Klarinet Archive - Posting 000678.txt from 2000/03

From: Topper <leo_g@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] A statement to Mr. Francois Kloc
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 11:34:40 -0500

Dear sir;

I can understand the need to protect your dealers from loss of sales, and
your company profits from clarinet tampering.

As you must be aware:

1. Most clarinets need adjustments when they arrive from France for several
reasons. Shipping is one of them.

2. It is probably almost nonexistent that anyone will re-bore an instrument
or adjust tone holes, and this is probably a more consistent practice with
a used instrument obtained from dealers that simply are stuffy or for one
acoustical reason or another not intoned.

Wood does change and it is impossible to keep finished clarinets around for
two - three years before final adjustment; which should be the practice of
such an esteemed clarinet especially for the higher line of instruments.
You should reinvent such a clarinet and charge a premium for it.

This cannot be argued but no company does this.

Clarinets are being made too fast.

The final and most important point is that:

If Buffet will not warranty a grey market instrument simply because it is
Grey Market (purchased from another country - another dealer) without
checking for alterations or abuse; there must be a problem with the
selection and stability of the wood and curing process.

Over the years I have collected about 12 Buffet clarinets for parts from
other repair shops because of severe cracks and pin-work that was not
enough to hold back the wood from cracking.

In so far as Leblanc is concerned I have seen very few which have ever
cracked. Selmer is the same, very few to crack. The one Selmer Alto I had
crack I sent right to France even though I bought it in USA. Even though it
was a minor crack the replaced the joint because I asked for it.

So I find it interesting that Selmer or Leblanc does not post such a
warning meant to scare and frighten.

I can understand that no US dealer should have to deal with warranty of a
gray market instrument but the country and dealer from which it was
purchased should and must own up to it. If not, the Buffet should own up to
it in the end. Please sir do not damage your esteemed reputation by such a
cop-out.

If the player ships it back to that country no-one is the wiser. We are
converging as a world market and it is not unlawful to purchase an
instrument abroad. I did so in England, and I did so in France both before
and after the war.

I have fought for all three countries and no company will tell me where I
can purchase a clarinet. I fought to make these countries free so if Mary
or Joe Schmoe wants to purchase anywhere in the world they may!

Leonard Georges Carroll

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org