 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Madelinnneeee
Date: 2013-10-17 22:48
Is the MARTIN FRERES COMPANY Student E34 Eb Soprano Clarinet a decent clarinet? It's about 270$ and I just want to know if getting it would be a bad idea
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2013-10-18 00:05
My guess is that it is worth $270. It is probably from China. I haven't seen a Chinese clarinet that is well made yet, unless the the parts are made elsewhere and it is just assembled there. Not to say they don't exist.
Steve Ocone
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2013-10-18 18:37
In my opinion you would be much better off buying a used student clarinet from one of the more reputable manufacturers. Something like a used Leblanc Vito 7212, Yamaha YCL-20 or YCL-250, or a Selmer Bundy (not to be confused with the current "Bundy" brand) could be easily found at or below the price you listed for the Martin Freres and would probably be a better instrument.
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2013-10-21 15:38
Not sure about their clarinets, but their barrels are very good, just got recently very happy. They were very helpful on e-mail if you wanna contact them.
@ SteveG: have you looked how much Vito Eb clarinets go for? Any Eb would cost you arm and leg, used or not. YMMV
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-10-21 15:46
I've restored several Martin Freres clarinets and I've generally found them to be decent instruments. Properly set up a good one can hold its own against many modern intermediate instruments. In their day martin made good quality instruments. As to price, I've sold a couple of good quality restored instruments on EBay at around the $A350-450 mark. I believe that the Martin Freres trademark is currently being used by a Chinese maker, and these comments do not apply to instruments from that source, only to the original French instruments.
Tony F.
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Author: DanCiarcia
Date: 2013-10-21 22:53
The Martin Freres Company brand is out of Florida USA. The NEW Martin Freres Company clarinet components are made in various countries; the keys from Germany, the pads from Italy, the joints from Asia (India, China and others). The wooden barrels, final assembly, tuning, sales and service including lifetime warranty are all handled in the USA. Because of the strong connection with the "legacy" Martin Freres Woodwinds (NY, Paris) of the 1930s - 1960s, the Martin Freres Company honors the original warranty for the lifetime of the instrument's original owner on all clarinets with the 'Martin Freres' mark.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-10-22 01:35
"The Martin Freres Company brand is out of Florida USA. The NEW Martin Freres Company clarinet components are made in various countries; the keys from Germany, the pads from Italy, the joints from Asia (India, China and others). The wooden barrels, final assembly, tuning, sales and service including lifetime warranty are all handled in the USA. Because of the strong connection with the "legacy" Martin Freres Woodwinds (NY, Paris) of the 1930s - 1960s, the Martin Freres Company honors the original warranty for the lifetime of the instrument's original owner on all clarinets with the 'Martin Freres' mark."
This is good to know. I don't know anything about the new Martin Freres instruments, so my comments still hold. I'll reserve my judgement until I've seen a few.
Tony F.
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2013-10-22 04:41
cyclopathic wrote:
> @ SteveG: have you looked how much Vito Eb clarinets go for?
> Any Eb would cost you arm and leg, used or not. YMMV
I missed that the OP was wanting an Eb clarinet. Regardless, my advice doesn't change. A Vito Eb clarinet just sold on Ebay yesterday for $275 and another one last week for $243. It is not uncommon to see used Bundy Eb clarinets sell in this price range either.
If the OP is still dead set on buying the Martin Freres E-34 for $270 then I would point out that she would be wasting at least $100 since the company is selling them on Ebay for as little $160 for the "buy it now" price (and judging from the number of listings ending with no bids few people are buying them).
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2013-10-22 15:00
The Unofficial Self-Appointed Clarinet BB Curmudgeon wants to know:
Once you wade through Mr. Ciarcia's enthusiastic marketing-speak, I find myself wondering what exactly IS the alleged "strong connection" to the French Martin Freres line --- other than that he and his partners have purchased the legal rights to the brand name?
There has been another thread on this recently but after all that I still remain unconvinced. Maybe because the shameless marketing of Vietnam-made "Kohlert" instruments over the past 10+ years has left me with a very low opinion of Asian-made instruments being sold under a venerable European brand name.
