Klarinet Archive - Posting 000098.txt from 1995/11

From: Helen Emerson <helen.emerson@-----.NZ>
Subj: Vito/Yamaha? (was student model clarinets)
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 1995 16:47:50 -0500

Many thanks to all who responded to my posting on student model clarinets.=
I'll be sharing your comments with some of the other teachers here - the=
prices of clarinets in America and Canada are going to make my colleagues c=
ry!

Anyway..just one or two things I would like to follow up:

I agree with the comments about back-up service with mail order companies.=
The situation here is that A) The companies offering 'catalogue prices' are=
actually just warehouse type music stores in the bigger cities (Auckland,=
Wellington) and do offer back-up service. The student is still left without=
an instrument for a few days, but (and I'd have ot check the catalogues) I=
think the companies do offer special deals etc. But B), we have no choice=
here about buying from companies out of town!! It's either that, or one=
student gets the only clarinet in our local music store, and the others=
wait while the shop buys more in (probably from the same places in Auckland=
etc) and then the student pays a lot more!!

Anyway....:-)

One or two people mentioned Vito clarinets as being a good choice of=
instrument. Now, in my experience, the Vito clarinets would be my last=
choice - we have one or two in our rental scheme, and I have found that=
the key work bends very easily, the tone is 'stringent' - and one or two=
have gone a sort of greenish colour and smell funny when they get warm!!=
(took me ages to work out where the smell was coming from! - this was in a=
1 on 1 lesson, and in the end i actually put my nose to the clarinet! It=
was only about 6 months old)

Now, perhaps someone can clear this up for me. A couple of people said they=
thought Vito are made by Yamaha, and someone else mentioned "Leblanc Vito"=
instruments - or perhaps they meant Leblanc *and* Vito? (that was Robert Sp=
ring)

So, are Vito made by Yamaha? Have they always been a 'good' instrument, or=
has there been some new developments that have improved the instrument? Is=
the green colour my imagination?! And who makes Lisner clarinets? (shudder)=
They go green too! Why?!

Again, thanks for all your comments! :-)
Helen

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Helen Emerson *
* Department of Music *
* University of Otago *
* New Zealand *
* helen.emerson@-----.nz *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *