Klarinet Archive - Posting 000543.txt from 1998/09

From: Jack Kissinger <kissingerjn@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: [kl] real subject: breaking in my R-13
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 00:44:31 -0400

Ben Stutzman wrote:

> The wood has
> to get use to vibrating and making sound.

If I am to believe the more knowledgeable (than I) clarinetists who have
discussed this issue in earlier threads (and I do), the reed vibrates, the
air column inside the clarinet vibrates but the clarinet, if it vibrates at
all, vibrates so little that the contribution to sound production is
negligible. (Try this. Play any note that uses the left hand only. Now
grasp the bell tightly with your right hand (to dampen whatever vibration
might be occurring) and play the same note. Notice any difference in the
sound?)

Ben Stutzman also wrote:

> I did not get either crack warranty. If my clarinet cracks, then it
> cracks. I'll have it fixed. If I take good care of it, then it
> shouldn't crack. I don't think the warranty is worth the money.

And, in general, you are absolutely right. Any personal financial planner
worth his/her salt (or "Personal Finance for Dummies" for the cost conscious)
will tell you that extended warranty insurance is almost never a good buy.
Fred Weiner (and just about everyone else who offers it) does not lose money
on it. It is not a marketing ploy. It is, instead, a very profitable
product disguised as a marketing ploy. Merchants who sell extended warranty
insurance know that most problems with their products will come to light
either when the product is very new (i.e., during the original warranty
period -- the original warranty is a legitimate marketing tool) or very old
(beyond the extended warranty period) and price the extended warranty so that
the expected cost of repairs is less (usually far less) than the premiums
collected. Credit card companies who double the warranty period (fairly
common practice, as Mark has noted) know that they increase the desirability
of their card at relatively little cost.

Nowadays, consumers make numerous purchases with extended warranty offers.
The money saved by declining these offers should more than pay for the
occasional "extended warranty period" problem that may occur (unless, of
course, one is extremely accident prone or careless ... ) Generally
speaking, insurance against catastrophic events is a good idea. Insurance
against losses not likely to exceed a few hundred dollars usually isn't.

Best regards,
Jack Kissinger
St. Louis

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