 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarinet123
Date: 2004-12-05 15:24
I need help determining the value of my Buffet crampon clarinet. It is listed as a 'professional' model on the WoodwindShop.com listings of serial numbers. I think it is a R-13, but am not sure. It was made in 1973-74. My parents bought it for me in high school and my niece has had it until recently. I need to either add it to my homeowners insurance or sell it. It seems to be in excellent conditions, no cracks etc. The case is pretty beat up - but I would think that is not a big deal. Anyway, after searching the web this site seemed the best place to ask the question. thanks for your input.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2004-12-05 15:45
Clarinet123 wrote:
> I need to either add it to my homeowners insurance or
> sell it.
Two different numbers.
Insurance numbers tend to be replacement value (check online sites such as Woodwind & Brasswind or your local store for current selling prices).
To sell it, check for comparable sales on eBay.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-12-05 16:33
You've got three problems here:
1) What kind of horn do I have?
This one seems partially solved, as you state you think that it's an R-13. Between serial numbers and minor construction details, you should eventually get an answer on this that can be regarded as definitive. Without this answer, however, there's no point worrying about 2).
For soprano horns, "professional" clarinets were (in my day, at least - early 1960's) were often purchased for serious music students at the high school level. I got my first "pro" horn in 10th grade, and my second (a sax) two years later. (That I paid for them both from my own employment says something about my diligence, but a lot more about 1960's prices.) So, I don't doubt that your old horn was most likely a R-13 or its equivalent.
For other instruments, 'tis a different matter. I had a pro bass clarinet the year after I got out of the Army, but I've never known anyone else who bought one at that point in their life. Parents finance purchases like that (and pity the aspiring harpist and her family), but usually you have to have a very good reason (like consistent professional gigs) to spend that kind of money.
2) How much is my (insert name & model of French clarinet here) worth?
Once you know name and model, you can pretty quickly establish some value points.
a) One is the list cost, which is the price for which the manufacturer is "recommending" that retailers "should" be currently selling the equivalent instrument. All makers have catalogs that list this, and if I were doing the decision, it's the price for which I would insure the horn. I've done this under both non-pro and pro use policy options for over twenty years, and without a sneeze from the insurance firm when it came time to replace the one horn that was destroyed.
b) The next is the actual sale cost. You determine this by hitting the books and collecting retail pricing data from purchase sources. You "can" use this figure to make the insurance determination, but it leaves little room for over the years inflation of prices. Remember when Mark VI saxophones were available for hundreds of dollars? I do. Try and lay that amount down these days to replace one.
c) The last is the "real" price. Like automobiles, large appliances and other "big ticket items", the purchase cost of a horn is the amount at which the seller is willing to part with it, and the buyer is willing to pay. In its most extreme form, this transaction can take the form of an auction, vis eBay.
Given the opportunity to carefully examine the item at sale, I'd not hesitate for a minute to do my price setting through the auction process. Some don't like the process, but if you pay attention and control yourself, it works really well. Unfortunately, you don't always win when buying. When selling, you will win (either by retaining the item if you value it highly, or by realizing the cash minus the commission) in either case, even if you set the reserve too high. (Remember, this is about value, not about making a profit...if you set the reserve at your minimum acceptable amount and it does not sell, you've still got the item.)
With some items (new cars, for example) the auction process is just a means of discovering what the true purchase price will be. (Hint: use the word "No" a lot and you will get a much clearer picture of what that price point will be.) With used horns on eBay, it requires patience and care, but the process can be followed through (and you don't have to buy a lot of hardware to make it work).
From what you've said in your posting, it looks like you're not wedded to the idea of keeping the horn. In that case, wanting to move it means you'll have to either seek out a local sales/purchase forum (local music folks, music repair folks, or the like) or go the eBay route. The first is the most comfortable, but also the one most open to abuse (you could be placing your trust in the hands of a sharpster without knowing it). The second is a bit more cumbersome, but also more likely to yield the "true value".
3) How should I insure this horn?
The third question was implied from your posting, but I'm going to go ahead and answer it anyway.
Regarding insurance, you should know that (here in the US at least) there are two different types. I have always kept my horns covered under a rider to my homeowners policy, and it allows for two types of use. One is commercial, the other is not. If you never play for bux, go with the non-commercial use option. If you do play for money, opt for the commercial use option.
I'd not advise going cheap with non-commercial use insurance, while playing for pay with that horn. When my one destroyed horn was being replaced, they had an adjuster visit my home and "discuss" the use of the instrument before they would pay off. I strongly suspect that the visit was more about picking up potential commercial use clues than it was about the value of the horn.
(If you are an AFM member, the union offers instrument insurance as well. I ran the figures and found that I could do better under the rider on the homeowners, but if you are an apartment dweller, the AFM route may be the best to follow. You do have to belong to the union, however; not very difficult but it does cost some money.)
One other interesting thing: I found that it was cheaper to keep the horns under the commercial use rider on my homeowner's policy than to insure them through the policy (from the same company) that I carry on my band. The only "horns" that the band's policy insures are the digital piano (a Yamaha P-80 and associated amp and the like) and the aux percussion stuff (yeah, I actually own a set of head-only, miniaturized conga drums...this music stuff has taken me down roads I never thought I would travel...).
Whatever you do, document your ownership with serials, model numbers, purchase date (even if only an estimate), photographs and the like. With digital photography, we keep a dated CD in the safe deposit box on the property we insure. It's easy to do, dirt cheap once you have the base equipment.
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