 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mike
Date: 2003-02-07 01:04
After months of searching for the right clarinet and finding one I thought was the "right" one and having to send it back, I finally found my new Buffet R-13 Prestige clarinet a week ago and already it has a crack--in the lower joint, Eb tone hole of all places. Despite the orange peels and slow break-in period, it cracked just the same. Now I'm between a rock and a hard place. I really liked this clarinet, but it already has a defect. If I try to find a new one, I might not find one I like as much. Please tell me what you would do in my situation.
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Author: Mike
Date: 2003-02-07 01:06
For clarification, by "getting a new one," I would return the cracked horn since it is still under warantee and find a replacement.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-02-07 01:40
In your situation I'd have no other option, Mike. Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go, do not... pffft :(
Return it and try to find a replacement you like as well.
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2003-02-07 02:20
You might return it and get a Greenline, if you insist on sticking with Buffet.
Bob A
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-02-07 03:02
Get it repaired (pinned etc) by Buffet or a repairer to be paid by Buffet. Nowadays the repair can be very close to, if not invisible.
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Author: Colin B
Date: 2003-02-07 10:17
It is nothing less than appalling that a new and very expensive clarinet should crack. If such a thing happened to me I would insist on a full refund and a decent discount on a new clarinet, if I were brave or foolish enough to risk wanting another of the same make and model. I have heard some real horror stories concerning Buffet clarinets. Perhaps their popularity has made them a little blase' with regard to quality.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-02-07 11:53
I agree. Perhaps timber, as a clarinet material, has passed its used-by date.
I wonder if any manufacturer has tried making a TOP quality clarinet from a higher quality polymer (not the composite that is Greenline). I am thinking of the very hard, very rigid, very tough one used for the snap catches on straps for cycle helmets, hiking rainwear, life jackets, etc.
And I wonder if there is any way of determining whether there are excessive resident stresses in each piece of clarinet timber - ultrasound scanning, MRI, or something.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-02-07 11:53
Colin B wrote:
>
> If such a thing happened to me
> I would insist on a full refund and a decent discount on a new
> clarinet, if I were brave or foolish enough to risk wanting
> another of the same make and model.
Full refund & discount on a new one? I don't know what the refund policy is in the UK, but here in the US the warrentee on new clarinets allows them to either replair or replace the cracked joints.
Be glad you don't play oboe ...
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-02-07 13:56
May I suggest that anyone returning for service tread carefully?
"Be nice, twice."
Don't stomp in with the heavy boots, at the onset... you want the staff to be on your side, after all.
Wood moves.
Cracks happen.
For a slight additional charge, anything is possible.
The trick is in getting what you want, free of charge.
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Author: Mark Sloss
Date: 2003-02-07 14:00
In the words of the immortal Bill Clinton -- "I feel your pain".
Hey, this is natural material, and sometimes this happens. No pro manufacturer goes out of their way to provide an inferior product. Don't give your reseller a lot of gas. Just ask for his help in getting Buffet to repair or replace. I had an R13 that cracked in two places after about 3 months of use, and Bill Brannen pinned it so well there was no degradation of the instrument at all. Heck, he covered his tracks so well cosmetically you really have to search to find the epoxy over the pins.
One man's opinion -- If you love the instrument, and the crack didn't completely compromise the horn, get it fixed by a top-drawer technician or by Buffet. You'll be happy you did.
Hope it works out for you.
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Author: Hans
Date: 2003-02-07 14:57
The fact that it cracked demonstrates that the wood was not stable enough for use in an instrument where it undergoes large changes in humidity; i.e., not seasoned, poor quality, etc. (res ipsa loquitur).
I see a lot of comments about Buffet cracking problems and about having to search through a large number to find a "good" one on this BB, which makes me wonder about their quality consistency and control. It could be because Buffets are the most popular of the "big 4"; i.e., more sold and in use = more problems reported, but quality consistency doesn't seem to be as much of an issue with the other 3 major manufacturers. I can't recall any quality complaints about Yamaha, for example.
