 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2004-06-08 06:18
I know this was mentioned recently but I had no idea the prices went up this high.
$2,800 for a new R-13 clarinet with silver keys from WWBW??? I thought price increase waslike a hundred or two but not like FIVE hundred, This is profane. I am calling weiner in the morning I hope they haven't gone up five hundred dollars.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-06-08 12:23
This subject was already beaten to death in a prior thread. Buffet's prices went up 7% because of the shift in exchange rate. I'm not in the business of promoting my competition, but in all fairness to the Woodwind, they are only charging $2,374 for a R13-Bb silver. The only R13 Bb instrument in the $2,800 arena is the Vintage. If you are referring to the R13 A -- yes, it is approximately $2,800 w/ silver keys at the WW.
Please be careful and clear before sniping at merchants. All they have is their reputation to trade on in a business with margins as thin as this one.
M.
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Author: Buster Brown
Date: 2004-06-08 12:31
It's interesting to see that many sites are now listing Buffet's prices rather than having the requirement call/mail for quote. Muncy Winds and WWBW now list the same price for the R13. A month or so ago there was a $200 difference. Perhaps, the influence of the Music Group?
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-06-08 12:40
I don't think TMG has anything to do with it. They haven't imposed any advertising restraints on my dealership. Pretty much my own business if I want to lose money on every sale (you know -- then make it up in volume...).
The sites you mentioned have had very aggressive price-matching programs similar to what you find with online electronics dealers. They would match or beat if you could present them with printed proof of a price. By requiring a call/email, they took some of the competitive pressure off. Otherwise, by putting out an advertised price for someone to undercut, it would just create a price race to the bottom. It could very well be with tighter supply and increasing demand that the big boys don't have to be quite as mercenary in their pricing to win business.
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-06-08 13:35
msloss - Perhaps you could explain the policy of http://www.myatt.co.uk. Their web pages don't show Buffet prices, but provide a link to click on. In some cases that link asks you to email for details, but in most cases it just pops up a message box with the price.
I had assumed that this was a trick to get round some "advertising restraint" imposed by Buffet.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-08 17:55
Msloss said:
"This subject was already beaten to death in a prior thread"
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NEVER. Ain't ever gonna happen. Buyers will always discuss "how much?"
Msloss said:
"Please be careful and clear before sniping at merchants. All they have is their reputation to trade on in a business with margins as thin as this one."
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If a merchant can't stand the heat, they better stay away from the fire!
HUMAN NATURE WILL NEVER CHANGE. Anyone who expects otherwise is whistling. Everybody can read & disseminate the info for their pocketbook. The Merchants I know could care less about these discussions. Some would even say that the more discussion, the better.
Msloss said:
"It could very well be with tighter supply and increasing demand that the big boys don't have to be quite as mercenary in their pricing to win business."
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That's the "Lord's Prayer for the Small Merchant". Ain't gonna happen either. "Mercenary" is WW&BW's middle name. It's how it all started.
Reality is Goods chasing Dollars [ or insert your currency please ]
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-06-08 18:38
MW - The subject was the alleged price error posted by WWBW, not the dynamics of a free market economy.
Making untrue or unfair statements about merchants without clarity or good facts can cause damage to brand and reputation, which if unfounded, can be litigated. The anonymous nature of a bulletin board does not absolve us of the need to be decent people in a capitalist society.
I'm not reciting the "Lord's Prayer" here. Their sales practices quite clearly changed. It may be temporary, but it is quite clearly there for all to see.
Reality is not just goods chasing dollars. Reality is an open marketplace where sellers and buyers meet and business is conducted. Free markets are relatively efficient and bid-ask spreads tighten as more buyers and seller come into the market and business is conducted. Supply and demand then come into play to determine where that level is set. If supply tightens and/or demand increases, that gives pricing power to the seller, and prices rise and margins improve. Witness the price of oil futures.
___
David, a lot of merchants will hold back best prices simply to get you in the store, on the phone or get an email address from you. A live lead is a precious thing in sales and in the internet marketplace extremely difficult to obtain.
