 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mike
Date: 2001-05-09 22:43
So did you e-mail the seller to ask for more details and/or pictures?
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-05-09 22:53
I should have written, "would you buy a clarinet from a seller that posts a picture like this?"
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Author: Mike Irish
Date: 2001-05-09 22:58
something to think about.... that may not be wood either....
loooks an awful lot like mine, and mine has a few streaks in it where the colour has fadded / changed a bit.... mine is the hard rubber, or ebonite......beware of those selling something that is too good to be true.... there was a guy here trying to push over a totally messed up horn .... wanting a good amount for it, where I could see at a glance, that it would take a good 200 or better to get it in working order.....
the first bid is about what I might pay for it ( unseen ) ....but really, that may even be tooo much...... what is the return policy? what gaurentee is there that what
is being pushed is good? what is the posibility that the upper joint is broke in two?
cant see it... who knows.....
good luck...
Mike
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-05-10 02:04
FYI, I sent the following message to the seller of this item a few moments ago.
I really don't like pics like that, that look like the seller's trying to hide something.
Hello, Cwsinst -
I'd be interested to know whether there are ANY markings at all on the instrument, numbers, letters, name(s). Serial #s don't tell much anyway. Also, could you please post more pics, especially of the obscured upper section?
Thank you,
Ron B
We'll have to wait to see if anything results. May if a few more inquiries were sent? Oops, I forgot to note what the price tag on this one is. I appears to me to be in the 'I'll take it off your hands' category :] Well, not over $40.00 if it's worth fixing.
- ron b -
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-05-10 15:14
I never buy from a seller that doesn't return my email messages---period! No matter how much I might want something, if they don't respond to my question they'll probably be difficult to deal with and you can't tell what the stuff will be like when you get it.
I'd follow the advice and email him/her and hope they know something about what they're selling. If you can't get things cleared up it's your decision, bid and take your chances or skip it.
I once bought one like this on eBay and it was a REAL turkey when I got it. I immediately listed it for sale when I got it (the seller didn't offer a money-back deal) and I lost money on it. Really gotta watch those old instruments.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-05-10 17:42
Hi, Brenda -
I know your comment isn't directed to a specific person but, I didn't ask for a reply from the seller. (If I get one, I'll post it - it's not confidential, it's re: a public auction). I don't intend to bid on the horn, already have one. I asked for better pix per Bill's query above. Beyond that there's the question of pitch, material, condition etc., that would be wise for any buyer to determine before bidding on an old horn.
I've gotten some good deals where the seller knew next to nothing about instruments but I get weary of slipping into the role of educator unless it's something I *really* need or want and must go the extra mile for it. I prefer doing business with sellers I know from previous deals who know (at least a little) what we're talking about. This is, as you say, especially true regarding old instruments.
We should all heed your policy -- no reply, no bid, no problem. Could save a lot of hard feelings.
There are a few surprisingly knowledgeable collector/sellers out there.
- ron b -
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-05-10 17:53
I have 2 or 3 cls like that [lower joint visible, wonder what the UJ looks like?], a "standard" turn-of-the-century Albert-Mueller, many available. Prob. needs lots of TLC for playability, some of mine have an impossible, for me, right hand reach to the low F. Cavaet emptor! Don
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-05-10 18:13
Author: Don Berger wrote:
--- some of mine have an impossible, for me, right hand reach to the low F.
--------------------------------------------
I was wondering about this aspect. I got one recently, via eBay, that I like a lot. I was thinking that moving the thumb rest down might help - don't know for sure.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-05-10 19:28
Right, Bill, if I were you, I'd experiment with TR positions, without relocating it, by just grabbing it loosely in various vertical positions to see if any are "comfortable". For my small hands, raising the TR from its usual location on "modern" cls to allow a wider spread of hand, enables me to reach the rt hand E/B touch without interference to the F/C above. That of course doesnt apply to the Alberts, so "rots of ruck", some may be just impassable!! Don
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-05-10 20:08
Don - Bill ;
I 'restored' a friend's Albert A clarinet last year. It was more of a right hand reach than a Bb and pretty uncomfortable for her. There was no alternative since she wanted the horn for playing ragtime pieces that are authentically played on the A clarinet and, more authentically, the Albert system A clarinet : So, a tech friend installed an adjustable TR, setting it at the highest position, (UP - toward the mpc). She was delighted with it but I haven't heard from her for quite a while. I can't report about how she likes it as far as playability (maybe she'll read this and e-mail me -??-  )
>>> My point is that you might want to think about moving the thumb rest UP rather than DOWN. :]
You might want to consider an adjustable TR too. Then, you can *move* it, all day if you want to, until you find the best place for You.
Dee, if you have time, could you tell us more about hand positioning and such? We'd all benefit from it because I/we know there's a lot more to it than just holding the horn and poking keys. An uncomfortable hand, or an uncomfortable anything else, is a warning that there's trouble ahead.
- ron b -
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-05-10 20:19
Two things.
For me, the uncomfortable stretch is between the right index and middle fingers, which have a pad-covered hole between them.
Also, while you really can't tell without seeing the barrel, the instrument looks like a C rather than a Bb instrument. We'll know for sure after seeing whether it has the short C barrel. Almost all C clarinets on eBay attract lots of bidsl, even the simple system ones.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Cass
Date: 2001-05-11 13:02
On that picture of a "Butler" clarinet that Bill linked to just above, I guess they are trying to make the point that it is a completely new clarinet still in the plastic wrap, so there should not be a condition problem, but also I notice they have an option to buy for a fixed price before the reserve is met. I have a feeling this is a new extra-cheap clarinet (seller says for beginners) that this dealer is buying several of and basically using eBay to retail sell them. Did anybody ever hear of a Butler brand clarinet? I never did. I suspect this is one of the cheap Chinese ones that are sold under many names. I think those companies know the clarinets have a bad reputation so they keep changing the brand names.
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Author: Mike Irish
Date: 2001-05-11 22:57
I asked why he had this one covered up.... told him that would sell better if it could be seen..... said that he would have a better picture of it on later, said that he was new to this. I have not checked yet to see if the picture had been changed...
ought to charge a consultant fee... lol....
Mike
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