 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bassbuddy
Date: 2006-07-26 18:04
Hi all! I'm a high school bass clarinet player whose teacher recommended she move up to something a little more advanced. My counselor at band camp recommended I get a Selmer Buffet since I'm probably going to want one by the time I get to college. I was wondering if anyone knew of a bass clarinet player who might be selling theirs, probably at about $3,000 or less? Thanks!
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2006-07-26 18:18
>"My counselor at band camp recommended I get a Selmer Buffet" <
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A Selmer Buffet? Are you sure your band counselor was not under the influence?
Vytas Krass
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
Post Edited (2006-07-26 18:19)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-07-26 18:48
Yes, very likely, just the 2 best bass cls, good taste. I prefer Selmer, theyre all expensive! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2006-07-26 18:55
More likely the term used was "Selmer or Buffet", meaning one of those two brands. Either will provide you with an adequate professional instrument.
Of the two, I currently prefer the current Buffet horn over the Selmer, but both are fine instruments. Of the others in the same class, I do not like the Leblanc, either the mid line or the top line instruments, and I find the Yamaha workmanlike, but not in the same league as the Selmer or Buffet horns.
Now for the bad news. You're not going to get a new top line bass clarinet for anywhere near your budget price. Even used, a professional bass clarinet will go for somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,500 minimum, and that's likely to be a well-used (with all of the problem attendant to such use) school horn.
Before laying down a good used car's worth of tin on an instrument, I would ask myself (or have my parents ask it of me) just how deep my commitment is to continuing on the musical road. Given an open-ended budget for such things, the decision is easy enough to make, but plunking down three or four Gs on an instrument that might end up getting parked in the closet post high school is not a good use of anyone's money.
If I was making the decision for you, I'd first purchase a good student level horn that you can keep out of the hands of others. Much of the "trouble" attending the playing of bass clarinets is directly due to the fact that the school-owned horns are beaten all to crap by students who don't really care for them. Get a good Selmer USA or Yamaha horn, keep it in regulation and locked up when it's not being played by the owner, and you'll halve the difficulties that you face.
Later on, when it's time to decide on music major versus anything else for college, you'll have a better idea as to whether or not purchase a pro horn. A lot can change in a year or two when you're still in high school. At that point, you can sell your well maintained student quality horn and pick up one of the products of France that are the norm among professional bass clarinet players.
One thing that I would not recommend is the purchase of one of the student basses produced by a Chinese company for Ridenour. The specimen that I examined was very poorly made, with many fit and finish issues verging on a "clarinet shaped object" quality of work. It may offer an extended range horn (to low C) for a very low price, but I'd not want to be the one responsible for playing such a rickety monster. Stick with Selmer or Yamaha.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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