Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A Major (‘Trout’) D667. First 3 movements. Played by Laura Godberg, Julianne Lee, Luis Leguia, Lawrence Wolfe and Carmen Rodriguez-Peralta. The stringed instruments are all Luis & Clark Carbon Fiber including Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass.
LUIS AND CLARK Carbon Fibre Cello
Alberta String Association
Newsletter Summer 2006
Josephine van Lier
For quite some time, I wanted to purchase a cello that I could safely use for teaching; my 1870 Mirecourt cello suffered quite seriously from being picked up and put down a thousand times a day, not to mention being dropped against the stand, I confess. However, I could never find an instrument for a reasonable price (i.e. under $10,000) that I liked well enough to play all day. Every time I tried a new instrument, I desperately missed my own cello after a few days. Read the rest of the article.
February 25, 2009 – Scientific American Historically, carbon-fiber composites have beefed up airplane and space shuttle wings, formed rocket nose cones, and sliced through the waves in the America’s Cup. Known for their stronger-than-steel sturdiness, the materials weren’t originally developed with high art in mind. But instruments made from these materials offer many advantages: they’re durable, lighter than wood, and insensitive to changes in temperature or humidity. MORE
It’s lighter, cheaper and it turns heads in the pit: Derek Gomez plays his $7,500 (Canadian dollars) space-age cello.
Bill Rankin, The Edmonton Journal
Saturday, January 03, 2004
EDMONTON – Derek Gomez is a quiet man, an analytical man. Behind his reserved exterior, though, the Edmonton Symphony cellist is also what you might call a practical revolutionary.
Without warning, a few months ago, he showed up for work with a carbon fibre cello. In a world where old wood talks, bringing in a composite instrument could have been seen as deviant. Classical musicians can be a conservative lot, but Gomez says his five playing mates in the cello section were intrigued.
“They were all immediately impressed with it although they wouldn’t give up their wooden cellos,” says Gomez. “They’ve been really receptive.”
Colin Ryan, the ESO’s principal cellist, says after a period of adjustment, the high-tech instrument has fit into the section just fine. And Ryan is hankering for a chance to get to know better what it can do. “It really piques your imagination.”
“The bass sounds just magical in the middle register and totally sings when soloing. Plus it’s a ton of fun to play – the sloped shoulders are really comfortable and make accessing the upper register very easy.
I’ve been giving the instrument a good shakedown over the last month or so and have been very pleased with the results from an individual perspective. The instrument has a big sound to it – very clear throughout – and is especially sweet in the middle-to-upper register where it really shines. The sound is very focused but not artificial. It plays like a dream.
From a physical standpoint, the bass is very easy to play. The shoulders are narrower than what most bassists are used to, but in doing so, you’re fighting less with the instrument to get around. The fingerboard is exquisite.
One thing that I’m fully enamored with about the bass is the way that it handles extreme temperature changes. This bass is the best instrument we could’ve possibly purchased for what it is that we do. We’re part-way through a Christmas concert tour in Southern Ontario. Like you guys, we got blasted with winter a few days ago, and baby, it’s cold outside. Add that to the fact that we can’t bring our gear indoors (or park the 5-ton truck underground), so the bass spends its nights in its coffin outside in the freezing cold.
Behold though, once the case is removed and the instrument sits on the stand for about five or 10 minutes, it’s room temperature and good-to-go. I love it! There’s no way in hell you’d be able (or willing) to do that with a good quality wood bass.”
Brayden, Professional bass player and owner
Philip Heyman is the principal viola of the Welsh National Opera Orchestra. He owns and plays a Luis and Clark viola. During the month of January, he and Luis Leguia played two recitals at the Welsh Royal College of Music, Oxford University and the Victoria Albert Museum in London. Read the article.
