Klarinet Archive - Posting 000331.txt from 1995/03

From: Lynn Thomas <thomas@-----.ORG>
Subj: Re: second hand wooden clarinets
Date: Sat, 11 Mar 1995 17:57:21 -0500

On Sat, 11 Mar 1995, Lis Baker wrote:

> Hi, again. I don't have more than two minutes to write, my father's
> breathing
> down my neck to get off AOL. You only get ten free hours you know!! I have
> a
> quick question on wooden clarinets. I've just seen two second hand clarinets
>
> in the window. One's a Jourdain and the other one's a Crown. I've only head
>
> vaguelly of either. But they are only $200 dollars each. So are they
> good/bad/indifferent? I'm looking foward to your responses!! Thanks
> Lis
>
They're probably pretty old student model horns (say probably because I
haven't seen them!). Just because a clarinet's made of wood doesn't mean it
was a good horn! Bundy used to make wooden ones, all my friends had them in
the 60s when we were in elementary band...I have an old Crown which was
picked up at a flea market for $15. Am in the process of fixing it up to
sell. Don't think I could get $200 for it though; you can get a new wood
beginners Yamaha for not much more than that. Maybe $85-100, would be the
max I think.

BTW, all, when *did* Bundy stop making wood clarinets? Or have plastic
student models permeated the market so that we don't notice they make
them at all?

Oh no, I can see this is leading to another topic - what do you tell your
students (elem. or middle school) to buy when they learn to play the
instrument? I'll start...I never recommend plastic instruments, I advise
them that for a few dollars (literally) more, they can get the wood Yamaha
beginner horn (was about $235 last I looked; plastic Yamahas & Bundys go
around $225), and for about $550 (last I looked) they can get a really nice
beginners' Buffet. Or they can look in the used market.

P.S. Lis - after the first month on AOL, you only get *five* free hours!

Lynn