 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-03-05 02:09
Hi,
We are going to the Netherlands and Germany (Cologne/Koln) in May, will stay in Amsterdam for 4 full days and 1 and a half day in Cologne.
I'd like to know if the used clarinet prices are lower in Europe and if it could make sense to look for a used clarinet while I am there.
Can anyone give an advice?
I do not want to waste time because the primary reason to go is site seeing, not clarinet shopping (well, I did not tell that to my DW 😁).
I would NOT be looking for a new one because I do not play professionally and thus do not need a new horn for my needs.
Thanks a lot.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2019-03-05 10:49
I don't know what prices are like in the US, but here in France you can get a used Buffet RC, for example, for around 1000 euros or so (in reasonable shape). If I remember right, prices in Amsterdam were similar. In Germany, only maybe one in ten clarinets is a Boehm.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Luuk ★2017
Date: 2019-03-05 12:11
I don't know about Amsterdam, but 100km south of A'dam you'll find the city of Roosendaal (easy reachable by train) where the large music shop Van Gorp is located. They have a lot of second hand instruments in stock. Check out their site for prices: https://www.vangorp.nl/nl/klarinetten-3218
Regards,
Luuk
Philips Symphonic Band
The Netherlands
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Author: jthole
Date: 2019-03-05 12:27
There are many good shops in the Netherlands, as Luuk already mentioned. Terpstra is not too far from Amsterdam as well, and there is Matthew's in Edam, for instance (which you might want to see anyway, as a visitor). In Amsterdam itself, there is Casper v/d Spek, who is mainly focused on repairs (as is Bert Wijnands in Den Haag).
However, I always feel that prices of musical instruments are lower in the USA, due to the more competitive market. I don't know if that is the case for Buffet as well.
Edit: if you travel from Amsterdam to Cologne anyway, you might also want to plan a stop at Adams in Ittervoort. They always have a good selection of clarinets and mouthpieces.
For all shops; best to drop them an email, or give them a call, in advance.
Post Edited (2019-03-05 12:33)
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Author: ruben
Date: 2019-03-05 22:18
Dear JTHole: are there many Wurlitzer Boehm-reformed (second-hand) still knocking around the Netherlands? I think Dutch players have moved away from them. For any particular reason? -poor intonation. Thank you.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Luuk ★2017
Date: 2019-03-06 12:46
Here's one I know, actually for sale: https://www.deblaasinstrumentenspecialist.nl/gebruikte-blaasinstrumenten/klarinet/wurlitzer-klarinet.
It was purchased around 1985 for the Philips Wind Band. The member for which it was intended, a 30+ years Leblanc player (my teacher at that time), couldn't tame it. Since then, it was handed over to at least four other members, all Leblanc or Buffet players. Some stuck to it for years, but it ended up in the closet so we decided to sell it.
Please note that intonation was not the culprit, but the effort involved to adapt from the French to the German acoustical concept (polycylindrical 'hourglass' versus reversed cone).
Regards,
Luuk
Philips Symphonic Band
The Netherlands
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-03-06 18:29
Luuk wrote:
"I don't know about Amsterdam, but 100km south of A'dam you'll find the city of Roosendaal (easy reachable by train) where the large music shop Van Gorp is located. They have a lot of second hand instruments in stock. Check out their site for prices: https://www.vangorp.nl/nl/klarinetten-3218"
Hi Luuk,
Thank a lot for your reply. It looks like the prices on new instruments are similar to prices in the US.
I did not see a used r13 or RC on their website, but maybe something will show up closer to our trip.
The new Festival on their site listed at € 4027 and here in the US at $4746 which is probably almost the same price.
The only advantage is that a tourist from the outside of the EU may get the VAT back.
I do not think I would be able to travel outside of the Amsterdam and we already have tickets for a direct train to Koln. So would have to see what is available in the Amsterdam.
Thanks a lot
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Author: ruben
Date: 2019-03-07 01:56
dear Luuk, could you get in touch with me at my personal e-mail address? Thank you.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: jthole
Date: 2019-03-07 02:00
Ruben, most clarinet section members here in the Netherlands nowadays have Buffets. Sometimes you see a Selmer or Yamaha, but hardly any German or Reform Boehm clarinets. There are some soloists playing on Reform Boehm clarinets though (L&K, Wurlitzer).
