Ridenour Lyrique 576bc Hard Rubber Bb Clarinet

Preparation:

The Lyrique RCP-576bc is not yet another factory production model. Rather, each custom model clarinet is individually hand tuned and set up by Tom himself. Performance features include an advanced, polycylindrical custom bore design.  The polycylindrical configuration is not a mere copy of past bore designs––designs that achieve increased tonal depth only at the expense of even response and tonal stability––but is part of an overall acoustical design that results in a more perfect balance in resistance from hand to hand and register to register.

Playing Characteristics:

Tom's hand finishing of each clarinet provides benefits in the performance of each individual clarinet as well as overall consistency from horn to horn. The dividends in actual performance include a virtually seamless response and matching of tone color and resonance throughout the full range of the clarinet.

The response is so agile and efficient that many players find previously difficult passages become almost child's play on the Lyrique. The Lyrique's efficient, dependable response permits the player to spend less energy on controlling the clarinet and more energy concentrating on expressive phrasing and musicality. For this reason we say the Lyrique is arguably the most playable clarinet in the world at any price––an instrument that provides  matchless security in phrasing, and truly frees your imagination.

The Lyrique 576 is also perhaps the best tuning Bb clarinet you can buy at any price, correcting many traditional tuning flaws found in other brands, –– and doing so without additional mechanism. For example, the terribly flat low F and sharp right hand clarion C and D are things of the past. The Lyrique 576 has virtually perfect 12ths and an upper register that can be easily played well in tune.

Mechanical features

The 576 mechanism is made of power forged nickel silver. The mechanism's design features our famous ergonomic register key, separate post mounted in-line trill keys, a double re-enforced crow's foot design, key cup arms for the low F/c, E/b that are 50% thicker than on standard clarinets. Finally, the E/b, F#/c# left hand pinky levers are solid metal lift design that, unlike pinky levers with plastic inserts, will never break. All these features can be seen in the slide show at the top of the page.

Materials: the Ebonite Advantage

The body of the Lyrique is made from pure, natural, unalloyed hard rubber (a.k.a. ebonite). We believe ebonite is superior to wood for clarinet making in almost every respect.  Ebonite brings many positive qualities to the Lyrique’s acoustical formula that constitute a real improvement over wood. These include increased tonal warmth, tonal purity, resonance, evenness of response, tonal fullness, and amazing stability of upper register tones.

The use of ebonite also results in much greater consistency in production as well as providing bore dimensions that remain stable in a wide range of seasonal, temperature and humidity conditions. In addition, the ebonite construction provides the performer with a clarinet that is virtually worry free. The pure, natural hard rubber of the Lyrique body will not warp or crack. Though it is made from all natural materials its' construction does not require the sacrifice of the life of a slow growing, endangered tree.