Klarinet Archive - Posting 000784.txt from 1998/09

From: Felix1297@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Re: klarinet Digest 22 Sep 1998 04:44:48 -0000 Issue 512
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 09:10:40 -0400

In a message dated 98-09-22 00:50:19 EDT, you write:

<< This is exactly why
student plastic clarinets only run around $250.00. Molding eliminates
boring,
reaming, exterior shaping, tone hole placement and cutting, etc. Those small
hand-labor tasks cost money.

So Mr. Kloc, how about building an aluminum R13? Great Idea!

------------------------------
>>
Hi,

I have a little something to say on the student line clarinets. Not everyone
are molded, ours are made of ABS resin and Polyphenile. We make the
body,bell,barrel and then we use reamer and undercut tone holes like we do on
professional instruments. I am glad that the compagny I work for do this, to
me it is so important to give a student the right tools to begin with and a
quality instrument that will allow him to progress quickly and develop a good
technique. I am agree when you said that it cost less to molded the bodies.
However we can reduce the cost by using keymaking techniques that will bring
the cost down because of the no needs of labor for keymaking. It is something
we don't do on our pro line and we still use all the traditionnal prosses on
the production line. Wood worker,Keymaker,Posts maker etc. This is what cost
monney, you don't learn this job in 1 or 2 years. It took me 5 years
apprencipe on keymaking to be abble to make my first instrument without my
master help (maybe I am slow) but I learned the old fashion way you take a
picec a metal and you forged and design your keys from scratch. it is an
incredible job and I encourage anyone to do it it just take a long time before
you can make a living with it. It took me 11 years. But if you have the pation
and the patience what is 11years. The maker at Buffet and at other manufacture
work all with their hearts. The manufacture have to pay them emough to not
loose them, you don't have a lot of craftsmen anymore and craftswomen either.
So maybe it is why even if we make a plastic professional clarinet one day
like somebody suggested lately it will not cost much less than the wooden
ones. exept if we don't use the skills of our maker wich is something,I am
pretty sure Buffet will not do. Again i would like to say to everyone that I
enjoy and I am proud to be ablle to discuss about so many things on this
list.Thank you for you post everyone.

Musically Yours

Francois Kloc
Woodwind Product Specialist
Boosey & Hawkes Musical Instruments Inc.

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