Klarinet Archive - Posting 000214.txt from 2003/01

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] RE: Chinese Clarinets
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2003 10:52:12 -0500

At 09:13 AM 1/8/2003 -0500, Mark Gresham wrote:
>1) It is true that Chinese consumer products are improving.

As did Japanese products before them (from very low to very high), I would
hope so.

>2) It is also true that "consumer product" is probably not the most
>attractive way of describing a clarinet.

As opposed to "industrial product?" The description is not inaccurate,
particularly as it applies to entry level instruments.

>6) The logical conclusion isn't necessarily that all Chinese products are
>garbage if the garbage is only what makes it to the US. Yamaha is a good
>example. The best Yamaha pianos by far are the "real" Japanese ones, the
>ones assembled in Japan for the Japanese market; Yamaha USA produces
>inferior pianos by comparison--though not "bad" ("assembled" right here in
>Georgia--it's the band and orchestral instruments that are assembled in
>Michigan).

Essentially correct. Yamaha's even CHEAPER pianos and digital pianos are
made in Indonesia. UMI is starting to import instruments from Taiwan under
the "Conn International" label and they seem pretty decent, judging from
the soprano sax I have tried. I do not object to imported instruments per
se, just garbage MASQUERADING as instruments, regardless of the
circumstances. (By the way, I have toured the Yamaha piano plant, and hope
someday soon to be able to do the Grand Rapids facility, too. My tenor sax
was assembled there!)

>So it is quite possible that the lesser Chinese clarinets are for export,
>but they're finding they have to improve to compete.

I don't know. They seem to be selling far TOO MANY of them as it is!

>This as the case with Yamaha in "lower-tier" pianos, with new competition
>from Korea and China, and "middle-tier" pianos with significant
>competition coming from former Soviet-bloc countries of eastern
>Europe. Also, the age and experience of the manufacturer plays a role in
>quality of design and craft. I mean, these guys used to be poor
>farmers... (which is what their own website says, not a bigoted
>statement). I expect they might not have known soybeans about clarinets
>when they jumped into manufacturing, but that "musical instrument
>manufacturing" was just one opportunity on a list suggested by the
>economic incentive programs of the PRC government.

The biggest problems I have seen have to do more with MATERIALS than
workmanship -- cast keys instead of forged, very poor pads, etc. They LOOK
nice, though, which is how folks get suckered.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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