Klarinet Archive - Posting 000436.txt from 1997/09

From: jayager@-----.edu (Jeremy Alexander Yager)
Subj: Re: New Instrument Service
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 16:06:06 -0400

On Sep 8, 11:32pm, David B. Niethamer wrote:
> In exactly such a circumstance a few years ago, I took a student and his
> parents to a large discount store to obtain a clarinet, and we played 6-8
> Buffets. Some were in such bad mechanical shape (and *we* removed the
> factory plastic wrap) that we couldn't tell if the instrument had any
> possibilities whatever. We came up with two choices but were
> unenthusiastic about either. My student asked the sales rep whether they
> had any Yamahas. They did, and the rep brought three. All of them played
> better out of the box than the Buffets, and my student and his family
> bought one.

I have been window shopping for horns for some time now. My two favorites:
a USED R13 that was smooth as glass and a wooden Yamaha. I will likely never
be in a major orchestra or conservatory, so I am unpressured by any brand
names--I actually like the wide-open power (for symphonic band) I can get out
of my old selmer signet special, but I find that I have to work on tuning too
much--my only reason for looking elsewhere. The only horns I have ruled out
are LeBlancs--Most LeBlancs I have played gave me fits trying to get a good
sound out of the throat--felt stuffy.
Not that Leblanc makes a crummy horn, but the LeBlanc just did not work for
-me-.

> I think Buffet, Yamaha, Selmer and Leblanc all make fine clarinets. As I
> said, I think a player should buy a clarinet he/she likes, without regard
> to the trademark. But IMO it's just bad business to send product into the
> world in such a way as to give a bad impression of the product, and
> expect the cachet of the trade name to sell the product to the gullible.

Archery has this same problem--one certain bow manufacturer makes the most
popular bow, but their quality control on this one bow is really weak.
But they still the things like crazy.

--Jeremy

Jeremy A. "Galileo" Yager - musician, archer, poet & future engineer
NC State University : Wolfpack Archery! : NC State Marching Band
Look through Galileo's Telescope: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~jayager/
Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.

   
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