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 Re: Why clarinets so expensive now
Author: John Peacock 
Date:   2023-02-28 00:35

A follow-on to the historical costs posted by Paulyb. I looked up an R13 Prestige in some old price lists I have, and converted to 2023 money:

1986: £1265 (£3453 today)
2002: £2150 (£3655 today)

So sounds like £3550 would be a fair price today. Howarths are currently charging £4235, which is 20% more. That in itself doesn't seem too far out: VAT is now 20%, as against 10% or less in the earlier times and the pound is definitely worth less in relative terms thanks to Brexit.

But the figures I quote (and those of Paulyb) were the official list price, and in those days Howarth were happy to boast that they sold at a 20% "professional" discount. Probably this was a scam and no-one ever paid full price, but anyway it means that a present-day equivalent for what one would actually have paid back in the day is £2840 - which does make £4235 seem high, despite VAT etc.

What's depressing is that these older machines would have had a lot more hand finishing: the impressive automation that we see in the Buffet YouTube videos ought to have made it possible to produce more cheaply today. And it certainly makes it hard to justify over £6000 for the Legende etc. - the price there undoubtedly reflects mainly novelty value.

But despite this, I find it hard to agree with the general air of outrage on this thread. Clarinets are still relatively cheap - try £9695 for Howarth's standard XL pro oboe, never mind what string players have to pay. And the value gets even better on the 2nd-hand market. For perhaps £3000 you can get a pair of Buffets from around 1980 (the pre-Prestige era). There you have a product that certainly received plenty of attention from skilled craftsmen, and the thought that one can buy such an exquisite construction for so little seems almost wrong. We should welcome our good fortune in this respect.
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 Why clarinets so expensive now  new
ChuChu 2023-02-25 18:10 
 Re: Why clarinets so expensive now  new
Chris P 2023-02-25 18:42 
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ChuChu 2023-02-25 20:55 
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tucker 2023-02-25 21:39 
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ChuChu 2023-02-25 22:23 
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ChuChu 2023-02-25 22:43 
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tucker 2023-02-25 22:52 
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paulyb 2023-02-25 23:53 
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ChuChu 2023-02-26 00:04 
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Paul Aviles 2023-02-26 00:30 
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SunnyDaze 2023-02-26 00:44 
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paulyb 2023-02-26 01:06 
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kilo 2023-02-26 02:21 
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Chris P 2023-02-26 02:36 
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Tom H 2023-02-26 02:44 
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Tom H 2023-02-26 09:45 
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ChuChu 2023-02-26 10:04 
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kilo 2023-02-26 18:59 
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Djudy 2023-02-27 17:13 
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ChuChu 2023-02-27 17:36 
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ClarinetRobt 2023-02-28 00:15 
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LostConn 2023-02-27 22:02 
 Re: Why clarinets so expensive now  new
senexclarinetta 2023-02-27 22:55 
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bradfordlloyd 2023-02-27 23:33 
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Paul Aviles 2023-02-27 23:49 
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rs cl 2023-02-28 00:09 
 Re: Why clarinets so expensive now  new
m1964 2023-02-28 11:52 
 Re: Why clarinets so expensive now  
John Peacock 2023-02-28 00:35 
 Re: Why clarinets so expensive now  new
J. J. 2023-02-28 00:36 
 Re: Why clarinets so expensive now  new
J. J. 2023-02-28 00:39 
 Re: Why clarinets so expensive now  new
kilo 2023-02-28 23:05 
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LostConn 2023-02-28 23:36 
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kilo 2023-03-01 00:50 
 Re: Why clarinets so expensive now  new
J. J. 2023-02-28 00:41 
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ChuChu 2023-02-28 00:50 
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Paul Aviles 2023-02-28 23:50 
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J. J. 2023-03-01 04:34 
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ChuChu 2023-03-01 04:38 
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rs cl 2023-03-01 13:47 
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Fuzzy 2023-03-01 07:04 
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ChuChu 2023-03-03 05:18 
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rs cl 2023-03-03 22:58 
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