Klarinet Archive - Posting 000052.txt from 2006/03
From: "George Huba" <ghuba@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Buffet R-13 Played and Failed
Date: Sat, 04 Mar 2006 13:28:43 -0500
-----Original Message-----
From: GrabnerWG@-----.com]
Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2006 10:07 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] Buffet R-13 Played and Failed
I have been a Buffet dealer for a little less than a year. While a few
people have come to me asking me to help them find a quality instrument,
most
potential customers start out with "What's your lowest price for an (insert
appropriate Buffet model)?"
I have 20 years of business experience. I will say that a market usually
gets what it asks for. If price is the primary consideration, quality will
come
second - at best.
I will submit that clarinets are priced too inexpensively. Quality can only
come with people time. Inspection time. Set up time.
Wood clarinets change greatly due to variations in temperature and
humidity.
The ultimate set up must come from the dealer. There must be enough profit
in the sale to support this activity, or the dealer must loose money and
ultimately close up shop.
If we continue to drive the price to the lowest possible cost, the clarinet
becomes a commodity - an item out of a box - and buyer beware.
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetXpress.com
New Buffet Clarinets
World-class clarinet mouthpieces
=====
Walter, exactly correct. Were Mr. Miller to wish to purchase a "better
adjusted" Buffet than is available from an Internet music store, he could
come to you or Mr. Spriggs or Mr. Fobes or others and benefit from an expert
setup, perhaps at a slightly more expensive price. He could also check out
your relative qualifications, the guarantees the three of you might offer,
and your relative prices. But, the first rule of a free market economy, is
that if you want service on top of a basic product, you are probably going
to have to pay a little more for it.
This applies to all areas of the economy. The fit and finish on an IBM
(Lenovo) Thinkpad is better than that on a Dell notebook computer. The fit
and finish on a BMW is better than that on a Ford Escort. A Sushi dinner of
freshly caught fish costs more than a box of frozen fish sticks. Some folks
choose to eat fish sticks and drive Ford escorts rather than having sushi
and driving BMWs so that they can have you or others select and work on
their horns. Most people at all income levels make trade-offs.
"Buyer beware" does not necessarily mean that sellers are out to screw you.
It does mean that if you find the cheapest price for something you might be
purchasing a "stripped down model" devoid of extra service or
fit-and-finish. Buyers need to find this out for themselves through
comparative reviews and other sources of information (of which the Clarinet
BB is a good one).
George
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