 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: glen
Date: 2000-04-07 15:19
I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO MY HOMEWORK ABOUT BUYING A GOOD BEGINNER'S MODEL CLARINET. MOST EVERYONE SEEMS TO RECOMMEND A BUFFET B-12, LEBLANC VITO OR YAMAHA AND BUNDY LOWER ENDS. WHILE SEARCHING I RAN ACROSS A TR-147 OFFER. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY OPINIONS OR TIPS ON THIS INSTRUMENT OR THE OTHER ONES MENTIONED? THIS BULLETIN BOARD IS A GODSEND FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME. THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-04-07 17:02
Glen, Your mention of a TR-147 is unfamiliar to me, is there more info available? Will this clar be for an adult or youthful beginner? My, and likely other's, answer-opinions might depend on the player, since sometimes a reasonably good used intermediate clar may be available at a lower price than a new plastic horn. We'll see what others may say. Don
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Author: glen
Date: 2000-04-07 17:42
IAM AN ADULT BEGINNER STUDENT. THE CLARINET TR-147, IS FROM TOM RIDENOUR. SOUNDS FROM THE DESCRIPTION I GOT ABOUT IT FROM TOM TO BE A QUALITY INSTRUMENT, BUT THE PRICE IS MORE THAN THE BUFFET'S OR LEBLANC VITO'S BY QUITE A BIT. I'M REALLY NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRICE, I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT RELIABILITY,QUALITY, IF IT IS WORTH THE GAMBLE ETC. THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPLIES.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-04-07 18:03
Wow! I'm sure it is an excellent, professional clar, custom-made or at least -modified by a real expert, far beyond my best one, a LeBlanc L 7 of the 1980's. Guess I should have recognized the TR! For a beginner, I'd think it would be a bit much, and would certainly deserve and require great care, but almost certainly it would be a value-sustaining investment. Good luck, Don
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-04-07 19:10
glen:
being the same boat as you I have purchased four clarinets off of ebay. They are all good but not what i wanted. I wasn't even sure what i wanted. Anyhow i finally got a Selmer 10 about 20 years old in great shape and that is what i'm going to keep. just sold a Yamaha 34 on ebay and now I'm going to sell the buffet e11. The only way to tell about anything is to play it and see if it fits you. Also as has been said on this board that the reed, mouthpiece and even the lig. come into play (pun). Hope you find what you are seeking.
Bob
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Author: Paul Lester
Date: 2000-04-07 22:23
Glen:
Tom is a top notch technician with an excellent reputation. If he said that the horn is in excellent playing condition, I would believe him. With that LeBlanc you would have a clarinet that would support all of your playing improvement for just about forever!
Cheers,
Paul
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Author: Drew
Date: 2000-04-07 23:30
Glen,
The question you have posed is a good one, but it is like asking "what car should I buy?" It really depends on what you want to do with it, how committed you are, and what kind of a budget you have. Personally I'd love to drive a new Mercedes SLK, but I can't afford it.
Back to clarinets: who will play it? Are they a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player? Child or adult? How committed to playing are they? Assuming that a new pro grade clarinet goes for $2,000 and a good used student instrument can be had for $300, how much do you really want to spend? A pro grade horn isn't a good fit for a beginner, it is harder to play and requires more skill, much less forgiving. A student horn is made for....STUDENTS.
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Author: Roger
Date: 2000-04-08 15:04
Glen,
I am an adult beginner/intermediate player, and I bought a clarinet from Tom Ridenour by mail order from here in Australia 15 months ago. I am delighted with it, and I'm sure that Tom will not lead you astray if he knows what your needs are. The clarinet he selected for me just sounds better and better the more I practice, and it was an immediate improvement over my previous Yamaha student model, even though I was a very new begiiner.
Good luck with whatever you decide to buy, and enjoy playing.
Roger
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Author: Gary
Date: 2000-04-11 20:02
I recently purchased a Buffet Festival that Tom customized for my son, Kenny. We were on the phone several times and traded email many other times in order that Tom understood my son's abilities. He sent us several clarinets and they were all wonderful instruments...however his customized horn was the best. Kenny's private teacher, a Buffet player, was very impressed with the horns. Tom is very understanding and was a pleasure to work with. I will get my son's next clarinet, an A model, from Tom.
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