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-06-08 18:51
msloss - the point I was making is that, in most cases, the site I mentioned isn't really holding back the price at all. You clink on the link, and the price pops up. (For the technically minded, it's a javascript alert.) The popup process is entirely internal to your PC - if you want you can simply view the HTML source and see the price without clicking anything. The only reason I could think of that they might do this is to get around some agreement with Buffet that they mustn't display prices on their web pages.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-06-08 21:00
I suppose it is possible that by popping the price instead of listing it on the page it doesn't show up in those shopping webcrawlers. Might be a way of guaranteeing you have to be at their site in order to see the price, thus increasing the probability you might buy from them.
Of course, who can really know the mind of a webmaster... right, Mark C.?
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-06-08 21:24
msloss wrote:
> I suppose it is possible that by popping the price instead of
> listing it on the page it doesn't show up in those shopping
> webcrawlers. Might be a way of guaranteeing you have to be at
> their site in order to see the price, thus increasing the
> probability you might buy from them.
>
> Of course, who can really know the mind of a webmaster...
> right, Mark C.?
Very possible . . . also an advantage would be probably some sort of simpler coding. Instead of some algorythm or array that has to be accessed by each and every webpage that shows the description of an item (which would probably slow web page loading A LOT, could be false if a browser isn't set to refresh the page every visit, etc. etc.), one that only checks if the item is placed in the basket. So prices can be changed easier, with less hassle and confusion to the customer.
Alexi
OR, I could be WAAAAY off . . .
US Army Japan Band
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-08 21:32
Msloss said:
"Free markets are relatively efficient and bid-ask spreads tighten as more buyers and seller come into the market and business is conduct"
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Hasn't happened to Clarinets in the last 20 years, why should it now? Reality is DEFINITELY goods chasing dollars - it's clear for all to see. Dennis Bamber knows exactly what he is doing. You are not witnessing an act of contrition. A phone call to WW&BW or one of their affiliates will yield the OLD prices - tomorrow or a week from tomorrow.
Finally, there is no place for the small retail merchant - not unless they can match quality of repair or setup with the goods they sell.
No one is selling anything right now, so prices don't really matter.
Perhaps a MAJOR PLAYER has fallen out of the marketplace???
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-06-09 12:06
What do you mean -- "No one is selling anything right now..."? On what study do you base that observation of absolutes? I, a "small retail merchant" thank you very much, have been doing fine. Perhaps my experience is more than two standard deviations from the norm, but I have seen no abatement in the demand for good clarinets, even with the extended economic downturn.
Alexi, interesting observation. Seems to make practical sense.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-09 15:45
Msloss wrote:
"What do you mean -- "No one is selling anything right now..."? "
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I mean exactly as I wrote. Talk to anyone in the musical instrument business - the present time of year is the SLOWEST time of the year. May through the 1st of August are dog days.
"Extended economic downturn" - who said that? NOT. Suggest you take a look at the business pages in your local paper or the WSJ. Retail sales have been moving up for months - "all over town"!
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-06-09 16:19
Woof. I am in the business, and I will concede that summer is indeed slow while school is out of session. That being the case, you would think prices would go down rather than up, wouldn't you?
I said extended economic downturn, and base that on extensive market research. In addition to my music career, I am an institutional investment consultant. The economy has been in the toilet since things started to come unraveled in the tech sector in 1999. 2003 was a bit of a phantom recovery since most of the rallying took place in speculative companies. What recovery has taken place has been somewhat jobless -- a lot of the new job creation is replacing high-wage jobs being outsourced to Asia with low-paying service-sector jobs. Meanwhile, the Fed is keeping rates at historic lows to keep the economy from going into a complete stall. Buyer confidence has been buoyed by tax cuts, and consumer sentiment has remained curiously strong even with the evironment such as it is. I read the WSJ -- in fact I deal with the people who WRITE the WSJ.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-09 22:04
Msloss said:
"I will concede that summer is indeed slow while school is out of session. That being the case, you would think prices would go down rather than up, wouldn't you?"
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When demand drops, prices go down - period. Prices are NOT up - as I stated earlier. Anyone who calls a major retailer will verify this. If WW&BW doesn't wanna dance this week, then Brook Mays will. 2004 inventory has to move out the door.
Mscloss said:
"What recovery has taken place has been somewhat jobless -- a lot of the new job creation is replacing high-wage jobs being outsourced to Asia with low-paying service-sector jobs. Meanwhile, the Fed is keeping rates at historic lows to keep the economy from going into a complete stall."
