Klarinet Archive - Posting 001327.txt from 2004/03

From: "Dallas SCUBA" <forest_aten@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Fun day at Festival
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 15:22:36 -0500


> Forest,
>
> I actually don't agree that Bill's prejudice comes only from
> selling instruments, and I have to agree with Bill a lot about
> the way people buy instruments. Here's why...
>
> 1. People ALWAYS have preconceptions about instruments before
> they go into the store. The only real way to test how a student
> (or professional, for that matter) likes an instrument, would be
> to let the player play all of the instruments that are up for
> grabs without the logos on them. That isn't happening.
>
> 2. Because of the volume, people have more Buffets to try out.
> People will buy more, because there are more to choose from...a
> few years back, the new Camaro was rated better by consumers and
> by J.D. Powers than the one year old new Mustang design. There
> was a GM Motors strike, and the Camaro's production was at 1/4
> what it was supposed to be. There was a waiting list for
> Camaros. The Mustangs, even taking into account for the strike,
> accounted for about 5 times the number of cars sold in the US
> than the Camaros did. Brand loyalty? You betcha! Did a lot of
> the 80% in the bell curve NOT strictly in the 10% of Mustangs
> and 10% of Camaros buy Mustangs that year? Most definitely.
> There are other contenders for the pony car genre of cars for
> the late 90s, but this one sticks out in my head as the two top
> contenders were neck and neck previously. Supply and demand
> caused a great difference. If there are no Selmer Signature
> instruments to try out, you don't buy one. You buy a Buffet that
> is at the shop..very simple. Not everyone waits for that perfect
> instrument, nor do they have the finances to travel around and
> test out instruments at different shops in different cities.
> That is why I am bringing a slew of students with me to
> ClarinetFest to buy instruments when they can have a chance to
> try mane brands out and decide for themselves.
>
> 3. Buffet R13s make up the vast majority of clarinet purchases,
> by themselves in the US. It's what is considered the "standard"
> professional instrument for clarinettists. When someone makes it
> sound like "the standard" or what the first name on your lips
> should be, people buy instruments for that sole purpose...to
> fulfill a purchase that will not shame them with anyone else
> involved. Loree oboes make up the vast majority of oboes in the
> US for professionals. In Europe, you are looking at Marigaux or
> Rigoutat as the standards...you hardly see a Loree. You would
> hardly EVER see an R13 in Europe in a professional orchestra.
> People buy what is the "standard" when push comes to
> shove...ESPECIALLY when they are too young to make a decision
> soley on their own playing ability. I particularly hate the
> whole R13 scheme of playing, and like the RC bore Buffets a lot.
> I left Buffet in the dust when I tried clarinets at ClarinetFest
> in New Orleans in 2001. I bought both a Patricola Eb and a C
> instrument there at the 'Fest, and put myself on a waiting list
> for Guy Chadash's instruments. I then promptly sold my new
> Prestige RC bore A and Bb instruments I had purchased a year
> before at a loss of about $1000 to be able to get what I wanted.
> I used my older RC bore Buffet Prestige Bb and Leblanc L300 A
> (both of which played better for me than the new set) for the
> next year while I waited for my set to be made. Wouldn't trade
> any of my instruments for the world. The kicker for me a
> ClarinetFest was that I found so many brands there that were
> well adjusted by the manufacturers (which doesn't happen for the
> most part at the stores as much) and I liked at least one
> instrument of almost every professional brand better than the
> $7000 of Buffets I had purchased the year before. The Selmer
> 10Gs REALLY blew me away, and they are discontinued. I was sold
> on selling out of the Buffet fold.
>
> 4. I think also this would be similar to learning about religion
> in school (wait...no flames...let me finish.) I went through 13
> years of Roman Catholic schools, and had religion every year as
> a course subject. Once in 7th grade, and once in my junior year
> of high school I had a comparative religions class.
>
> The 7th grade class was not very helpful except from a
> historical standpoint. The teacher taught us about the other
> religions from a Catholic viewpoint. It's like having a Buffet
> Artist describe what they like about a Yamaha Custom clarinet.
>
> In high school, the comparative religions course was different.
