Klarinet Archive - Posting 000113.txt from 1998/05

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Greenlines (Wood 101)
Date: Mon, 4 May 1998 14:53:42 -0400

On Mon, 4 May 1998, Shouryu Nohe wrote:

> And, personally, I think the Greenline should be cheaper than a standard
> R13 - making Greenies means they get a lot more clarinets from less
> trees than before, and the pricing should reflect that, IMO.

It always seems to us that the cost of the material should be a major
factor in the pricing of instruments, but in reality, it doesn't work that
way. I don't know if any instrument manufacturers could share with us
their precise cost accounting, but in fact the cost of the material itself
is a very minor factor in determining the price of the finished
instrument. In a clarinet costing around $1,500, the difference in the
cost of wood as compared to a synthetic material might be on the order of
$10 or so. The remainder of the $1,500 consists of salaries and benefits
for the employees who make the instrument, cost of tools, supplies and
equipment, taxes to various governmental duties, the cost of shipping and
warehousing, and profits to the manufacturer, the wholesaler, and the
retailer. Of all these factors, the main one you are paying for is the
expertise and skill of those who actually make the instrument.

Ed Lacy
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Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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