 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tanhkcn
Date: 2010-05-10 11:07
hi, just wondering if anyone has bought any new or used instruments from on-line stores and what the experience has been like eg from amazon or others. thanks
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-05-10 11:35
I have bought online from wwbw.com, weinermusic.com (various supplies), Gregory Smith and Walter Grabner for mouthpieces, Forestone and Legere for synthetic reeds. Omar Henderson at The Doctor's Products is great to deal with. Ditto Tom Ridenour at Ridenour Clarinet Products.
Generally speaking, I have gotten what I wanted. With one exception at wwbw, where an instrument (used) was not up to their description; everything else went off pretty much flawlessly.
Know what you want ahead of time and make sure you are familiar with all aspects of the product. Larger online dealers build the savings in by not having lots of people around to answer 1000 questions about reeds, mouthpieces, etc. so don't expect expert help in many cases.
Still, if you are dealing with smaller vendors, some of whom only have an online presence, you can still get great service. Tom Ridenour comes to mind, as does Morrie Backun. I just dealt with John Parette at Clarion Musical Services, and he has been great to deal with. The artisans who craft hand-finished mouthpieces also give their customers a lot of attention. But they are truly smaller scale artists who do custom work. They need to remian in close contact with their clients.
So, what's the verdict? Over all, I've been happy with online shopping. Only had to return one item of significance, and they took care of the refund quite quickly. I can't say enough good about dealing with the following individuals. If you are buying from them, you should have few (if any!) difficulties:
John Parette (Clarion Musical)
Morrie Backun
Gregory Smith
Walter Grabner
Tom Ridenour
Omar Henderson (The Doctor's Products)
I've never really been burned, but I generally buy from people who have reputations for for good products and making sure the customer is satisfied. Do your homework first, including asking questions here, and you should have pretty good odds in your favor.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
Post Edited (2010-05-10 11:38)
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Author: smb9220
Date: 2010-05-11 03:43
Several years ago, I bought a Buffet A clarinet on eBay. I was hesitant to do so without doing some research about the seller. Because of the location of the buyer (which I think eBay no longer uses) I was pretty easily able to find some information about the seller which gave me greater comfort. Without this, I wouldn't have done it. And it turned out to be a great horn.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2010-05-11 04:59
I bought an "A" R-13 from Prowinds.com, sight unseen.
And sent 2 other instruments to them for overhauls.
Outstanding, magnificent service.
They are professionals.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: tanhkcn
Date: 2010-05-12 01:51
Hi
Thank you all for the wonderful replies. I was thinking of buying a used clarinet from musicians friend, and as they didn't respond to my email, I was worried whether I would actually get what was advertised. But I guess that seeing as they have been around for some time, they should be pretty safe to buy from.
Patrick
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Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2010-05-12 02:04
I have a question for those who have bought instruments online...
Do the instruments generally come well-adjusted (like they should!), or did they have to be sent back for adjustments?
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