> We had an enlightened woman with an idea of universal salvation.
> Regardless of whether anyone agrees with that or not, it allowed
> us the privilege of being instructed in the arts of other
> religions from their standpoint. What I mean is, we would go to
> the church, synagogue, mosque, etc, and the priest, minister,
> rabbi, etc, would tell us about what it was to be part of their
> faith. VERY enlightening. I wouldn't trade that knowledge for
> the world.
>
> If you want to know what is good about an instrument, ask
> someone who plays on that instrument. There ARE a majority of
> Buffet players in the US, or a majority or Wurlitzer players in
> Germany, so ask SOMEONE ELSE for their input. I am sure Larry
> Combs is very happy with his Opus, as Eddie Daniels is with his
> Concerto, as is Ricardo Morales with his Buffet,
> wait...no...Selmer, wait...no...Leblanc...what the crap is he
> playing now anyway? He changes as "Artist" for an instrument
> company more than I change my socks. Does he play on substandard
> instruments? No way! With his kind of income, does he *need* the
> endorsement or a free instrument? Not a chance! At his artist
> level, is he most probably going to play on what does him best
> at the moment? Hopefully...probably...not sure, actually.
> Anyway, I don't think anyone complained of his playing while he
> played on the Leblanc Symphonie, or the Selmer Signature instead
> of the Buffet.
>
> I can't tell you how many students I have encountered that have
> band teachers that say..."get an R13" or even private teachers
> too myopic to let their students try other brands. I had a
> friend here in town who had a former student that needed to buy
> a new clarinet. He couldn't go with the student, and the new
> teacher, who was a conservatory prep school instructor, was
> working on a gig, and couldn't go. He asked me to go with the
> student, and his mother and father to choose an instrument. I
> went (gratis, I may add) since my friend asked to the Woodwind
> and Brasswind in NYC (when they still had a storefront here) and
> we found a good Buffet R13 and a great Leblanc Concerto. We also
> found a great Vandoren M13 mouthpiece that played SO much better
> than the B45 he was playing on *for him*. He was able to take
> them out on trial. The teacher forced him to take the R13 over
> the Leblanc because she said "no one plays Leblanc" and also
> forced him to remain on the B45 that wasn't working for him
> because that is what ALL of her students used. I was furious.
> The decision was made before the student even tried out the
> instruments. During the play tests, I brought a blindfold for
> the student, and had him turn around. He gave me his opinion, as
> did his parents, and his older brother, who played trumpet. THEY
> decided the Leblanc was best in sound, and the student liked the
> keywork on it. To the teacher (or, we can insert here "the
> establishment") this brand was substandard and unacceptable. The
> real crime wasn't the Buffet though. It was the B45 that was not
> working for him. He sounded semi-professional on the M13, but
> sounded like a junior high player on the B45.
>
> My main teacher in college doesn't play Buffet. At least half of
> his studio doesn't either. He doesn't require his students to
> play them, and he is open to all brands, as long as it is a good
> instrument. I admire and respect him TERRIBLY for that, and wish
> more people weren't wearing the horses blinders when looking at
> the brand name. I hope one day I can live up to his standards of
> "more than one way to skin a cat" and not direct my students
> down a path because "everyone else does it."
>
> By the way...60 years ago, you could have substituted SELMER for
> BUFFET everywhere I said it. People ought to make intelligent
> decisions based purely on what works for them, instead of taking
> "the standard" because they are told that is what the
> conformists do in this day and age.
>
> Sorry for the long post, people...it *will* happen again...lol.
>
> P.S. Forest...I have *3* Wiseman cases now...I would have never
> left the BAM case I had that everyone else I knew had for their
> clarinets if I hadn't seen you at ClarinetFest in New Orleans in
> 2001 with your Wiseman case. I am greatly indebted to you for
> that, and think of it often when I travel with 1 flute, 1 oboe,
> 2 clarinets, and a soprano sax, all in the same case, and I am
> not forced to pay extra for each of the extra cases when I get
> on the plane. Thanks!
>
> Kelly Abraham
> Woodwinds - Computer Geek
> New York City

Kelly,

A lot to respond to and I want to. Just don't have time today.

Best regards,

Forest

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