Klarinet Archive - Posting 000081.txt from 2006/12

From: Laurence Beckhardt <lbeckhardt@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] OK. I give up
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 11:54:46 -0500

Fair enough.

I only take issue with your statement that implies
that your bsthrn would only be appreciated by someone
with the means to pay for it. That's crass and
insulting to those of us who can't afford the $10K
right now, but understand the real worth of a
beautifully made basset horn, as well as its
literature.

Donald Trump could buy it easily and turn it into a
lamp for one of his building lobbies - would that make
you happy?

There are very few things in this world (aside from
family and friends) that give me more pleasure than
playing the Gran Partita, Requiem, Notturni, etc. on
my wonderful $2000 used Leblanc Basset Horn.

--- dnleeson <dnleeson@-----.net> wrote:

> I buy and sell a lot of things on ebay. And one of
> the
> techniques available to a seller is to state a price
> that is
> below what s/he will sell it for. It is called "the
> reserve
> price" and no one knows what it is until someone
> bids enough to
> stumble over it. But any bids made up to the time
> that the
> reserve price is made known are met with a statement
> that the
> bidder is still under the reserve price, or too low
> to accept.
>
> Now having stated how the reserved price system
> works, I'd like
> to mention that it is one of my least favorite
> bidding
> techniques, either as a seller or a buyer. That is
> because as a
> buyer, I'm working blind, and as a seller I see it
> as arrogant to
> lure a person into a buy position and then say,
> "Sorry poopsie,
> that's not enough money."
>
> It irritates the hell out of me when I see it happen
> as a buyer,
> and so I deliberately chose never to use it as a
> seller. I hold
> the opinion that an intelligent buyer will
> appreciate the fact
> that the seller establishes a reasonable selling
> price, which is
> exactly what I did. Certainly, assuming that the
> buyer is an
> idiot is no way to approach a sale. And assuming
> that the seller
> is either ignorant or a crook or both is also no way
> to approach
> a sale.
>
> In the years of working ebay, I have developed a
> 100% approval
> rating, and I did so by making the most serious
> effort to supply
> an item at a price that is attractive and
> reasonable. So far, I
> have been fairly successful, and never sold anything
> at other
> than a reasonable profit, and, once or twice, at an
> astonishingly
> high profit.
>
> What I think I will do now, is go to the Oklahoma
> clarinet
> festival next summer with the instrument so that any
> interested
> parties can see and play it. The price will remain
> unchanged,
> which is because I am more interested in selling it
> to someone
> who will appreciate it than simply disposing of it.
> Keep in mind
> that I am in the best kind of financial position;
> i.e., I don't
> need the money to live. But that does not mean that
> I will allow
> myself to be manhandled.
>
> Oh yes: the economic issues. Did I mention that, as
> a basset
> hornist, one can make a considerable amount of money
> if you know
> the repertoire, can play well, and live in the right
> geography.
> First, the instrument is tax deductible, and second,
> with as few
> as four gigs a year, it will take 10 years to
> amortize the cost.
> But you have to know something about music, and you
> need to be
> agressive. Anyone who hears of a performance of the
> Mozart
> Requiem and who does not react at once, is never
> going to get any
> work as a basset hornist. Get one performance of
> Rosenkavalier,
> play the part well, and people are going to seek you
> out. And you
> have to be aware of the fact that no one plays
> Beethoven's
> Creatures of Prometheus ballet music because of the
> inability to
> get a basset hornist who can play that part. And the
> Roger
> Sessions violin concerto is underplayed for the same
> reason.
>
> Oh yes. It is an instrument with a lot of doubling
> fees. Consider
> the Magic Flute.
>
> Dan Leeson
> DNLeeson@-----.net
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laurence Beckhardt
> [mailto:lbeckhardt@-----.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 7:00 AM
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: RE: [kl] OK. I give up
>
>
> have you considered listing your bsthrn at a lower
> price to see what the market will pay? you could
> always have a high reserve to keep your options
> open.
>
>
>
>
-------------------------------------------------------------------
> klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org,
> klarinet-digest-unsubscribe@-----.org if you get
> the digest.
> klarinet-help@-----.org
> Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc.
> http://www.woodwind.org
>
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org