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Better wake up & read the news again. Talk to your buddies at the WSJ.
Inventories have been dropping all along, where have you been?
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=580&e=3&u=/nm/20040609/bs_nm/economy_inventories_dc
Gee, the Fed is gonna keep rates low, huh?
BTW: Last I looked my accounting firm was Trustee & overseer of over $75 million in New York Life Policies (face value & paid up additions).
Post Edited (2004-06-10 00:00)
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-06-10 12:34
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... huh, what? Must have been the newspaper hitting the front door.
Mark, I thank the policyowners on behalf of my parent company for the business, but how does that have any bearing on this discussion? The insurance part of this firm is one of the largest in the country and has been insuring farmers and presidents for 160 years. I'd be surprised if your acctg. firm wasn't trustee of at least one policy.
With regard to my economic comments, which of course have strayed miserably from the reason LeOpus started this thread, I did not say we were in a permanent downturn, knock-on-wood. I said it was prolonged (and it has been). Unless the Saudis come galloping in to save the day with oil prices, our economy is in real jeopardy of taking another leg down as the effects of $40 oil filter (pun intended) into margins in every sector. That would be regrettable because we are seeing strong signs that things are turning for the better. (And OBTW, a good portion of that consumer spending that has held up has been because Americans have been setting records for accumulating consumer debt. Call it optimism, or call it a recipe for disaster -- you choose.)
Finally, and these are my last words in this thread, prices are indeed up coming into the summer (although not as tragically as LeOpus thought). I do track the competition. When Buffet increased their prices, I was at a disadvantage as my new inventory was more expensive while the "big guys" were still selling last year's less expensive inventory. In the last several months, everybody has raised prices as the increase has filtered through the system. Brook Mays is quoting dollar-for-dollar the same price as WW for a standard R13 online. I'm sure either would give a break on the phone if the competition was mentioned, but that almighty advertised price we have been wrestling over is out there and it is higher. All in, though, $2G for a fine professional instrument is a steal compared to what our brethren on flute, oboe, etc. have to pay for their toys. Not too much to complain about.
I can stand the heat. I love the heat. Bring on the heat. I am small merchant. Hear me roar.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-10 21:04
All I hear is a PEEP. Buffet prices haven't changed measurably & February was the only price increase, that being on account of currency exchange. rates with the Euro. I can go to any Brook Mays stores & get "cost +10% pricing". Most teachers can, too. BM's website pricing is meaningless.
Obviously, you are bothered by the price of Oil - get used to it. A gallon of gasoline hit $5.59 in London earlier this week. The U.S. is due for it's share of increases. Go back to your zzzz's now.
For everyone else --- there has been little change in Buffet clarinet pricing. Don't listen to people who tell you that the discussion has been beat to death! Discuss clarinet prices all you like. If you find a great price from a mass merchant or catalogue retailer, share that info here (doesn't need to disclose exact $$$ info - just provide a lead to willing merchants). Help your fellow clarinetist to find the best deal as far as price & quality.
Online posted prices mean little --- call merchants & negotiate the best prices & terms.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-06-10 21:32
If Buffet prices make you upset,
then check other brands you can get.
Besides, buying one new
may not be best for you...
so consider a used clarinet.
And Buffet's not the only horn that
can make you a Symphony cat!
If their price just gets worse
then you vote with your purse
and let other folks make their bank fat.
p.s. It's easier to write bad limericks than to get a good gig
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-06-10 21:44
There are so many brands it's obscene.
Should I go try each one sight unseen?
The choice is quite easy.
It won't make you queasy.
Head straight for the old R-13 ...GBK
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Author: Henry
Date: 2004-06-10 22:34
What's said is all well and all true,
But R13s can make you feel blue.
It's the same with all makes;
for goodness' sakes!
The good ones are only a few!
Henry
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-06-10 23:05
Depreciation of the new stock is brutal.
Why pay dime one more than necessary?
Shop for the cheapest and spend some time with your tech getting best voicing from the one you draw in the lottery.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-11 00:00
If Buffet R13's were your pick,
Than Leblanc & Selmer prices will make you sick,
All those prices will begin to pale,
When YAMAHA has their annual sale!
