Play testing a Püchner Superior and Walter against my Heckel 10k. 1) Im not in excerpt shape 2) I used the bocals that came with the instruments 3) One take only I play the Heckel then the Püchner then the Walter for each excerpt.
Thanks for the video; I love to see comparisons like this. All other factors aside, I thought the Puchner's high E sounded noticeably different, in a good way. At any rate, great playing.
the Heckel sounds the best out of the 3 instruments and seems the most consistent throughout the whole range of the instrument. I think the Walter was the next best and the Puchner was definitely the worst out of the three.
Actually good playing for him. I would agree with lot of the comments here that he sounds best on his heckel. But what would like to say is, that everyone sounds different on different instruments espacially if you are not used to play on one of them. For me it is no surprise that he is sounding the best on his heckel, because it is his own instrument. Heckel is a great brand but it is very hard to get a new one. The price is high and the waiting list is to long. You will not sound good on an instrument that you are able to buy. Try bassoons. Everyone is different there are so many good brands out there.
Of course you sound most comfortable on the Heckel but I assumed I would like the Puchner over the Walter, which definitely is not the case. There were even a few moments when it seemed like the Walter performed better than the Heckel. The Walter seems to enjoy a solid combination of response, roundness/characteristic tone, and clarity.
Beyond the subjective sound differences which are mitigated by RU-vid's compression engine anyway, I'm most curious about your experience playing these instruments. Of course assuming that all instruments are different, they are not played the same amount and therefore are in different conditions, and your personal comfort with your instrument aside.... The Walter seemed the heaviest, but the Puchner surprised me here. Your 10k sounded more even than the other two, but the others had more low color in their sound. A toss up, perhaps, depending on the hall and ensemble.
Good point! A lot of the differences between instruments is not so much its intrinsic "sound", but the confidence and response it gives the player, allowing him/her to be their best. One of the things that's been happening with bassoons over the past few decades is that the walls of the instrument are getting thicker, making the instrument more resistant. It is in overcoming this resistance that many players feel they can develop better response. A beginner may find a 7000 series Heckel easier to play than a 14000 series, but orchestral players tend to favor the later series.
@@gregfaris6959 That has definitely been the case through time with Heckel up to (I may quote the wrong exact number, but it's around this) 13k, but supposedly the latest 16ks are finally lightening up. Bell makes an incredible, light, very facile instrument, especially his thin wall model.
Walter has best intonation here especially second last solo highest register also rounded sound and all notes are same open, bright and rich sound. Puchner is the worst one here.
I think a Puchner model 6000/ superior. Because I don’t see the link from the Ab/Bb trill to the Bb lever. And I think Walter only makes one model. If it were a Kronwalt I think he would’ve specified.
Puchner is better, fatter, for me. It is a matter of taste, the way the player plays, adjusts the bassoon to himself or adapts himself to the bassoon. I tried a couple of Heckels, old and new and was always negatively suprised how ordinary they play. I always found Puchner and Moosmann better. Especially for the insane price and waiting list of Heckel bassoons... For that amount of time and money, the bassoon should play itself, I just have to look at it and voila!
