Klarinet Archive - Posting 000101.txt from 2004/11

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] All of a sudden I have become the local ebay clarinet mavin
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2004 21:43:55 -0500

I got another call from a woman whose uncle left the National
Symphony 40 years ago. She has his clarinet pair which have not
been played in 40 years. The B-flat is a Buffet made in 1927
(serial 2066), the A is a Selmer made in 1942 (serial K6806).

My repairperson says that it will cost at least $400 to plut each
instrument in playing condition. I can't even play the
instruments to determine of there is something there because of
their condition.

I'm going to suggest to the woman that she put them on ebay in an
"as-is condition" because I have no idea what else to suggest.
If she spends $800 to repair them and all things work out OK, a
pair of that age might bring $1500 if they are particularly good.
(I would expect a professional who played with the National
Symphony to have used quality instruments.) So she could make a
slightly greater profit by putting them in shape and (if they are
good) sell them.

I'm not sure what to suggest to the lady other than an "as-is"
proposal. She can use the money but I don't want to stick
somebody in the clarinet world for $500 and then find out that
what they have is useless (if that should be the case).

Any ideas? I don't want to mistreat her or get her hopes up but
I keep asking myself if I would buy a pair of clarinets for $500
and then want to sink another $800 in the hopes that they might
be good. If it were not for the fact that her dead uncle played
them in a serious, professional symphony orchestra, I would not
spent 10 minutes on the matter. But out there somewhere is a kid
who needs a pair of instruments and maybe these might be the very
ones he could use.

Help, please. Ideas, please.

Clarinets are coming out of the woodwork here. I got a call
about 4 weeks ago from a couple whose uncle died and left
something like 45 clarinets, one of which was the A-flat piccolo
clarinet I asked about. And he was the principle clarinet in one
of the best west-coast orchestras in America.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

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