will pay ALL the shipping back!
This means that if you don't keep the flute, you are not out a dime!
If you have any further questions about the Avanti flutes or any other instruments, please feel free to contact me direct through either the company.
Dave Kessler
Contact Information:
http://www.kesslermusic.com/
e-mail: music@kesslermusic.com
Toll Free: 1-888-830-0474 Mon-Sat 9:30-6:00 West Coast Time

Bliss Clarinets - Wow...

2009-02-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

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This blog has moved. The new blog home for this article is at
http://www.kesslermusic.com/blog/?p=40

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So back over a year ago, Leblanc (division of Conn-Selmer) teased the music world with prototypes of their newest upcoming clarinet models, the "Bliss" models designed by Morrie Backun. These prototypes were fantastic playing instruments, though not finalized product.

Well, the wait (and it has been too long if you ask me) is finally over. Leblanc has finally started to ship their newest clarinets and the clarinet market is in for a surprise! These clarinets are going to take over as the dominant instrument based on their playability.

The Bliss clarinets come in 3 flavors. They all use the same overall design and features.

LB320: Composite Body & Barrel
LB310: Composite Body with Wood Barrel
LB210: Wood Body & Barrel

The "composite" used is NOT an ABS plastic but rather a "new proprietary material with better acoustic profiling and strength". In fact, Leblanc is so confident about the strength of the material that they have doubled the warranty from 5 years to a 10 year warranty.

There are many features of this clarinet that are unique to the Leblanc/Backun family of clarinets. Items such as a reinforced low E bar, multiple adjustment screws and the "voicing groove" inside the bell make the Bliss models the most advanced and technically impressive clarinet in their price range.

Voicing Groove
This is personally one of my favorite design features on the Bliss models. Prior to these models release, the voicing groove was a feature that could only be found on Backun's bells ($600+) and the Leblanc Symphonie model clarinet ($3300+).

Basically, this groove creates a small back pressure at the exiting of the body limiting the amount of air that can exit the bell of the clarinet. This gives the air column in the body a higher rate of compression to the air column forcing more air out of the open tone holes thus giving the player a better tone and response, especially across the break of the clarinet.

This Voicing Groove is on all 3 models of the Bliss (the photo is from the all wood LB210 model).

Improved Tone Hole Feel
The Bliss is also undercutting AND overcutting tonehole chimneys. The overcutting improves the feel of the clarinet making it easier for the fingers to "find" the hole. Honestly, when I read about this feature, I said "so what". Now that we have actually had it in our hands, wow, it makes it feel quite nice.

STRONG Keys!!!
This was one of the more impressive things that we noticed. The keys on the Bliss are just incredibly strong! Leblanc says that this is due to a high chrome content in the nickel-silver alloy. Whatever it is, these are the strongest keys we have ever seen on a modern clarinet.

Cool Black Keys
OK, so this one is just cosmetic and to be honest, the original prototypes that I saw for the black nickel plated keys looked terrible. Well, they have come a LONG way. The standard key finish on all Bliss models will be the black nickel plated keys. Think of it as a black chrome. They look great and Leblanc is giving a 10 year warranty on the key plating.

Silver plated or Nickel plated keys are available on special order. However, stick with the black nickel, it looks GREAT!!!

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There are a lot of other things that I could go on and on about with these clarinets, but in the end the only thing that matters is how they play. The only way for you to know is to play one. But if this is any indication for you, the Bliss and Backun clarinets are the entire reason why we are no longer buying from Buffet. Yeah, that's not a typo. These are really THAT good. (update for late 2009 - due to certain market influences, we have started handling Buffet again in certain select models. We still recommend the Bliss to most customers).

I really recommend to most people the middle Bliss model, the LB310 (composite body with wood barrel). That wood barrel makes a noticeable improvement to the tone of the clarinet really bringing it 95% of the way to the tone of the all wood model.

Especially for students, doubler's or as a backup to an all wood clarinet, the LB310 is the best value of the line.

To see more pictures of ALL the Bliss models, visit our company website here: http://kesslermusic.com/SelmerLeblanc/backun/bliss.htm

If you have any questions, I personally answer most of the phone calls that come in over our Toll Free number.

Hand Assembled

2008-10-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

So I have noticed a new trend forming in the music industry that makes me quite happy. We are seeing several brands starting to pay more attention to "hand time" as I call it. This is just as it sounds, more work being done truly by hand.

