 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 1999-10-12 12:02
Dear Folks:
Perhaps you can give me some advise on the potential of getting a good buy on a clarinet in France or Italy. I am about to take the leap and buy a Buffet R-13 and wondered if they can be bought any cheaper in the EU? I know that there is a 10% customs fee on anything above $400 brought back to the U.S. but if I go to a large music store and buy one here there will be 6-8% sales tax also. I have never looked for musical instruments abroad so I am very naive about the pros and cons of this approach. Any advise is appreciated.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-10-12 12:23
Have you tried the major mail order dealers here in the US? They are much cheaper than the typical retail store.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-10-12 17:36
You can visit those "mail order houses" yourself & try out the instruments. They're not "mail order" places in the manner of amazon.com - they're really stores _that also_ produce catalogs and sell via mail-order.
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Author: TASH
Date: 1999-10-13 01:23
In US, A=440Hz
In Europe, A=443-445Hz.
In Japan, A=442Hz
Don't you have any problem buying a horn abroad?
Can you solve this matter by changing the barrel?
In fact, I visited Los Angeles last week to try & buy
a clarinet. But I realized the difference of the pitch.
I have a plan to visit Paris to buy an Alto clarinet next year.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Tokyo, Japan
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Author: Merry
Date: 1999-10-13 05:20
You'll probably find that this instrument is far cheaper in the US than it is in Europe. My boyfriend has valued Buffet clarinets in France and Finland and they are much cheaper in the US. It probably isn't worth the hassle of buying overseas and I doubt you will save anything.
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Author: Eoin
Date: 1999-10-13 13:19
It is true that the Buffet E-11 clarinet is very much cheaper in the US than anywhere else. This is not true of all other models. For example, the E-13 is about $1000 dollars in Paris, and about $1300 in the US.
Try musique-et-art.com in Paris. They quote all their prices in French Francs.
Check when looking at prices in the EU whether they include Value Added Tax (VAT) or not. EU residents must pay this. People from outside the EU either don't pay it or pay it and claim it back again. The rate of VAT depends on the country but can be as high as 21%.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 1999-10-13 18:32
Dear Folks:
Thanks for all the good advice - as always!
Having bought Swiss Army knives in Switzerland for much more than they sell for in the U.S. I can appreciate your advice.
I really want to try out several R-13's myself before parting with my first born child in payment. Fortunately - or unfortunately I have been blessed - cursed with an ear for tone and therefore the sound of the horn is important to me. Question - can I make the ten hour drive to one of the major instrument stores with my favorite MP, try out some R-13's, and then mailorder that particular horn - or is this frowned upon by the IRS or my moral sensibilities?
Thanks!
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-10-13 18:57
L. Omar Henderson wrote:
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Question - can I make the ten hour drive to one of the major instrument stores with my favorite MP, try out some R-13's, and then mailorder that particular horn - or is this frowned upon by the IRS or my moral sensibilities?
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Well, I can't speak for <i>your</i> moral sensibilities, but someone I know called a shop in Chicago to set up trumpet tryouts, spent 5 hours driving to the store from Detroit, had their son try out a bunch of trumpets, and then ordered a trumpet with a particular serial number to be shipped to their home.
Shipping was via ITT (In The Trunk).
YMMV
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Author: Kevin Bowman
Date: 1999-10-13 19:39
Mark Charette wrote:
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Well, I can't speak for <i>your</i> moral sensibilities, but someone I know called a shop in Chicago to set up trumpet tryouts, spent 5 hours driving to the store from Detroit, had their son try out a bunch of trumpets, and then ordered a trumpet with a particular serial number to be shipped to their home.
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Gee Mark, anybody we know?
If you claim any income from music (it's my "second" job), you can even claim the trip and associated expenses as business expense on your taxes, as well as the instrument itself (whether or not you choose to depreciate it).
Make a vacation of it - stay a couple of days, try out some horns and do some "music research" while visiting one or two jazz clubs or symphony concerts. If your morals will allow it, you can get pretty creative with the tax code.
KB
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Author: barry
Date: 1999-10-15 17:26
My own experience might be of help to you. A couple of years ago, I bought a Leblanc Sonata by mail order from a big music store in the U.S. Mid-West. It was offered at a discount, but I subsequently noticed that the same model came down to about the same price in Paris a short while later.
I sold off the LeBlanc, and recently replaced it with a Buffet Crampon RC, which I bought from one of the music stores close to the music conservatory on the rue de Rome, next to the San Lazare station. Bleuscher, near the Bastille, also has a good selection of instruments.
Yes, I did pay more than in the U.S., but not much more. On the other hand, I and my teacher were able to spend as much time as we needed in a decent rehearsal room testing eight clarinets of the same model. They all sounded different, by the way.
I'm extremely happy with the instrument, it's guaranteed and I was able to take if back for a free after-sales service. So I think the extra was worth it.
I cannot give you any advice about Italy. I bought some sheet music in Ricordi in Rome last year, and thought it was quite expensive.
Incidentally, if you are in Paris, Vandoren at 56 rue Lepic is THE place for clarinet sheet music. Since I donīt have shares in the place, I speak impartially.
Best of luck.
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