 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: jenmusic1
Date: 2005-02-10 21:37
I am a band director that works with a co-director. My co-director asked me to take a look at a student's clarinet as I am a clarinet player. I have never seen anything like this. It has no brand name or serial number.
It is made of plastic, but as far as I can tell has a key mechanism more like clarinets from the mid-late 1800's. The pads are a red leather (I think). Where the corks would be there is tightly wound string. The case is shoe-box like with a divider down the middle. You put half the clarinet on one side and the other half on the other.
The mechanism looks older, but the plastic leads me to believe this is not as old as it appears. Can anyone help me identify this clarinet or give me some ideas of how to find out more about this instrument. I've tried to contact the parents to find out how it was acquired, but haven't been able to reach them yet. All I know from the student is that mom paid for it over the internet. Any help is appreciated. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bradley
Date: 2005-02-10 22:07
I thought what you described seemed like one of those Indian unplayable ones.
Bradley
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Katrina
Date: 2005-02-10 22:10
I agree with Bradley. The Indian "Albert System" clarinets have been running rampant on EBay for 3 or 4 years or so (maybe longer...) and are generally deemed to be unusable even for those of us with Albert System fetishes.
Katrina
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: susieray
Date: 2005-02-11 04:19
The only "good" thing about these clarinets is they only cost something like $45, so at least the kid's mom didn't waste too much money! Too bad she didn't buy a used Vito instead, there's been plenty of those lately....
Sue
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Peacham
Date: 2005-02-11 09:55
While googling for something else, I stumbled across what appears to be the same thing on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0007934XE/002-7165462-2885656?v=glance
I'm a little surprised. I thought Amazon imposed some sort of quality control on things they sell.
They have no customer reviews on this item. Perhaps someone with hands-on experience of these things might like to post one.
-----------
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.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-02-12 14:05
Sue, there is a tragic part of it, and it's not the $ spent as $'s come and go pretty easily.
If the student tried it and the instrument was unplayable - the odds are that the instrument was set down never to be touched again. I think that the scumbags who sell that kind of quality should be forced to perform in from a large audiences and display just how "well" those instruments play.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-02-12 14:20
Well said, David B, could be a real "turn-off" of interest. I've seen these and think their ONLY function is as a wall-display looking like a well restored oldie. JUNQUE, otherwise. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: pewd
Date: 2005-02-12 16:54
yup, precisely the problem. horn is garbage, so new students lose interest quick. or they play for a few months, then break, and now a beginning student is unable to keep up , and you cant find a tech to work on those things. most techs refuse to work on them.
i had a student show up with a borg - we took off the shipping materials, key locks, shrink wrap , etc.
a key broke on the 2nd pass through a chromatic scale - maybe , what, 10-12 seconds of playing time, and a brand new horn fails.
total junk. belongs in a landfill.
or maybe you can weight them down and make an artificial reef out of them.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: susieray
Date: 2005-02-12 21:02
>>Sue, there is a tragic part of it, and it's not the $ spent as $'s come and go pretty easily. If the student tried it and the instrument was unplayable - the odds are that the instrument was set down never to be touched again.>>
Yes I agree, and this sort of thing happens all too often with well-meaning but uninformed parents. Many parents want to get away with spending as little as possible, and meanwhile the kids want "shiny and new". So they'll buy one of these CSO's, since they look nice and don't cost much.
I think there should be a special class at the beginning of the school year, just for the parents, to show them what to look for and what to avoid.
Some teachers do provide parents with a list of recommended brands/models, but they don't all do that. And even when they do, so many parents do not really know a thing about what makes a clarinet playable or unplayable. They really don't.
Our local schools have a "band night" when the new 5th graders are introduced to their instrument and shown how to put it together, put the reed on, how to hold it, blow into it, etc....but they are required to have an instrument in their possesion for this night, so in many cases the parents have already unknowingly purchased a piece of crap instrument. They either show up with CSO's, or used clarinets with totally wormy pads, bent keys, missing thumbrests, no ligature, etc....they may be a recommended model, but if they are in such a state of disrepair, how the heck are these kids supposed to get enthused about playing? ![[frown]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie2.gif)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jenmusic1
Date: 2005-02-14 22:34
Thanks for all of your help. I finally got a hold of the parent who wasn't very helpful. After talking to her for about 10 minutes I got out of her that she thought it was from India. UGH!!!! I looked at the link one of you posted to ebay. The clarinet is similar (if not) identical to that clarinet. I explained to mom she would probably very soon have to get her child another instrument. I work in a very low income area. We have tried so hard to get parents to consult us before purchasing an istrument, but they keep buying junk anyway. Thanks again for all of the help. It was much appreciated.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