For manufacturing and cost reasons, more and more instruments had less and less "hand time" in their assembly over the past few decades. This of course helped bring quantity levels of good horns up, but over time, the quality has continued to slip.

Well, we are starting to see a change. In particular, I am finding a few instruments from makers like Conn-Selmer that are going back to the "roots" of instrument making. Products like the Bach Strad trumpets and the new Conn "Vintage 8D" models. These are examples of horns that once were truly done by hand and had gotten more and more mass produced over the years. Both now are using more hand assembly now. With the Vintage 8D french horn, it is completely hand assembled.

The downside to this is cost. More hand time means more employee hours meaning more cost to make the item. But the upside is in performance.

When instruments are truly hand assembled, there tends to be less stress at solder joints which frees up the vibration of the instrument thus producing more response and sound from the horn.

Its just nice to see in the day and age of mass production and computers, that even some of the big guys can still bring back old world craftsmanship.

New Selmer Paris Series III Bari Sax

2008-09-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

Selmer Paris, the world's leader in professional saxophones has been teasing the Bari market for years with rumors and hints at a new Bari sax design. Back in January 2008, I posted on the Sax On The Web (SOTW) forums that we had a chance to see one of the first Series III bari saxes in person and play it.

As I posted on the SOTW forums, we were VERY impressed with the playability of the new horn. The intonation was superior to previous designs, the ergonomics were much improved from the Series II and most importantly, this horn had the response that was lacking from the Series II.

Overall initial impression: Great playing horn and arguably one of the best we have ever played.

Fast forward to today and we find ourselves on the "eve" of official shipping. We have obtained 1 stock photo of the new Series III bari sax and will show you all some of the new aspects to the design.

First, the concept of this horn was to create a low A bari that vibrated and responds like a low Bb bell bari. This is a tricky feat to accomplish as part of the problem is that the extra weight created by the longer bell of the low A bari severely hinders vibration. Many players want the low Bb bell response but NEED a low A key these days.

So in order to accomplish this, Selmer decided to lighten the horns overall weight. This was done in several ways. First, they got rid of some on the bracing in the neck crook. The weight at this point of the horn can make a substantial difference in the overall response of the horn through all the registers. Combine the lighter weight neck crook with the improved bore design and you get a good performance improvement.

I also notice a tighter bore neck that then seems to rapidly increase once it hits the body of the horn. I believe this is a tighter bore neck then the Series II design was which if so, will give greater compression to the air column and better speed giving a more focused and responsive sound.

Another change done to decrease weight is the ribbing construction. For those who don't know what this is, read my post here about it.

With the Series III alto, tenor and soprano, Selmer opted for a "mini-rib" design. In stead of doing a full solid rib in any spot of the horn, they do several smaller ribs. I refer to this as a "split rib" myself since they are still doing a ribbed construction of sorts, they are just splitting up a rib instead of making a singular rib smaller.

This split rib is from the rib holding the posts of the left hand stack of the horn. This I believe makes a big change in the vibrational response of the saxophone. This design concept doesn't work on all horns but rather depends on the bore. From our experience playing the Series III in January 2008, this split rib construction is a good idea on the Series III bari.

The last area where Selmer chose to decrease the physical footprint on the horn was the bell to body brace. This is one area where I personally am going to have to disagree with the choice made.

With a low A bell, the other negative aspect is the ability of the larger bell to be knocked out of proper position. This type of damage can happen rather easily on a low A bari. Most manufacturers have switched to a "3 Point Bell-to-Body" brace. The concept is that instead of having just the 2 contact points, one on the body and one on the bell, a 3rd contact is added to the opposite side of the body. This extra brace helps stabilize the bell.

We did bring this up to Selmer when we were trying the horn and they believe that the horn would not need it and that the 3rd contact point effected the performance of the horn. They also believed that the people who would be buying such a horn (price tag of $9,549) would tend to be more responsible players and would take better care of the horn then your typical high school student would.

Only time will tell whether or not this was a good idea. While I do not have photos of the case, I do recall that the case provided with the horn does seem to brace the bell of the bari better then most bari cases. This can help with this concern but in my opinion, will not fully prevent it from happening.

