Klarinet Archive - Posting 000156.txt from 2006/08

From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Obtaining clarinets-sordid details
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 10:38:46 -0400

clarni bass wrote (on the thread, [kl] clar pricing):
>Not all of us need at least 2 clarinets. You are right
>about most professional classical clarinetists, but in
>jazz and improvised music you rarely (if ever) see A
>clarinets. I wouldn't say it is a given that we need
>at least 2 clarinets.

That's one route to a bargain on a used R-13 that's not really used. I'll
bet quite a few musicians who decide they need two clarinets end up using
one a lot more than the other. The other one's sitting around waiting for
a happy buyer.

As an amateur, I couldn't justify spending serious money, even if I had
any, but the history and construction of instruments intrigues me. I saved
money by learning to do basic overhaul work as a hobby (corks, pads,
springs, etc.--I stay away from instruments with anything drastically
wrong). I scrounge the flea markets, yard sales and estate sales regularly
and--well, Shadow Cat grumbles that the clarinets breed in the night around
here, and she's got a point.

But one thing's been missing all these years: I've secretly lusted after a
modern Buffet R-13 in A while resolutely reminding myself that I can't
afford it. The right used one turned up a couple of weeks ago. Needless
to say I paid nothing close to the minimum retail price for a genuinely new
instrument, yet this clarinet looks so unused that if it weren't for the
serial number indicating it was manufactured in 1977, I'd think it was new.
The logos are still pristine gold. The tenon corks are so new they're
still super-tight, without grease-darkening. The pads that stay open until
the player shuts them don't even show grooves yet.

I wouldn't have known most of that information from an eBay ad. If I
didn't know the dealer personally, would I trust a claim that a 1977
clarinet is not merely mint, but essentially new? That claim might even
raise my suspicions--among the many reasons why I think I make fewer
mistakes by dealing face to face.

The original owner also had an excellent Leblanc in Bb that he purchased
new, around the same time as the Buffet in A--but the Leblanc, though well
cared-for, looks its age, with a lot of wear (worn down plating on the key
touches, etc.). That's because this man played in a jazz combo and in a
Shriner's band. He owned metal and plastic student Bb clarinets, too, for
playing with the Shriners outdoors. He bought the Buffet R-13 in A with
the idea of joining a local orchestra, but never followed through. He used
his Bb Leblanc constantly for nearly thirty years, while his Buffet in A
sat in his closet.

This clarinet plays so well that I plan to do absolutely nothing to it.
Before putting it away, the original owner had it prepared by somebody
good, who added a thin layer of cork over the original on the register key
lever, so that the key wouldn't open so high, and replaced a trill key pad
with an extra-thin pad to sharpen that note, among other intelligent
tweaks. The overall natural pitch is a smidge higher than that of my 1931
Buffet in A. The 1977 clarinet's natural tone quality is louder and more
penetrating with a modern mouthpiece (modern mouthpieces, longer and shaped
differently inside than old ones, don't play in tune on my 1931 clarinet)
and it would fit in with a modern orchestra better than the 1931 model.

Otherwise, so far, I still prefer my 1931 Buffet in A, because of the
old-fashioned mellow tone quality (wider bore); because some extra keywork
makes going up and down some remote scales easier; and because of a
beautiful G#/C#: with the body in one piece instead of two sections, that
key opens where the center joint would be. I'd choose the 1931 clarinet
for chamber music at home. But the point is that, thanks to the active
market in used instruments, now I've got the choice. If I ever conquer the
stage fright enough to investigate my local chamber orchestra, I can show
up at rehearsal with a high-quality, modern clarinet in A. If not--well,
someday, I'll pass along the bargain....

Lelia Loban
"There are two golden rules for an orchestra: start together and finish
together. The public doesn't give a damn what goes on in between."
- Sir Thomas Beecham

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