AFAIK Bert Wijnand has two RC clarinets for sale at the moment. However, he is in Den Haag, so I don't know if you can make that from Amsterdam. Otherwise I can only recommend him.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-03-07 10:23
jthole wrote:
"There are many good shops in the Netherlands, as Luuk already mentioned. Terpstra is not too far from Amsterdam as well, and there is Matthew's in Edam, for instance (which you might want to see anyway, as a visitor). In Amsterdam itself, there is Casper v/d Spek, who is mainly focused on repairs (as is Bert Wijnands in Den Haag).
However, I always feel that prices of musical instruments are lower in the USA, due to the more competitive market. I don't know if that is the case for Buffet as well."
Hi jthole,
Thanks a lot for your help, I will find time while in Amsterdam but unlikely outside of the city.
Regarding the prices- it looks like they are comparable to prices in the US so I may just enjoy traveling .
Would it be enough time if we spent an afternoon in Edam?
Thanks
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-03-07 10:23
Thanks to every one who replied to my post-we are going to enjoy our vacation, and I possibly will check what is available in Amsterdam and in Koln.
Post Edited (2019-03-07 18:54)
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Author: jthole
Date: 2019-03-07 11:51
Edam is not that large, and Matthew's is right in the city centre. They are specialising in woodwinds, and not just in clarinets (I guess what they sell and repair most, are saxophones). I am probably going there this weekend, so I could see if they have any used RC's for sale right now. I've never bought a clarinet there, but I know they give you lots of playtime (best to make an appointment then). This weekend I am going there together with my wife, to test some barrels for her E13.
(the barrel of my BC20, a discontinued model, works better on her E13 than the original one, so she wants to find something similar, and we think a matching RC barrel might work).
I just checked Bert Wijnand's site, and he currently has three RC's listed. I am obviously biased because Bert maintains my clarinets, but if I were looking for another Buffet right now, that's where I would start. However, that's a less easy trip for you than Edam, and he is far from any tourist attractions in Den Haag. Matthew's is a solid and well known address for woodwinds, and Edam is a great place to walk around anyway.
Drop me an email please if you want me to play some clarinets Matthew's has available, and want me to make some recordings. I'll see what I can do then.
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2019-03-07 20:31
Please consider the relative humidity where you live vs. the relative humidity of the geographical area where the clarinets currently are located. You do NOT want to go from a damp to a desert climate and I would assume the reverse would hold as well. On a trip to France 2 years ago, I considered doing the same thing you're considering. Then I considered the trains I'd be riding, the other luggage I'd be hauling around, the number of items you can take onboard a plane, and the fact that, if something went wrong with the instrument, I'd have to hire someone in the USA to fix it. I quickly forgot that idea and bought here in the USA.
Post Edited (2019-03-07 20:33)
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-03-08 19:45
Roxann wrote:
> Please consider the relative humidity where you live vs. the
> relative humidity of the geographical area where the clarinets
> currently are located. You do NOT want to go from a damp to a
> desert climate and I would assume the reverse would hold as
> well. On a trip to France 2 years ago, I considered doing the
> same thing you're considering. Then I considered the trains
> I'd be riding, the other luggage I'd be hauling around, the
> number of items you can take onboard a plane, and the fact
> that, if something went wrong with the instrument, I'd have to
> hire someone in the USA to fix it. I quickly forgot that idea
> and bought here in the USA.
>
Hi Roxann,
Thanks a lot for your advice .
I will not be taking my R13 there, I am going to take my MP and a couple of reeds.
I would buy an instrument there only if the price was significantly lower than in the US, which is unlikely.
I was thinking that the prices on used Buffets would be lower in Germany since Boehm system is not very popular there.
However, it seems that there not so many used Buffets for sale either.
In any case, MP does not weigh much.
Thanks again
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Author: Ed Lowry
Date: 2019-03-11 20:42
Before you go, search this board and perhaps other places for importing grenadilla wood instruments. As you will see, the rules are changing and they're not necessarily understood by customs officers at point of entry. And if the instrument you want to bring back is new, you may be hit with import duties as well.
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