Klarinet Archive - Posting 000431.txt from 1997/08

From: Charles <chardy@-----.com>
Subj: Re: inexpensive contra bass clarinet
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 03:58:45 -0400

At 02:01 AM 8/12/97 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 97-08-11 13:30:48 EDT, you write:
>
><< I'm looking to purchase an inexpensive contra-bass clarinet >>
>
>Charlie,
>
>An old friend of mine had a favorite quote: "Quality is like oats. If you
>want first-class oats, you gotta pay for them. Once they've gone through the
>horse, they're a lot cheaper!"
>
>Having said that, I had the extreme good fortune of purchasing not one, but
>two fully restored ("frame-up" for you car buffs) contrabass clarinets from
>Charles Fail Music in Marietta, Georgia last December. The first horn was a
>straight Leblanc Model 342 contrabass to low Eb. Shortly after I took
>delivery, Russell Fail who is Charles' son called and said they'd found a
>hairpin Leblanc Model 340 and because I really wanted that low C horn, I had
>them restore it, too.
>
>The straight horn was about $1,800 with all keys removed and polished, all
>new white kid pads, all linkages adjusted, tested and shipped with shims
>under all the keys from Atlanta to California with absolutely no damage. The
>looped contra was $2,000! I sold the straight horn within a month. It also
>helps to live in the greater Los Angeles area.
>
>Charles Fail Music has its own Web site at: http://www.charlesfail.com/
>
>I also got lots of leads from others on the Klarinet list but, unfortunately,
>didn't save the original posts. Because of the nature of the beast, I'd be
>real careful buying an contrabass horn on price alone. Repairs can eat you
>alive and whatever you might save on the initial cost can be eaten up real
>quickly if the horn "needs work."
>
>If you need more information, please e-mail me directly. I've played a lot
>of contra and have done just about everything possible (including watching it
>fall off its peg and put a 10-degree bend in the middle while breaking off
>two posts and bending several keys) to my horns at one time or another.
>
>Don Gross
>La Canada, California
>
>p.s. Also, check out Grant Green's contrabass instrument Web site at:
>http://www.crl.com/~gdgreen/index.html
>
Thanks for your informative reply. I will keep your advice in mind as I
shop. Charlie