 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: KevinS
Date: 1999-11-04 04:56
What a great venue for discussing clarinet related issues. My hat is off to the webmaster. Now to my question. I have just begun playing clarinet again after a 13 year layoff. I have purchased a set of Leblanc Dynamique clarinets (Bb and A) for a reasonable cost. In shopping around for these, I noted that there are FAR more professional Buffet clarinets available for sale than the same quality Leblanc. I would like to hear opinions on why this is the case. Is it pure market share, or to Leblanc players hold on to their horns longer?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-11-04 12:14
I'm pretty sure it's market share. Buffet has had a major portion of the clarinet market since at least the late 50s.
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Author: Donald Austin
Date: 1999-11-04 14:59
Expanation!
In the late twenties my grandmother had a set of talk records called the Two Black Crows. One segment went like this: 1st crow: We had a farm and on the farm we had brown pigs and white pigs but we had to get rid of the brown pigs. 2nd crow: Why did you have to get rid of the brown pigs? 1st crow: We had to get rid of the brown pigs because we found that the brown pigs ate more than the white pigs. 2nd crow: That’s silly. Why would the brown pigs eat more than the white pigs? !st crow: Well, we wondered about that for a long time and finally figured out that the brown pigs ate more than the white pigs because there were more brown pigs.
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-11-04 15:55
...and market share is the name of the game.
I personally saw a stack of about a dozen or so Buffet E-11 clarinets at my local large music instrument store right at the beginning of the school year. These horns were right by the front door, stacked neatly under a set of picnic-style tables. On the tables were all sorts of financial papers, including sales and rental agreements. The entire table top looked like a tornado had hit it. I asked the salesman why the table top looked like a mess and why there was an open clarinet case showing the horn and all of the other goodies for anyone who passed by. He said that the horn was for sale, like the rest of the few horns he had left in stock. What did he mean by "few horns"? Yep, there were only about a dozen horns left, ready for immediate sale. Again, the confused look on my face spoke volumes. The real answer was that one store sold in less than 2 weeks at least 150 or so Buffet E-11s to the parents of the local K-12 students. The store owner was beginning to get concerned about being too low in stock. There were no Vandoren standard or V-12 reeds on the shelves. There were no third party (Vandoren or any other brand) mouthpieces on the shelves. No ligatures were on the shelves, either. No beginner drill books were available and many were on back order. In fact, the entire store looked like it had been pretty much picked clean of new band instruments and accessories, which all sold at full retail prices. I went to the back to peruse the studios. The posted tutorial assignment sheets were completely booked up every available day of the week for the next 6 months.
Does this help to explain the term "market share"?
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Author: William
Date: 1999-11-04 16:13
Let me get this straight--Buffet has been HOGGING the market??????
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-11-04 17:20
As I see it, its the All-American Way! Lots of ad-hype and word-of-mouth promotion, coupled with the great competition among the 4 prominent makers and a goodly number of lesser-known, custom, makers that provide all of us with fine, always-improving clarinets to fit all musical requirements. I'm among the LeBlanc and Selmer lovers, know too little of Yamaha, but have a high regard for Buffet. Pay your money and make an informed choice! Don
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Author: Bill
Date: 1999-11-04 18:44
i just gave my wife a leblanc syphonie clarinet for her birthday, fully overhauled, oiled, etc. by mark rasmussen, the magician at "the windsmith" in san diego. i got it for a song at a pawnshop, and now it plays like a mad thing. absolutely beautiful, warm, singing tone, and lower resistance than an r-13 i compared it against. i am primarily a neophyte sax player; my wife is just learning the clarinet, but the players (including mark and his wife katie, who played it) who've played it love the tone. mark told me the twin to this clarinet came in about a month ago, and once *it* was redone the owner said he was putting his buffet away and the leblanc was going to be his working horn.
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Author: KevinS
Date: 1999-11-05 01:06
Just as I thought. I have heard all the hype and people badmouthing LeBlanc. Obviously the company wouldn't still be in business if they didn't make good horns.
Thanks for all the replies.
Kevin
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-11-05 02:37
I think that you will find there are a number of devoted Leblanc fans on this board (including yours truly).
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Author: William
Date: 1999-11-05 15:48
I have been playing LeBlanc Concertos for about sevens yrs, but as a former R-13 Buffet player, I like the LeBlancs but am not still 100% converted. Both Buffet and LeBlanc are great instruments and each has their merits. I really suggest that you try both and pick the instrument that you like to play the best. "Older" R-13s are hard to beat if you can find a good one.
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Author: Connie
Date: 1999-11-05 23:46
I've loved my Leblanc, but it's time to replace it. I currently have on approval from WW/BW a Leblanc Concerto and a Buffet R-13. I have found myself vacillating from preferring one to the other. (I also had them ship me a Leblanc Infinite, which isn't even close.) Buffet has a distinct advantage because it's easier to find gadgets and accessories for Buffet...adjustable thumbrest, Chadash or Moennig barrel, etc. and the professionals in my area play Buffet, so I'm more used to that sound. But the Concerto already has an adjustable thumbrest...very appealing because I need a higher-positioned thumbrest. So if anyone has any suggestions on how to make this decision, I'd love to hear them.
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