I would ask for a refund and try another brand because the second crack may appear a week after your warranty expires.
Good Luck with it
Hans
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Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2003-02-07 15:16
Remember that grenadilla is an endangered hardwood, and it's not as plentiful now as it was when instrument manufacturers began to use it for instruments. With less of it, and less harvested grenadilla, the quality is less. As has been stated many times on the BB, quality grenadilla and, consequently, more quality clarinets were more plentiful 40 years ago. Cracking of instruments occurred then, too. Wood is not consistent, especially as it becomes more rare.
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Author: Rick
Date: 2003-02-07 17:08
Mike:
Why not shoot for the best of both options. Call up whomever it was you bought it from and tell them it cracked under warrenty but say, I really like the horn so could we do the following:
1. Get it repaired, prefereably by the person of my choice.
2. You extend the warrenty (in writing) in case this horn just keeps cracking.
The alternative is they get back a busted horn.
Worth a try and good advice to be pleasant in your delaings with them.
Best
Rick
The forest is full of wood that sits out in the weather and doesn't crack!
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Author: Mitch K.
Date: 2003-02-07 17:56
Hans, here's a quality complaint about Yamaha:
After hearing many good reports about Yamaha, I decided that I wanted to get one. I tested 10 Yamaha SE A clarinets a few years ago and picked the one that I thought was best. After months of trying to blend in with other clarinetist, getting used to the tuning, trying to improve the tone quality and acheive "my" sound, etc., I decided that the horn was a piece of crap--and it was the best of ten! I had professionals in my area play it, and even had my teacher play it in a rehearsal for the Brahms quintet and she hated it! So, after some soul searching, I decided to get rid of the horn. I sold it, saved some more money, then bought an R 13.
This is what I've determined about Yamaha: their quality from one horn to the next is very consistant. However, that quality is not good! I also went through 10 R 13 A clarinets and determined that the consistantcy between Buffet clarinet is not a stable as it is with Yamaha, but the best Buffet is much better than the best Yamaha.
Incidently, my R 13 has a tiny crack in the bell, right under the tenon ring--I noticed it when I first got the horn. I called repair techs from Hollywood to Manhattan to ask their advice. The ALL agreed that it wouldn't make a difference in the quality of the sound or the stability of the horn. I even called the repair techs at Weiner (where I bought the horn), and they offer to replace the bell if I sent it back to them. I figured that if it wasn't a problem, then I'd keep it.
Years later, the horn is still wonderful. It sounds great, projects well, and has decent intonation--well, intonation that I'm used to--and all of this with a 15 mm crack in the bell.
Mitch King
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2003-02-07 18:40
Mitch,
I have a very nice Yamaha SEA. It plays with good intonation, eveness of tone, etc. Even my dearest friend, and avid R-13 "Brannenized" type, says it plays better than his R13A. You have your opinion, but I think a little harsh to condemn all Yamaha clarinets based on your experience. Just as it is not fair for me to say that "all" Yamaha clarinets are wonderful based on my experince.
jbutler
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Author: Mitch K.
Date: 2003-02-07 19:03
JButler, I'm glad your SEA works well for you.
Mitch King
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Author: brenda siewert
Date: 2003-02-08 20:59
You really have no choice but to return the instrument for at least a repair. But, they should replace the bottom joint without much fuss. It will probably sound different, though, because the wood isn't from the same batch. But you need to have it repaired or replaced now while the warranty is still in effect.
No dealer that I know of will give you a discount on another instrument when you're returning one that cracked. They'll try to send it back to the factory and might offer you a loaner until you get it back.
It's too bad that that happened. That's terribly disappointing. Let us know what happens.
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2003-02-12 21:32
Wiener Company offers a crack warranty, which is extra, in case anybody is thinking of buying an R13 from them.
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