The Clarinet BBoard

Re: Robert Paris Clarinet in A

Author: Jack Kissinger  Date:   2009-06-20 16:09 eBay! eBay! eBay! eBay! eBay! Based on the limited information I've seen, I infer that Robert clarinets were well-regarded in their day. I haven't been following clarinets on eBay like I used to but I only saw one or two over the several years that I did follow the auction so I was surprised to see that one had actually sold recently. There was also a Robert mouthpiece offered in a separate sale but (IMO) the seller doesn't know the mouthpiece market very well and tends to significantly overprice his/her offerings. It seems to me s/he is trying to sell to collectors rather than players -- and doesn't have very desirable stock. I was surprised at how much the Robert clarinet brought. If you are going to use it as a basis for evaluating the value of yours, however, note that the one on eBay was not a "standard" Boehm clarinet. It has an articulated G#, an extra ring on the upper joint and an extra sliver key on the lower joint. Some of the amount bid, therefore, may have been for the (relatively) unusual configuration rather than the maker. Unless your instrument is the same configuration, I would discount the sale price somewhat. On the other hand, your clarinet is in the key of A, whereas the one sold on eBay appears to have been a Bb. That probably adds to the value of your instrument. Maybe the two differences cancel each other out. The selller of the clarinet included an apparently pristine Robert mouthpiece, claiming that Robert was particularly known for its mouthpieces. That may be true (though it's the first time I've ever heard it). In any case, if you don't have the original mouthpiece in very good condition, I think you should discount your value accordingly. FWIW, unless you play the instrument professionally, it's probably already covered (at least against theft and casualty damage) by your household or renter's insurance -- though you may want to "schedule" it separately if you haven't already. Personally, I am of the school of thought that one should only buy insurance to protect against major catastrophies. Considering the odds that a normal person will ever have a claim and the cost of insurance over the years, I think you probably come out ahead not buying a policy. But then I've always considered extended warranties a rip-off and for years (until the cost of replacing a fender went through the roof, repair became out-of-the-question, and my teenage daughter started driving ), I didn't carry collision insurance on my autos (and still get the maximum deductible). You may be more risk averse than I am. Best regards, jnk

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