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2004-06-11 02:14
Very interesting - Yamaha has come out with yet another professional model - the SEV-G which I saw and play tested at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. The interesting part is the use of the German bore design with a very small straight through barrel and a longer top joint which accomplishes the function of the barrel with bore diameter changes. The instrument has gold, copper alloy keys which look somewhat gold in color (the color of India's gold jewelery). The instrument played very nicely and smoothly with moderate resistance and very good intonation (by tuner). There was still the flatness in the lower register E common to many clarinets. I do not know how this design will be accepted by the community but Yamaha is known for its innovative, but rapid changes in models from year to year.
The Doctor
Post Edited (2004-06-11 02:15)
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Author: Fred
Date: 2004-06-11 02:39
Perhaps one of the "behind the scenes" factors behind the R-13's popularity is its' longevity. Unless Yamaha really feels they're on the trail of the ultimate clarinet, I feel rapid model changes discourage their own customer base. It's that same sinking feeling you get after unpacking your new top-of-the-line computer and finding the Dell catalog in the box lists the new model instead of your's.
I know . . . R-13's have changed numerous times over the years. But at least people don't say, "I'm not familiar with that model." when I show up with my '66 R-13.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-11 11:46
Omar said:
"Yamaha has come out with yet another professional model - the SEV-G which I saw and play tested at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. The interesting part is the use of the German bore design with a very small straight through barrel and a longer top joint which accomplishes the function of the barrel with bore diameter changes."
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Let's not forget the success of the Yamaha german clarinet models. It seems reasonable to find someone crossbreeding at some time. Any Model with a "G" is bound to spark some interest.
Igloo Bob said:
"The Tosca has gone up $600 in the last month, but that doesn't really matter, since no one in the states is buying the thing anyway."
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The Tosca has gone up, down, up, down, sideways & to a pointnthat no one knows. I was at the Oklahoma Symposium & spoke with Buffet reps. The answer I received about the Tosca on price was "how anxious are you to buy right now?", to which I answered "not even close to want", to which they replied "what's new?". The keywork on the Tosca was the talk of the Symposium. Some of the top Artists in the world agree that the L/J keywork (added & newly sculpted) was a PITA. IMO, there is only one direction for the Tosca to move presently. Design changes will lead to a more acceptable model or the Model will go the way of many like the S-1 etc.
Igloo Bob said:
"The Prestige 1193 Bass has gone up almost $1000, which finally puts the Selmer 37 in the better price position."
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Forget website postings unless they direct you to a true sale. Call & speak to a human sales person. "Money talks & nobody walks". Thus far, it sounds as if you are not actually buying but merely viewing webpages - thus you will not see true prices. Contact RDG in CA, Weiner Music in NY or Music 1-2-3 in PA (which is an affiliate of WW&BW) and they will be very interested to take your calls. If you are merely kicking tires & they can't actually take your order, expect to find out little about the REAL price for which they will sell a Bass Clarinet to you.
BTW: the Buffet I hear so much about is the "Prestige 1193-2" --- the "dash 2" is a NEWER model with enhancements.
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Author: senza bs
Date: 2004-06-11 14:32
You could also contact Mark Sloss directly. He is fair, honest and very very smart. AND a superb clarinet player and musician.
He has already sold a lot to some of the most well regarded names in NYC.
Post Edited (2004-06-11 14:48)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-06-11 15:17
A bad clarinet is a loss.
Whether bought through WW or Mark Sloss.
So when making a choice,
I'd like you to hear MY voice,
and worry more about the sound than the cost.
And even if you you consider just the 'top four',
and the differences in models and bores,
Just look at a flute,
or guitar, violin, or lute,
And REALIZE that our price ceiling is THEIR floor.
So the prices went up after May.
And like the DOW, they seem to change day to day.
I say, "Suck it up"
Pay the few extra bucks,
Else consider a used one or just don't play!
Alexi (a little harsh, I know, but I really AM getting a little sick of all this whining about our costs, when every other instrument player ENVIES our prices. Not to mention towards the end I was struggling for some rhymes. So I HAD to make it sound harsh . . . it was either "just don't play" or "go eat some hay". I chose the 'lesser' of the two evils IMHO)
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2004-06-11 15:20)
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-11 16:32
Harsh? We shall see ...
