Klarinet Archive - Posting 000842.txt from 2001/02
From: Sterkel Terrance-W15462 <T.Sterkel@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] novice looking for advice
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 11:09:09 -0500
you sound like me about 3 months ago.
I am not qualified to discuss brand/model etc, but I
am an "expert" on acquisition methods.....
1. rental. It was terrible. there were 5 clarinets available,
I upset the store by requesting that I try each one out (my
mouthpiece). They were upset and not patiently brought out
each instrument. 4 were virtually unplayable. 1 was marginal
but usable in class.
2. eBay. did lots and lots of research on older clarinets on
www.sneezy.org, on dejanews.com, and on this list. Got an
older R13 for less than a new beginner plastic. Put a couple
of hundred dollars in pads and other and I am extremely happy.
yep, risky, but judging by the feedback I read on the various
sellers of clarinets, not terrible. Based on an incident
totally unrelated to clarinets, eBay does not seem to worry
much for their rep.
3. Consignment. There are many repair shops and large stores
that repair older instruments and then sell them on the web.
Woodwind and Brasswind, most Sneezy repair shop sponsors, etc.
The price is apparently always higher than eBay, but in
retrospect, once I added the repair, these are competitive to
eBay. Big advantage, they have a rep to protect, and your letters on Usenet
and on Klarinet would get their attention.
conclusion.
* Rental for the desperate
* eBay for the adventurous who assumes that repair is extra
* Consignment for those who want to be safe.
* New for the pro who cannot make a mistake, or the amateur
who has the cash.
{*}
Terry Sterkel
Motorola Personal Communications Sector
<mailto:t.sterkel@-----.com>
after 26 January 2000:
+1 (908) 822-6934
1111 Durham Avenue
South Plainfield, NJ 07080-2305
-----Original Message-----
From: David C. Kumpf [mailto:dkumpf@-----.com]
Subject: [kl] novice looking for advice
I played clarinet in high school and beginning of college...at one time was
a music performance major. However, I switched to EE/Comp Sci and ended up
selling my horn (a Buffet R13). This is some 22 years ago now...now I am
starting to regret having given it up and thinking about playing again. (I
do play guitar at an intermediate level and piano at a rank beginner level.)
My thought is that if I get a horn, I don't want to spend a lot up front for
a couple reasons. First, I may decide it isn't for me; second, I see no
logic in trying out Buffets at my present skill level, as I will have
absolutely no idea which horn is the best. <grin>
There seem to be a variety of alternatives. The local school music store
immediately wants to steer me to a rental program, which really isn't where
I want to go. There are a number of clarinets on eBay, obviously of varying
quality. And there are always the pawn shops...
I'm open to any advice or ideas: where to buy, brand and model
recommendations, how much to spend, etc. Thanks,
David C. Kumpf
President
Optimetra, Inc.
4420 Red Rock Ranch Road
Monument, CO 80132
mailto:dkumpf@-----.com
http://www.optimetra.com
(719) 481-2956 (voice)
(719) 487-0920 (fax)
(719) 964-8105 (mobile)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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