The last interesting design concept to note on the Series III bari is the new approach that Selmer has take on the floor peg. Some players have floor peg mounts put on the bottom bell bow of their bari and now several companies offer this as an option. Yanagisawa for instance offers a floor peg mount.

The idea is that with a floor peg, the player no longer has to worry about supporting the weight of the horn when playing thus allowing their hands great flexibility for playing.

The problem with most floor pegs is that even when not using the peg, there is a rather large mounting bracket still attached to the bow of the bari. This bracket adds a lot of weight but more importantly, if the horn suffers an impact on the mount directly, it can cause catastrophic damage to the bell of the horn.

For the Series III, Selmer has come up with a great mounting idea. The horn is standard equipped with 2 mounting knobs on the front of the bell. When the peg is not in use, these knobs have brass covers screwed on to them. To use the peg, one simply unscrews the covers and then screws on the floor peg. This gives great support but without the negative aspects. There was even talk of offering a "standing" position peg as an accessory so that the player can stand with a peg attached that is long enough to reach the floor.

All in all, the Series III bari is definitely a different animal then anything we have seen from Selmer in the past. Overall, I love the changes made on the horn. My one concern is on the bell to body brace. Hopefully I am wrong.

I have great respect for Patrick Selmer and all the team at Selmer Paris. I think that they make great products and have continued to impress the industry with revolutionary designs and performance.

Dave Kessler

If you are interested in purchasing the new Series III Baritone Sax, please call our store Toll Free at 1-888-830-0474 Mon-Sat 9:30-6:00 West Coast Time. You can also email me at music@kesslermusic.com

"No Parts Available" - What does that REALLY mean???

2008-06-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

There is a phrase used in repair shops all around the country. This phrase makes the customer cringe. It damages their faith in the instrument that they are playing on. These 3 little words are the worst thing that a customer can hear when they are talking about their horn...

"No Parts Available"

But what does this REALLY mean? Sadly, there is no clear cut answer to this. However, there are a few things that it could mean.

Typically, repair technicians use this statement when working on non "name brand" horns. They tell the customer that since the instrument is not a major brand, there are no parts available and therefore, they cannot repair it for you, the paying customer.

Well, this phrase can also apply to vintage older horns. Say for instance, a Buescher 400 "Top Hat & Cane" model made in 1940 - which is a very good professional vintage horn worth thousands of dollars. Are there "parts" still being made for this horn?

No, the "parts" are not made for this vintage horn any longer. So does that mean that the technician cannot work on it either? Not at all! In fact, technicians work on those type of horns all the time.

So why then can they not work on your "non name brand" horn?

The fact is this: In many cases, they can actually work on the horn, they just may not want to or may not be allowed to for one reason or another.

One of these reasons could be that in fact, the instrument is of poor quality. Working on a horn or instrument built poorly or of poor materials, could lead to problems for the technician. For instance, if the metal is so soft there is a chance that when they are trying to service it, that typical repair techniques could damage the instrument, which would then make them liable for it.

So they could decide not to work on it as protection for themselves.

At the store that I work with, we have our own brand of saxophones under the name Kessler Custom Las Vegas. They are great intermediate saxes. There have been numerous reviews through the internet praising the value that these horns offer. Even with our horns, there are no "parts" available through the major parts suppliers. We stock parts and have them available for customers or repair stores upon request.

However, the truth of the matter is this: The large majority of "parts" used in repair of a woodwind instrument are pads, corks & felts... which are all universal parts used in all brands.

So when a technician tells you that "parts" are not available, they could be telling you the truth, but they could also be telling you that they simply will not work on it. Now if you have a broken metal part, something that was made at the factory, then you may have an issue. However, many good technicians can still repair that broken part.

Sadly, you as the customer may not be able to tell what is really being said with that phrase. So if you are ever unsure, get a second opinion. Worst case scenario, call the person you purchased it from or call the business that sells them brand new. Don't just assume that you have a bad instrument that "cannot be serviced". Many times this is just not the case.

The opinions offered in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of Kessler & Sons Music, it's officers, owners or employees.

Bach Strads - New & Improved

2008-03-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

It seems that in the music industry, there are many products that at one time were great industry standards. The trend though is that as demand increases, the companies try to increase production which in turn seems to negatively effect quality. Eventually, the inferior product sells solely because of the popularity of the name.