NOW Alexi, educate me - what does a new Clarinet's Sound have to do with a new Clarinet's Cost? I assume we are not talking about the cost of tweaking. i.e. tweaking is an add-on cost. Also, I'm not including the cost of Biker Bil, Robert Dilutis, Greg Smith etc on selection. Just talking PURE & absolute pay-the-retailer-cost.
Going a step further: Does Buffet, Leblanc, Selmer, Yamaha or any other manufacturer charge MORE for some Clarinets because they sound good, because they are "special"? If someone goes to the factory & picks/chooses Clarinets do they pay more PER INSTRUMENT.
Does Fred Weiner, Phil Muncy, Dennis Bamber, Robert Gilbert, Lisa Argeris, Brook Mays, & a host of other retailers pay more than their normal terms for these selected instruments?
I'm afraid that someone may have fallen for a retailer's LINE OF SCHMALTZ.
PS I have a good friend who plays Cello, a vintage piece at that. Cost is as much as some nice houses in the Midwest. However, the facts are that THEIR chosen instrument is expensive while the Clarinet is not. What does that have to do with the price of eggs? NADA. It's the WAY it is. I take it that Alexi feels he should pay more for his Clarinet because French Horns cost $10k & up? I doubt that.
Post Edited (2004-06-11 16:38)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-06-11 17:40
Quote:
NOW Alexi, educate me - what does a new Clarinet's Sound have to do with a new Clarinet's Cost? I believe the answer to this question is, "nothing". I thought I had wrote that out in my first little stanza saying 'worry more about the sound than the cost'.
I would go purely by sound. I play on an Amati 604-II which, after ALL tweaking, new mouthpiece, barrel, etc. cost a grand total of (about) 1200. And I think it sounds great. So I am not at all saying that the price directly proportianol to the sound of the instrument.Quote:
I take it that Alexi feels he should pay more for his Clarinet because French Horns cost $10k & up? I doubt that. On the contrary, I'm saying that I SHOULDN'T have to pay more for the clarinet, and to base your impressions of an instrument on sound instead of price. Not to worry about a clarinet costing x-amount of money, but rather worrying if the twelfths are too wide of a spread or not.
But I'm also saying that we (clarinetists) tend to be an overly spoiled group. Complaining about whether we'll find a reed that works today, complaining about not being able to use our 'primary' mouthpiece because it got chipped and how are we EVER going to replace it, and (relevant to THIS thread) whining about the rising cost of a Buffet R13 to (GASP!!!) $2800! Where in the scheme of things, we really should learn to (every now and then) count our blessings and be happy that we don't have to take out a mortgage on our instrument. That if we drop our instrument or lose it to a fire, it can be replaced fairly easily without (most of the time) pawning off all our wedding rings or taking out a very sizeable loan.
I am also ECSTATIC that the instrument I love also turns out to be one of the most inexpensive. I know that when I do amount enough money, I'm going to go for a trip to WWBW, and try, well, anything I can get my hands on, and then just buy it. Because I know that as a WORST CASE scenario, I'll have paid a few thousand dollars (maybe three?!) for something that I would consider a Grade-A clarinet. And then I'll turn and look at the nearest string player, point to my instrument and yell out, "This is my new instrument. And it's the sweetest thing I've ever played. And it's gonna last me my lifetime. AND IT WAS CHEAPER THAN YOUR BOW!!!!!!! HA!!!!!"Quote:
There are some sad and pathetic dudes on the internet, aren't there? Taken a step further, it'll probably seem sadder when I point out that it's an actual, living, breathing person. And that you just know of THIS ONE because of the internet where you ran into him/her.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2004-06-11 17:49)
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-11 18:26
Alexi wrote:
"I know that when I do amount enough money, I'm going to go for a trip to WWBW, and try, well, anything I can get my hands on, and then just buy it. Because I know that as a WORST CASE scenario, I'll have paid a few thousand dollars (maybe three?!) for something that I would consider a Grade-A clarinet."
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That's a poor plan at best.
However, how much money that you have Alexi has NOTHING to do with the discussion @ hand. I think that is the issue that YOU were discussing. I don't know how much money you have or want to spend, that's your business. You brought up "sound". I guess because you were justifying a particular instrument to yourself, spending less $$$ because you have less money. Fine. You are on a different conversation or Thread - your Thread is "what instrument do you buy when you don't have a lot of $$$?". Entirely different discussion. Wish I had known that upon reading your initial Sound discussion.
