Klarinet Archive - Posting 000318.txt from 2002/03

From: "mlmarmer" <mlmarmer@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Boosey and Hawkes
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 19:53:32 -0500

Tom,

When I bought my R13 in 1970, it was in a box from Carl Fisher of New York.
I still have that box!

After, playing since January, it is still a great instrument, with great
tone, for being 33 years old. It was made in 1969. I am sorry to read
about the quality of the Buffet Clarinets may not be as good as before, and
I see on here and on buying websites allot of competition now for Buffet's
business. That is too bad, because who ever purchased this line of
clarinet, had a great reputation for quality, which over time can diminish
quickly. For one, the replacement case and cover I purchased is not as good
as the one I had in 1970.

Mike Marmer
Germantown, MD
----- Original Message -----
From: <Tom.Henson@-----.com>
Subject: RE: [kl] Boosey and Hawkes

> I say we should take and wait and see attitude about a pending sale of
> Boosey and Hawks. It could actually be a good thing.
>
> Many times, just before a company is sold, all investment in the quality
of
> a product will cease as the owners look for someone to bail them out. R&D
> becomes an uncessary expense as well as maintaing the machinery to produce
> the product.
>
> I remember back in the 70's when Buffet was still owned by someone from
> Chicago I think, the same thing was said when Boosey and Hawks bought
Buffet
> back then.
>
> I was in Paris at the time and had the opportunity to talk with several
> people who were intimate with the company. As bad as it was for a
Frenchman
> to accept that Buffet was owned by an Amercan company, it was worse for an
> English company to own them, or so they felt at the time.
>
> I have to admit that some quality did suffer at the time, mainly the aging
> of the wood and the plating of the keys which were both reduced
drastically
> after Boosey took over.
>
> Boosey eventually poured everything into the Buffet manufacturing side and
> ceased making their own clarinets soon after.
>
> Peter Eaton, from London, purchased a lot of their left over machinery and
> raw materials for a song. Now he makes one of the best clarinets available
> today based upon the old Boosey models. How Ironic.
>
> Buffet did survive and is still considered one of the best clarinets in
the
> world today. How well they would compare against the way things used to be
> done 30-40 years ago is another story.
>
> I don't want to start a post of how things were better in the old days or
> why, but given the world economy that we have today, it is tough to build
> quality products and still make a profit. Sooner or later, something has
to
> give.
>
> I have a Festival Greenline which I think is a vision toward the future of
> clarinet manufacture and it does not suffer as far as I can see sound
wise.
> Again, Buffet is the only one doing this.
>
> Tom Henson
>
>
> Ed Maurey said << It looks like we can safely look forward to a sharp
> decline in the quality
> Buffet clarinets. Magavox once owned Selmer. The results were
disasterous.
> >>
>
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