One of the products that most fits this description (at least for trumpet players) is the Bach Stradivarius.

Honestly, I could spend days on this subject. However, I will try and make it a little easier of a read then that. :)

It is true that the Bach Stadivarius trumpets (a.k.a. Strads) quality has been suspect for the better part of the past 2 decades. Once the industry standard for professional trumpets, the Bach Strad became the most popular trumpet on the market.

Bach to Basics
Aside from the bad pun there, I feel that this phrase really describes what Bach has done recently for the Strad. Now it is well publicized that the Union that represented the factory workers (United Auto Workers - UAW) went on strike in 2006. Now, I am not going to get into the strike issue at all in this post, however, a good number of the workers are back to work in the Bach factory and the factory is at full production.

Bach has changed several key aspects to how they are now making the Strad trumpets. 2 of the biggest are in how they are bending the bell and their final assembly process.

Bells
If you take a look at the following pictures of the "crook" of the bell of 2 Bach Strad models. One was from 2003 and the other from late 2007:

Now to most people, this really means nothing. However, when you really look at the 2, you notice that the 2003 (marked as "old") is much more rounded off in its curve then the the 2007 (marked as "new"). The 2007 bell is "Bach to the Basics" (sorry, last time I will use that pun).

This return to the "double radius" design gives the air column in the bell more focus and compression. This gives the trumpet a much richer and more centered sound. This helps produce the "Bach Sound" that trumpet players originally fell in love with.

Assembly
The other area that I have noticed a big improvement is the assembly. While this sounds like a rather basic issue (why wouldn't they assemble it well?), it really the area that I feel Bach had become the worst at during those 2 decades.

When an assembler rushes putting a trumpet together, they will push pieces together using clamps and braces. They will rush through not taking the time to make sure that the various braces are aligned properly. Instead, these braces are clamped on and then soldered. Once the clamps are let go, the solder holds the horn together.

What is wrong with this is the fact that metal has a "memory". This is the metal trying to stay in its shape. However, when clamped and forced to fit when it does not naturally, the metal is being forced from its "memory". Once the clamps are let go, the metal attempts to go back to its original shape but is held in place by solder. This creates a stress at the solder joints. This stress negatively effects the vibration of the trumpet thus effecting the sound.

Since about June 2007, I started to notice how much better Bach trumpets were being assembled. The horns did not have the same stress that we were accustomed to seeing and in turn, we noticed that these horns vibrated extremely well.

When you combine a better vibrating horn with the original bell design, you get a horn that gives the performance that brought fame to the Bach name.

Final Note
We have had great success recently with Bach Strad trumpets. We have had local professionals & teachers, who had previously stopped recommending Bach's, sending in their students to buy Bach Strads once again because of how impressed they have been with every horn we put in their hands.

Granted, Bach still can make a mistake here and there, in which we send those horns right back to Bach, but overall as a whole, they really have returned to the quality level that should have never left the Bach name.

New Sonare Flute - 301

2008-02-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

Sonare (division of Powell Flutes) has been offering their model 301 for awhile now. Designed originally for the 1st year student in mind, the 301 was a closed hole, c foot flute. It featured a handcut headjoint with a Solid Silver Lip Plate & Riser.

This flute truly performed much higher then a typical "student" model, instead performing closer to what we consider an "intermeditate" model flute. However, being closed hole and low c, this kept it bound to students and doublers.

As of February 2008, Sonare now offers the 301 with open hole, low b foot & split e. All of these features added on to an already fantastic platform have helped bring the 301 into an area of the market that was being poorly served; the $700 intermediate flute market.

At $712, the Sonare SF31BEF (SF=Sonare Flute, 31=301, B=B foot, E=split e, F=French Open Holes) fills this price range with one of the best flutes we have seen in years at its price. Intonation is excellent, mechanics are good, pad quality is excellent and playibility is great.

The SF31BEF is shipped in a very high quality french style case and case cover.

"Ribbed" Body Construction for Saxophones - What is it?

2008-01-30T16:21:00.000-08:00

One of the most common questions that I receive for saxophones is "what does ribbed body construction mean?"

On a saxophone, every key is suspended up from the body by no fewer then 2 posts. These posts can be attached to the body of the saxophone in one of two ways.