When an Educated Buyer likes a particular model (or models) of clarinet - they start out by evaluating prices & looking for what appears to be the best price/make the best deal --- Buyer's next move is to try out many different clarinets of the same model (or several models/manufacturers) from the merchant with the best price. Wghen they exhaust the resources in Inventory of that Merchant they move to the next best price.
Some people don't follow the habits of an "Educated Buyer" for various & sundry reasons:
1. Buyer is borrowing the $$$ so $$$ isn't real to them.
2. It's a gift from Grandma/Grandpa & they are not the ones spending $$$
3. Their Teacher says "buy this one at this store".
4. Buyer doesn't care or understand the meaning of $$$. Hope they are rich.
5. Various other reasons that have nothing to do with price or quality.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-11 19:19
Well this Thread hasn't provided the INFO to would-be Clarinet Buyers that I hoped might read it & glean a "Modus" to current BEST buying practices; with the hope that would-be buyer might realize $$$ savings while maintaining high quality in the instrument purchased. I'll close my participation with this:
1. Summer is first upon us --- PRICES will get quite cheap before it's over. Patience is a virtue & the end-result will likely save someone's hard earned $$$.
2. Don't pay attention to ad copy on a website. Everyone needs a presence on the web & the website has to have some content. Talk to a (human) sales rep. Tell them what you are about.
[[ as of yesterday - every website I visited said CALL or EMAIL for price including WW&BW's affiliate, Music 1-2-3 ]]
3. Compare your experiences with others. Discuss price. Find out as much as you can about specifics or mechanics of their deal. Ask questions - don't be shy. Call retailers & manufacturers & their representatives & ask them lots of questions - don't be scared to ask more questions or worry about being a bother. The only dummy is someone who doesn't ask a question on their mind.
4. Find your best price for a given Model without sacrificing quality. Don't settle for B Stock unless it makes (significant) economic sense.
5. Separate unit/base price from upgrades or add-on costs. Know the cost of the instrument & then factor in (add-on) upgrades SEPARATELY. If you are trading an instrument in know it's separate value too.
6. Don't be deterred by naysayers & those who say "get it over with already". The experience of becoming educated in the proper ways to buy a high quality instrument wisely as to $$$ will serve you life-long, nee career-long.
7. Understand sticker shock & determine how much your instrument will be worth afterward. In that regard, you may wish to consider purchase of a refurbished instrument along with relevant costs savings. Work with those you know & trust, your Teachers or fellow Professionals.
8. If you are rich & don't need to every worry about $$$, forget #1-7.
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Author: senza bs
Date: 2004-06-12 04:48
If you intend to be a professional player you will buy many instruments during your lifetime, not just one. To consider price the most important factor in every single purchase to the point of worrying about less than $50 on a purchase of around $2,000 is somewhat short sighted, in my opinion.
Let's say I needed a new bflat clarinet (happens every 8 years or so for me). I could troll the internet for the lowest price down to the cent, that wouldn't take too long.
On the other hand, what if there was someone who sold clarinets whom I knew, trusted and, in addition knew was a superb clarinetist himself. I know the person well enough to say "Sometime this year I gotta get a new b-flat. I really think I want a greenline this time. If one that's really special comes in, would you call me?"
And what if that person did just that, and I got a new clarinet that I really really like without having spent much time in the process (a process that is terribly confusing and stressful enough).
Would you pay $30 - $50 a clarinet for such a service? I know I would any day of the week. Call me a sucker.
Good Bye.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-06-12 05:08
Sadly BS said:
"Call me a sucker". "To consider price the most important factor in every single purchase to the point of worrying about less than $50 on a purchase of around $2,000 is somewhat short sighted, in my opinion."
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Who said anything about $50 being a determining factor? [ Edited. Please, keep the sarcastic remarks out. Mark C. ]
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-06-12 08:51
mw,
Excellent points. I see what you mean.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2004-06-13 04:11
just wanted to say that I bought an awesome R-13 A clarinet with silver keys. Yay for good service at the woodwind and brasswind.
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The Clarinet Pages
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