 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Amy
Date: 1999-03-18 20:25
I am about to audition for the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, and I know that to be able to play with them, I will need an A clarinet. Plus, I plan to major in clarinet performance, and would like to get one that will last me for several years. Having bought a new Bb Buffet R-13 a few years ago, I don't want to spend another $1500-$2000 for a brand new A clarinet. I think I would like to have another Buffet to go with my Bb, but I am prepared to try out several brands. Are there any good places to find used, but in good shape, A clarinets? Does the WW and BW catalog have decent prices for A's? I'm not sure where to begin looking. I would love any guidance towards where to start my search. TIA
Amy
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Author: Gary Van Cott
Date: 1999-03-18 20:47
Amy, because there are a lot of people in exactly your position, the demand for recent, used A clarinets is strong and the supply is small. It can't hurt to call around, however.
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Author: ted
Date: 1999-03-18 21:03
I tried Wichita Band Instruments (can't remember the web address) and Taylor Music (www.taylormusic.com) when purchasing an A clarinet. Both were very easy and friendly to work with. They shipped instruments for me to try out, and I shipped the ones back I liked the least. I remember trying one from Taylor Music for a month, so they are fairly flexible. They got my credit card info before shipping, of course.
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Author: Rob
Date: 1999-03-19 01:01
If you are able to find a used one, you are lucky. Like the previous post said, the demand is high. Your best bet is to really shop around. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but you'll eventually find it.
Rob
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Author: Frank
Date: 1999-03-19 01:07
I suggest you try Witchita Band. Wichitia Band has a web page with a listing of used instruments: wbic@wichitaband.com. This also lists the telephone number.
You will likely talk Gary Ray. He was quite helpful to me.
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Author: clarinetfreak
Date: 1999-03-19 06:05
I think you should buy a new clarinet. Here are my reasons. First of all, if you going to major clarinet (in the college level) you need an A clarinet that is very much like your Bb. You're going to play in orchestras so you will using A clarinet almost half the time.
Secondly, modern clarinets are made out of a particular woods that is becoming harder and harder to obtain. So in the future clarinets with this wood will be expensiver and rarer to find.
It is just smarter to get an A clarinet today then it will be sometimes in the future.
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Author: Pam
Date: 1999-03-19 06:59
I bought one a few months ago on ebay. It was made in 1964, so it's pretty old, but it was well maintained and plays wonderfully. It only cost me $710, and I got an agreement to try it out before closing the deal. You can probably find similar deals on the internet, but never commit until you can try out the instrument first.
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Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 1999-03-23 17:23
Although I didn't actually follow through, I was considering buying a new "A" clarinet a couple of years ago, and looked around at what was available. For my money, I'd try out a bunch of Noblet 45 "A" clarinets, which seem to go for around $850-$925 or so mail-order. As Leblanc's mid-level wood instrument, it should be a pretty good horn (I haven't tried them myself, but I used to own a Noblet bass clarinet, and it was excellent). You might also consider the Buffet(formerly Evette) E-11, going for about $770-$850 mail-order. Never tried one myself, so can't vouch for them. As has already been pointed out, finding a good used "A" clarinet is very difficult, as there are so many of us out there trying to do the same thing.
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