Klarinet Archive - Posting 000588.txt from 2000/06

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: WW/BW
Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2000 09:11:52 -0400

In response to my message about trying to sell a used professional quality
instrument to a dealer, Roger Shilcock wrote:

> This seems to amount to a left-handed argument for *not* buying a new
> instrument, at least at pro level .....

In some cases, I think this is true. Some manufacturers make many pro
line instruments without special orders, in other words, "on spec," with
the intention of making it possible for dealers to keep sizable numbers in
stock. Then, a prospective buyer can go into a store and play several,
choosing the one which seems best. In that case, buying a new one can
work fine. That seems to describe what most of the larger makers of
clarinets do. The same would be true for the oboe manufacturers who make
the largest number of instruments.

However, in the case of some instruments, such as bassoons, almost all the
top line instruments are made on special order. In other words, they are
made to certain specifications for specific individuals. But, I have
heard the owner of a firm which is in the business of making and selling
bassoons say that a prospective buyer is always better off buying a used
instrument in good condition rather than ordering a new one, because you
have the advantage of trying the used one to see what you are getting. In
the case of a "special order" instrument, you might like the result, or
you might not.

I think this might be worth considering in the case of something like
pro-line bass clarinets, where it might be difficult to have a sizable
number of instruments from which to choose.

Ed Lacy
el2@-----.edu

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