Post To Body - Each post is individually soldered on to the body.
Ribbed Body - Large groups of posts are soldered to a large plate of brass, aka a "rib". This "rib" is then soldered on to the body.

With ribbed construction, you add more weight to the saxophone. This changes the vibration of the instrument. Typically, ribbed body saxophones will give a warmer overall sound because of the added weight.

Ribbed is not always better!
It is a common misconception that ribbed is better. The reason behind this is that all student level saxes are post to body construction. Most intermediate models are ribbed. So many sales persons will use this as an explanation as to why the intermediate model is more expensive, quoting it as better.

There are many professional model saxophones that do not use ribbed construction. Keep in mind that the weight of the sax can negatively effect the playability if the construction is too heavy for the design.

The design of a sax effects the tone of the sax more then the weight does. So if you have a design that by nature is already dark in tone, then adding more weight can actually be a negative thing.

For instance, all modern professional Keilwerth saxophones do not use ribbed body. Instead they use post to body construction. Many vintage professional horns also did not use ribbed construction.

Post to body models vibrate easier then ribbed body models. This is why student models are made this way, it makes it easier for a basic beginner to play. However, depending on the design of the sax, the more vibrant body may be the better bet.

NAMM Report - 2008

2008-01-22T17:37:00.000-08:00

Well the NAMM show in Anaheim has come and gone now. This is the big industry show for retailers. This show is not open to the public.

Because of this, I will typically post a "NAMM Report" on the popular saxophone message board, "Sax On The Web". This post is usually a rather long post so I will simply give you a link to it instead of reposting the whole thing here:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=75833

There were several highlights of the show for me. They include:

Leblanc "Bliss" Clarinets by Backun

Avanti Flutes designed by Bickford Brannen

Selmer Series III Baritone Sax

as well as MANY other items.

Go log on to SOTW (short for Sax On The Web) and give it a read.

NAMM Convention 2008

2008-01-12T21:17:00.001-08:00

So coming up this coming weekend is the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA. This is industry convention where are the manufacturer's display for the retailers all of their newest products. It's a great place for us as dealers to evaluate new instruments, accessories and new opportunities in the music industry.

Each year, we spend several days at the show evaluating everything from the best saxophones in the world to the newest low cost Chinese products. Not many of these items actually will make it in to our store, but every year, there are a few things that catch us by surprise.

Check back here to read about these changes to the industry. We already know of a few new products that we cannot wait to put our hands on! Two new items that are already on our agenda are the new Avanti Flutes as well as the new Leblanc by Backun "Bliss" Clarinets. Both of these are products of Conn-Selmer, Inc.

We are also looking for the next great accessory to compliment our store's product offerings. Some of the previous highlights of the show have been the High Spirit Native American Flutes, Chopsaver Lip Balm, Petersen Music Stands, and of course many more then I can remember.

So check back next week for updates from the NAMM show!

Most Popular New Instrument from 2007

2007-12-29T14:43:00.000-08:00

2007 was a rather interesting year in the music industry. There were quite a few new products and changes in how companies do business.

Of everything that came out in 2007, there was one new item that really impressed us and outperformed our expectations.

Leblanc designed by Backun Clarinets

These new professional level clarinets really impressed us as well as our customers. Designed by Morrie Backun, they feature the most impressive intonation and response that we have found among new clarinets.

What was also really impressive to us was the fact that they are "Made in the USA". Now from my understanding, in order to bear this label on a product, a bare minimum of 90% of the manufacturing/assembly has to be performed in the USA. The barrels as well as the bells on the 2 top models are made in Canada. There is also some "voicing" work that is performed in Canada by Backun.

Regardless of the percentages of manufacturing, it was a breath of fresh air to see a professional clarinet that was made somewhere other then Europe.

These instruments are only gaining in popularity. It will be interesting to see what the professional clarinet market looks like 10 years from now. Will it still be dominated by the French, or will the USA make a mark in that dominance?

The New Kessler Blog!

2007-12-28T16:35:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the new Kessler & Sons Music blog. Here we will post information about new products & services as well as tips and advice about musical instruments.

If there is a specific topic that you would like to see us address, please feel free to email us at music@kesslermusic.com and we will be glad to do so. Also, please make sure to specify that you would like to see this on the blog.

Check back often or even subscribe to the blog for the most recent news.

We hope that you have all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!