Klarinet Archive - Posting 000466.txt from 2002/03

From: Robyn Brown <rjbrown@-----.edu>
Subj: [kl] New vs. Old - Any thoughts?
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2002 18:58:29 -0500

Hi all,

I am a college freshman who has been playing the clarinet since 5th
grade. I am currently playing on a beautiful old Buffet R-13, serial
number 113XXX (as I recall that dates about to 1969, but it's been a while
since I've checked). Recently, my clarinet teacher has suggested that it
may be time to buy a new instrument. He believes that clarinets that are
used regularly are only good for about 15 years before the quality of
intonation, sound, response, etc. deteriorates. However, I just brought my
clarinet to a repairman that I trust for some adjustment work, and when I
mentioned that I was considering a new instrument, he was surprised. He
thought that I was going to have to look pretty hard to find an instrument
that sounded as nice as mine. So, my question is, what are your thoughts
on new vs. old instruments? Do clarinets improve over time, or does the
quality decrease? I trust the opinion of both my teacher and my repairman,
so I'm not sure what the best answer is.

Thanks in advance!

Robyn

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