 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jang Lee
Date: 2001-12-28 00:18
Hi there, I bought a new bestler clarinet mainly because its my first time playing a clarinet and I didn't have that much cash flow. If I change the mousepiece and ligature on this clarinet will the sound be much better. Knowing that there were a lot of critiscm on this clarinet it was the only one I could get that was new and in my budget.
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Author: MsRoboto
Date: 2001-12-28 01:49
A better mouthpiece and ligature can't hurt.
Start saving your pocket change now. Soon enough you will develop your playing ability and you might have enough for an intermediate wooden instrument that you will sound better on.
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Author: Karel Vahala
Date: 2001-12-28 04:46
Jang, it is sometimes (often) better to spend limited cash on a higher grade used instrument, than to spend good money on a poor quality new horn. Karel.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-12-28 18:26
I wish you hadn't done that, Jang...
But, since you did, maybe you can find a mouthpiece/reed setup you like while the Bestler's still functional, then look around for a decent reconditioned instrument to go with your better mouthpiece.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-12-28 20:15
Uh oh...better watch out.
The anagram of: "clarinet by bestler"
is: "lyric treble? absent!!" ...GBK
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Author: Peter
Date: 2001-12-28 20:37
Jang,
For future reference, there are lots of good, used instruments out there, probably for somewhere around what you paid for that Bestler new, and sometimes for less.
Sometimes you can even find decent wood clarinets for those prices, if you know where to look, work at it, and look hard. True, often they wil nned pads and maybe corks, but your investment value would be much greater than with something like a Bestler.
I always like to tell people to find repair shops that sell used, refurbished instruments "on the side." There are usually some in every major urban area and the prices you can get in such places are usually excellent.
I know that in FL, NY and NC, there are many retailers who purchase used instruments from these shops, mark them up and resell them. If you can get friendly with the people who run a repair/resale shop you can buy for the same price the retailers buy some of these instruments for and save even more money in the process.
As far as saving money to purchase a better instrument in the future, here's an excersise I learned from a lady financial advisor who is excellent at her job:
Always pay for everything in bills. Never use even a penny of your change for anything whatsoever, not even highway tolls. At the end of every day, put all your change in a jar (preferably a plastic one!) and see how much money you have at the end of the month.
My personal experience has been that at the end of a month I can have anywhere from $55.00 to $128.00 worth of change in the jar. After about the fifth month I quit counting, but I've developed such a habit of not spending change, that I have literally thousands of dollars set aside, in change.
The best part is that I won't spend it now, because who wants to go to the store with $50.00 worth of change? Furthermore, it's such a pain in the butt to roll it up and take it to the bank that I know I won't do that either unless I get in dire straits over money (God forbid!!!)
Good luck, and when you decide to buy another clarinet, give the BB a holler for advise as to what might represent a better deal for you.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-12-28 21:17
To add to Peter's recommendations: Check the Sneezy classifieds for used clarinets. (Mark, I realize this comes perilously close to being a self-serving commercial message, but I think it needed to be said --- I apologize if I broke the rule.)
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