As for honoring warranties on old 'original' Martin Freres clarinets (if that is indeed what he is saying) -- so what? After the first few months, once a clarinet has passed the "it's a Buffet so you just know it's gonna crack" phase, who cares about or needs a warranty on a clarinet? Pads and corks inevitably wear out with use, you get a tech to repad/overhaul the clarinet or do it yourself. This is not an automobile we're talking about here.
I am fed up with lies, half-truths, b.s. and marketing claims in general. Not just in the musical world, but in politics and every other aspect of our lives. I will continue to pester anybody who makes claims but can't substantiate them with properly done and documented demonstrations or tests.
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2013-10-23 11:05
@Steve
>I missed that the OP was wanting an Eb clarinet. Regardless, my advice doesn't change. A Vito Eb clarinet just sold on Ebay yesterday for $275 and another one last week for $243. It is not uncommon to see used Bundy Eb clarinets sell in this price range either.
are we looking at the same e-Bay? b/c the only ones I see listed are in 5-600$ range. The only used Eb under $200 are Albert system.
------------------------------------
With respect to Dave's rant, yeah it is understandable, but is there alternative? unfortunately this is the world we leave in.
I suppose would be nice if mfg would post a tuning map at Phil's ClarinetPages or their own site, but is it gonna happen?
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2013-10-23 15:24
My rant is partly a reaction to what I have perceived as the use of this forum as an advertising/marketing site. I do realize that Mark and GBK are perfectly capable of preventing such behavior and have done so in the past, so maybe I'm sticking my nose in someone else's business here. But all my life I've believed in getting to the truth, and there's no reason we shouldn't be told the truth here in our little world of clarinet-playing.
Back on topic --- If Mr. Ciarcia would provide specifics on some of the following, rather than some vague marketing prose, then I believe he would be upholding the "code" of the BB, which is to provide information to players. I'm not sure a tuning map is necessary or even very useful, given all the non-instrument variables that affect tuning (e.g. the mouthpiece, the reed, the ambient environmental conditions, the amount of warmup, and most of all the player). But personally I'd like to know:
-- What are the actual connections of his company to the now-defunct French Martin Freres company?
-- What physical characteristics or qualities of the new clarinets have any relationship to those of the vintage Martin Freres clarinets (of which I personally own one, a "Philharmonic Deluxe" model for what it's worth)?
-- What parts of the clarinet are made where, by whom, and to whose design(s)? [He has partially answered this question above, but only partially.]
-- What characteristics/features of his clarinet are demonstrably different from, and/or superior to, those of other current and vintage clarinets on the market?
-- What well-regarded players have tried his instrument(s) and reviewed them? [Not paid endorsements --- unbiased reviews please!]
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Author: gkern
Date: 2013-10-23 17:29
Dave - this is not to take issue with you, as I have always respected your views and opinions. However, with the exception of the last sentence in Mr. Ciarcia's post, as I read it, he was simply answering questions that had been broached earlier, neither as advertisement nor promotion of any sort. I did not see any mention of a tuning map in his post.
As far as owning a Martin Freres clarinet, I did at one time have a wooden LaMONTE model, which, albeit a student horn, was easy to play with a very sweet tone, but this is merely an aside remark and has no bearing on the current thread.
Gary K
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2013-10-23 18:14
"Because of the strong connection with the "legacy" Martin Freres Woodwinds (NY, Paris) of the 1930s - 1960s...."
Some of my gripes are related to the earlier thread (you'll have to look it up), but the above claim is from the current thread and something about which I'd like to see some substantiation.
I don't consider merely buying legal rights to the brand name as a "strong connection". I'm hoping there's more to it than that. Mr. Ciarcia, your turn...
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-10-23 23:09
I've seen B&H stencils bearing the name Martin Freres - they were identical to Edgwares.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2013-10-23 23:32
Someone gave me a 1950's vintage Martin Freres clarinet once upon a time.
It was a very heavy, big-sounding instrument, with keywork that fit that characterization (felt clunky in the hand -- but then, I have small hands).
I don't know where it was made. It said Paris. It didn't feel like Paris. It felt like OshKosh or Kenosha or Elkhart.
I "regifted" it to a program that provided instruments for impoverished folks in another country. Because basically, it was better than nothing. But it was an instrument of its time and place, and today, there are better alternatives.
Susan
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