Klarinet Archive - Posting 001308.txt from 1998/05

From: "David B. Niethamer" <dnietham@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Plastic?/the big 3
Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 23:29:15 -0400

on 5/26/98 5:48 PM, Ed Lacy wrote:

>So, the bottom line is, my big three would be Buffet, Yamaha and LeBlanc,
>in order of my estimate as to the frequency with which they are chosen for
>use by orchestral players.

At one time, Yamaha had a pretty big roster of orchestral players and
university teachers who played their clarinets, and they advertised this
heavily. Lately, Leblanc seems to be the advertising heavyweight, and
with a couple of really big guns (Combs, Daniels, Morales). But then
those three could make *any* clarinet sound pretty good.

Bill Hausmann added:

>Yamaha is the "Johnny-come-lately" to the
>clarinet business, and that is why they are #4. Remember: GM, Ford, and
>Chrysler are the Big Three of automobiles, regardless of HOW MUCH you like
>your Honda Accord!

But we're not talking about when each company started selling clarinets!
I'd say that Yamaha plays with the "big boys" now.

Richard Hays wrote:

>What size engine does that Yamaha have on it or is it a sewing machine? Dee
>and I were just wondering. ;-)

I have a "Yamaha Staff" polo shirt, and occasionally I wear it and forget
the logo. Just this week an OfficeMax employee wanted to know if I sold
motorcycles or boats! He was astounded to learn that they also make fine
musical instruments.

and last but not least, Kevin Fay chimed in:

>Second, all of the big 3-1/2 can point to endorsers who sound terrific--and
>so can Boosey & Hawkes, Peter Eaton, Patricola, Rossi and the other draft
>picks to be named later. Perhaps knowing how to drive the thing is at least
>as important.

Amen! Knowing how to drive it is everything. After that, it's how
comfortable you feel with a particular clarinet (and I'm not saying brand
of clarinet, I'm saying a particular instrument of *any* brand).

David
(Yamaha Performing Artist)

David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/

---------------------------------------------------------------------
For additional commands, e-mail: klarinet-help@-----.org
For other problems, e-mail: klarinet-owner@-----.org