Klarinet Archive - Posting 000024.txt from 2003/04

From: CBA <clarinet10001@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Trading a Leblanc for a Buffet
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 08:27:15 -0500

I think my point was, $800 difference is enough to get an
instrument totally reworked by a professional like Chadash or
Brannen with all new cork and with a retuning/overhaul of the
instrument.

ALSO, the prestige model is MORE expensive than getting a
totally custom instrument from Stephen Fox, so if you wanted
these "Prestige" features, you could actually SPECIFY your added
features with him.

My main gripe is that the selling points for the Prestige over
an R13 nickel key model include quite a few things. There are
LESS selling points Prestiges over the regular RC or Greenline
models, and even less over the Eb regular and Greenline models.

I think there should be MUCH less price difference when there is
less added to the instrument. There should be the greatest
change in price from the R13 Bb to the R13 Prestige Bb, and the
least from the RC Greenline Eb to the RC Prestige Greenline Eb.
There is still quite a lot of money difference in the other
models with virtually no difference in the hardware itself. I
don't know of ANYONE who does repairs and overhauls who would
charge $800 for a clarinet's work unless you were getting
replated keys with the overhaul. The difference in price for
those that are NOT wood R13s is rather exorbitant.

In the Selmer line, the instruments are very different. In the
LeBlanc line, there is a similar disparity in the Opus/Concerto
instruments, although the keywork in the Opus ALWAYS has the
alternative Ab/Eb, even in the Eb soprano clarinet, and the
other "Prestige" type add ons are there. Most makers charge you
by the accessory list on the different models...Buffet just
chooses to not reduce the difference in price in the Prestige
models that do not have the same amount of add ons over the
regular models, namely the RC, the Eb RC, and the Greenlines.

Kelly Abraham
Woodwinds - New York City
--- Joseph Wakeling <joseph.wakeling@-----.net> wrote:
> << 2. If you buy a Prestige "Greenline" model, it is NOT cut
> from better
> wood, nor does it have the metal tenon rings. >>
>
> I would imagine that what you are paying for in the "Prestige"
> & similar
> premium models is not so much the material as the amount of
> time & care
> spent over the construction of the instrument.
>
> The material strikes me as a "status symbol" as much as (if
> not more than)
> something that makes a difference to the (acoustic) quality of
> the
> instrument. ;-)
>
> -- Joe

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