From Michael Galvan, Professor of Music (Clarinet), Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY:

"Some questions have been asked about Guy Chadash and his barrels. Students, collegues and I have been playing around with these barrels for a year or so now and have found some very favorable results. He just spent two days here at Ithaca College with Rene Lesieux from Buffet Crampon, giving a very interesting presentation on clarinet design and manufacture, including barrels. If I can manage to paraphrase some of the basic information, I might help with an answer or two.

The Chadash barrel is the first time since Moenig's barrel was introduced that Buffet has allowed someone to put their name on Buffet barrels. Buffet sends Chadash barrel "blanks" which he then reams in his design and sends back to Buffet for distribution. He also keeps a certain number to sell himself. All have the Buffet Crampon insignia. The design of the bore is a reverse taper, much like the Moenig concept, the difference being the size and shape of the taper. It is apparently one straight taper, not an "hourglass" double taper as in some designs.

In playing them I felt in my own playing and in listening to the many students who were testing them that there was a good control of the intonation, plus a nice centering and warming of the sound. Some barrels would sound stuffy, some would be more even in the sound of the overall scale than others, but there was definately something worth investigating in the overall concept throughout the group of barrels. We played 65, 66, and 67's. On my Buffet A I love the center I'm able to find, and although they don't generally fit on the tenon of my Concerto, the barrel he had on his instrument did. It lent a wonderful "ping" to sound. As I often say, no piece of equipment is magic, and I have found value in certain Moenig, Scott, and Springer barrels, but so far they have certainly been worth the try for me and for my students.

Barrel Manufacturers: ( indicates a www.woodwind.org sponsor)