 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Tom A
Date: 2005-06-29 07:44
You do exactly what you're doing now. Ask people who know. Bear in mind that the classifications of student and intermediate, or intermediate and pro, can be a bit blurred or subjective.
From your last thread, I'm assuming its a Yamaha 450. Some here would describe it as an intermediate clarinet, others as a good wooden student model.
Post Edited (2005-06-29 07:46)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tishmommyof2
Date: 2005-06-29 15:32
Actually it is a Yamaha 34a ( it is an older one ). I am thankfull that y'all are putting up with my "beginner" questions!
You are so right about the classifications being subjective. I have been up to my elbows in research and everyone has something different to say ! I guess that my real consern is if I paid a good price.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-06-29 15:50
Look on the back of the Clarinet for the serial number
what is it?
( leave off the last 2 digits using xx instead)
How much did you pay for it? I know the YCL 34 really well - have 2 right here next to me.
Here's my take on the 34:
Back in the mid 80's I strongly preferred the YCL 34 to the Buffet E-11 as the older E-11's I didn't like very much. They had pretty bad wood for a while. The era for the E-11's you could tell not only by the serial #, but by the barrel and top joint embossing.
The E-11 went from the nickel keys to the silver plated ones back around 1990 or so if memory serves well which often it doesn't, but I make something up and continue along.... 
So pre 1990 I used the YCL 34 for students and didn't use the Buffet E-11 at all as not only was the wood not very good, but the joints didn't fit together well at all - way, way too tight with almost every one of them. After they went to the groved embossing they also with that generation fixed the tightness problem and also plated the keys with silver plating so I went back to the E-11 as a primary choice for the starting player or their 2nd instrument.
The YCL 34 has always been high quality for a lower intermediate clarinet.
Price wise if you paid over $500 you paid too much. $400 is about ball park for it, and if you got it for $250 you got a steal.
I'll guess you paid $475 for it. How close am I?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tishmommyof2
Date: 2005-06-29 16:40
the serial number is 0452##AII
Looks like a paid to much :( I paid $689.
YIKES ! What should I do???
Tish
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: archer1960
Date: 2005-06-29 16:49
tishmommyof2 wrote:
> the serial number is 0452##AII
> Looks like a paid to much :( I paid $689.
> YIKES ! What should I do???
>
> Tish
Go practice and make it sound like it's worth twice as much ;-)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tishmommyof2
Date: 2005-06-29 17:04
Well I just got of the phone with Yamaha and I feel a lot better ! My baby is a 2002 and the MSRP was $1174 when it was new. Even though it is 3 years old it is still new. New meaning it was never played. It was an under the counter display item. I know that I still paid to much, but I don't feel like I was taken as bad now
David, please send me any information you have. I would love to gain knowledge about my new purchase
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: archer1960
Date: 2005-06-29 17:12
tishmommyof2 wrote:
> Well I just got of the phone with Yamaha and I feel a lot
> better ! My baby is a 2002 and the MSRP was $1174 when it was
> new. Even though it is 3 years old it is still new. New meaning
> it was never played. It was an under the counter display item.
I'll bet it was played for a few minutes as a demo, but that doesn't really count; it certainly wouldn't add any detectable wear...
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tishmommyof2
Date: 2005-06-29 17:17
"I'll bet it was played for a few minutes as a demo"
I am sure it was. But like you said there is no detectable wear. In fact it was in perfect condition
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-06-29 18:51
Nope, you paid a good price for it. What I was quoting you on were prices for what would have been a 10-15 year old instrument.
For what you got, if you had been ripped off then you would have paid over $1000 for it.
And folks do that all the time!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: george
Date: 2005-06-29 19:34
Tish,
To set your mind a bit more at ease, I paid about $700 for a new Yamaha 34 a couple of years ago. At the time, there were places around here asking as much as $900 for it.
George
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-06-29 19:44
Every clarinet I play is an "intermediate" instrument. But if a symphony clarinetist were to pick up and start playing any of my clarinets, all of a sudden they would be "professional" instruments? How could that be??
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tom A
Date: 2005-06-29 22:34
I'm with David on the Yamaha 34, which is the forerunner of the 450 I mentioned. I assumed you'd bought a new one. I've taught a number of students with second-hand 34s (and a couple new), all of them excellent.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: fredackerman
Date: 2005-06-30 04:53
David Spiegelthal wrote:
> Every clarinet I play is an "intermediate" instrument. But if a
> symphony clarinetist were to pick up and start playing any of
> my clarinets, all of a sudden they would be "professional"
> instruments? How could that be??
David hit the nail right on the head, I once posed this type question during a professional photography seminar by asking if a certain Nikon lens was "professional" and the answer from a National Geographic shooter was "if you use it, then it's a professional lens" I own three professional Clarinets, yet in my hands they're actually student models! So why did I purchase more expensive Clarinets then I really needed? Same reason people buy expensive cameras, we think it'll make us better!
Fred
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
